What are popular foods in Iran? Do you know What are the top 3 foods in Iran? What is the best dish in Iran?
In this article, we inform you about food in Iran and the following categories: Iran took first place on the list of countries with many attractions; indeed, food in Iran is one of its prominent features. Other elements are culture, literature, and climate. In fact, Iran is a four-season country, and the climate and weather changes from north to south and west to east are recognizable.
Particular locations of Iran have unique cultures; the religion and tradition create specific cultures; indeed, regional climate changes influence food in Iran. Many tourists have acclaimed the weather, seasons, culture, poetry, literature, and Iranian cuisine in recent years. In this essay, we explore the famous and most popular foods from the perspective of Iranians and tourists.
Introducing a Variety of Soups, Pottages, and Food in Iran
Food in Iran is divided into different categories. For example, Iranian people usually make soup- typed food during the cold months while consuming stew or Kebab during spring or summer. People serve the second group primarily with rice.
Let’s discover some types of soups precisely; Iranian families cook different foods based on the celebrating occasions. For example, they might cook a variety of pottages or soups at religious gatherings. Some are Noodle pottage, Whey pottage, Yogurt pottage, sour grape pottage, wheat pottage, Hodge-Podge pottage, potato pottage, dough pottage (Umaj pottage), and pomegranate pottage.
Noddle Pottage, Ashe Reshteh, the Most Delicious Food in Iran (آش رشته)
The first one is Ashe Reshteh, a kind of noodle soup made of soup strings, noodles, beans, lentils, and peas. It consists of some particular vegetables, including basil, parsley, spinach, mint, and garlic powder. This food is the most popular pottage in Iran that people garnish with fried onions, garlic, and some mint.
When Iranians go on a picnic or gather for religious ceremonies, serve noodle pottage or Ashe Reshteh with some whey consequently, it becomes sour and delicious. In fact, in religious gatherings, Muslims make a lot of this food to share with neighbors, the poor, and people on the streets.
Whey Pottage, Ashe Kashk, A Traditional Food in Iran (آش کشک)
It is one of the most traditional and delicious food in Iran, cooked differently based on the people’s living place. Whey pottage consists of beans, peas, lentils, some rice, particular vegetables, onion, garlic, dry mint, and whey.
Some spices like pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and special Iranian saffron make it tastier. Because this food, just like the previous ones, is healthy, and Iranians serve it on different occasions as an appetizer. People mainly serve it with some bread called Nan.
Yogurt Pottage, Ashe Doogh (آش دوغ)
As you might guess, it is mainly made of yogurt, rice, particular vegetables, some onion, garlic, and beans. This pottage is also made with some noodles, making it delicious and different from other portages. Yogurt pottage belongs to the cold and mountainous northern region of Iran called Ardebil.
So having this soup balances your body’s temperature in the freezing weather to stay healthy. This food in Iran is so delicious that you do not even need a side dish. Honestly, it is perfect with garlic, lemon juice, bread, and fried dried mint.
Sour Grape Pottage, Ashe Ghooreh, A Sour Food in Iran (آش غوره)
Sour grape pottage is one of the seasonal potages and, due to its sour taste, becomes a fantastic choice in summer and spring. Therefore it balances the body’s temperature. This food comprises rice, vegetables, meat, split peas, and onion. Sour grape juice with famous Iranian spices, salt, pepper, cilantro, mint, and onion powder, making it tastier.
If you live in Iran or have been to Iran, you’ve seen mothers making this pottage in hot seasons. Surely you would enjoy this food. It may taste highly sour initially, but it will be balanced perfectly with the side dishes. It is a healthy meal for all family members. Here are some pictures of this delicious green soup or pottage.
Wheat Pottage, Ashe Gandom, (آش گندم)
Wheat pottage is another traditional and delicious food in Iran, people serve it at celebrations and gatherings. It consists of wheat, beans, peas, particular soup vegetables, dried mint onion, and garlic. Special Iranian spices, which differ regionally, create exceptional tastes. So you will enjoy a heavenly taste.
Indeed, spices are crucial in Iranian foods, and tourists may not have the desire to taste this food. If you like to eat it sourer, add some whey. It keeps you cool during summer and spring. You can serve this food with bread.
Hodge-Podge Pottage, Ashe Shole Ghalamkar, A Nutritive Food in Iran (آش شله قلمکار)
As mentioned before, most soups and pottages called Ash are used for gatherings, especially religious ones, and this one follows the same rule. If you’re picky, you might not be a fan of this pottage. However, if you try it several times, you might love it. Keep in mind that the ingredients of this dish are wheat seeds, beans, and particular Iranian vegetables. It also needs meat and some spices mentioned before. Then you might fry some onions, garlic, and mint to garnish the food. But don’t forget to add some whey to the top of your bowl to make it sour.
You might think that most of the ingredients of these soups and pottages are the same, but how can they differ? The answer hides behind their recipes, the way of cooking, and the number of spices. Consequently, the required time to prepare the food creates an excellent outcome. The beauty of cooking has always blossomed from Iran to the entire world.
Tomato Pottage, Ashe Gojeh (آش گوجه)
Tomato pottage is one of the traditional Iranian foods originating from Tabriz, a Turkish city. This soup has different recipes however, the original recipe belongs to Tabriz. The ingredients of this food are tomatoes, rice, and sour grape juice, and you can add some peas or beans. The main ingredient of this food is tomato, and you need a lot of tomatoes to make this tasty food.
Dough Pottage, Ashe Amaj (آش آماج)
Dough Portage is one of the most traditional potages in Iran; in fact, it is a homemade cure for flu or cold. It consists of herbal vegetables, proteins, and vitamins, so having a bowl of this soup helps you feel better. The ingredients of this food are; flour, vegetables, meat juice, onion, and Iranian special spices. The lentils are full of iron and hemoglobin, therefore, promoting the body’s immune system.
This pottage is like the others, and people serve it with some onions, fried garlic, and mint. This portage is a mixture of flour, water, and milk, then the small pieces of dough are added to the pot. This healthy dish is considered a main dish, and it is mainly served with some bread and extra peppers, which makes you sweat and get better soon.
Pomegranate Pottage, Ashe Anar (آش انار)
Pomegranate pottage is one of the most delicious pottages originating from Shiraz. You can easily make it at home for essential gatherings like Yalda Night. Iranians make this pottage with rice, split peas, vegetables, pomegranate juice, pomegranate sauce, and meat. Then they add salt, pepper, turmeric, onions, pomegranate seeds, and fried onions. If you don’t like meat, so eliminate it.
At first, you must cook the split peas, then leave the rice in salty water for a while. Initially, fry the onions, spices, pomegranate juice, and sauce together, then add the vegetables to boil for some hours. Finally, you must add the pomegranate sauce and let it boil for more than two or three hours; your delicious pottage is ready; enjoy it. Finally, you can add some pomegranate seeds and fried onions on top of the bowl for the garnish of the bowl.
Popular Food in Iran from the Perspective of Local People
Here are some of the most famous foods from the perspective of Iranians and foreigners who visited Iran and tasted Persian food.
Baqali Polo
The first one is Baqali Polo with brawn, one of Iran’s notable and famous foods for specific celebrations. As you might have noticed from the photo, green bees next to the Iranian rice have created a mouthwatering image; can you smell the scent of saffron and natural butter?
This combination will force you to admit its uniqueness and exceptional taste. Fortunately, finding the ingredients of this food is not complicated; be patient in making this food. You must drench the rice, add the broad beans, spices, onions, and garlic to the meat and let it cook. When the rice and the stew are ready, you may serve it with fried potatoes and tomatoes; salad tastes good with this food.
Qeimeh
Another popular food in Iran is Qeimeh, served with fried French or eggplants. You need meat, split peas, onions, tomato sauce, lemon, and spices like salt, pepper, and turmeric. You have to fry the onions first, add the rest to the pot, and let them boil for some hours; the more your food cooks, the better it tastes.
You can design this food with fried onions and eggplants and serve it with saffron rice. You may enjoy seasonal salads or a famous Iranian salad Shirazi, a mixture of chopped cucumber, potatoes, onions, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Some might enjoy the food with a mixture of yogurt, chopped cucumber, and tasty vegetables.
Fesenjan
Fesenjan is among the top three most popular food in Iran made with meat or chicken, tasting sour or sweet. The main ingredients of this food are sour or sweet pomegranate sauce and walnuts; it is unbelievably tasty irrespective of choosing a sweet or sour dish. Don’t forget that stews in Iran are always served with rice and tahdig, so enjoy this stew with saffron rice.
Qormeh Sabzi, the Most Delicious Food in Iran
If you have watched different mukbangers from different parts of the world, their nonstop talking about the taste of Qormeh Sabzi may surprise you. This food is one of the most authentic foods from Iran that everyone loves.
Iranians serve it with rice and Shirazi Salad. The mixture of delicious vegetables, meat, kidney beans, and lemon creates an unforgettable experience. We suggest adding this food to the top of your must-do list.
Dizi
The following food is not a soup or a Stew; it’s something in between and called Dizi. It draws many foreigners to Iranian kitchens and restaurants. This traditional food consists of meat, beans, peas, and potatoes; some people add tomatoes.
Iranian mothers add the ingredients and spices of this soup-like food to a pan of water to be cooked thoroughly, then serve it with bread. Then they separate meat, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, and beans from the soup and mash them to make Goosht Koobideh; literally, it means mashed meat served with bread, vegetables, raw onions, or black pepper.
This food originates from mountainous places; people serve it mainly in the year’s cold months. It is highly popular in Iran and Asia. Do not forget that the drinks next to this food are water or soda, which is the same in all countries. However, one of the most amazing drinks next to Iranian foods is Ayran, a mixture of water, yogurt, salt, and some dried mint.
Kabab Koobideh
You might have heard that kebabs are prevalent in countries like Saudi Arabia and China. Some kebabs from Iran might have a root in Arabic countries; still, the intended kebab is a famous Iranian kebab even in the eastern countries and sits on top of the must-eat food in Iran by many visitors.
It consists of meat, onion, and special Iranian spices baked on fire, and Iranian serve it with saffron rice and butter. You may enjoy it with yogurt and cucumber, raw onions, or vegetables.
Zereshk Polo, A Classic Food in Iran
Zereshk Polo is another popular classic dish that Iranian serve mainly for celebrations and wedding parties. Its ingredients are rice, saffron, and chicken. You need some pieces of chicken, onion, garlic, and famous Iranian spices; fry the chicken with garlic and onion, add all the ingredients and tomato sauce, let them boil thoroughly, then garnish it and serve with salad or vegetables.
Kufteh Tabrizi
Kufteh Tabrizi, or Tabriz meatballs, as the name reveals, is from Tabriz, a city in the north of Iran. There are different recipes to prepare this food, but the most famous one is from Tabriz. It consists of meat, split peas, and vegetables.
Mix them to create ball-like pieces filled with boiled eggs, plums, and nuts. Then add them to your pan and boil with Iranian spices and onion. Let it boil for three to four hours. You may serve it with Nan, some vegetables, and raw onions.
Loobia Polo
Loobia Polo is another tasty Iranian food served differently with crispy tahdig. The delicious food consists of rice, potato, sauce, and Iranian spices. People enjoy it with yogurt, seasonal salad, or Shirazi salad.
Boil peas for half an hour, add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and special Iranian spices, and cook them with rice. The salads mentioned above suit the food well, but the yogurt mixture with cucumber, salt, pepper, garlic, and nuts is magical.
Joojeh Kabab
As you read at the beginning of this article, meat is the main ingredient in soups, potages, stews, kebabs, and other food. Joojeh Kabab is another food that Iranian people prepare from chicken breast or wings flavored with onion, garlic, cream, saffron, salt, and pepper.
You can serve it with saffron rice and grilled potato in special gatherings like wedding parties and important events, along with Zereshk Polo or Baqali Polo. Salads and yogurt suits go well with this food.
Dolmeh
Probably you have experienced Asian foods cooked with vegetables, grapes’ leaves, cabbage, tomato, etc. Dolmeh consists of rice, split peas, vegetables, meat, and egg. Put these ingredients in the grape leaf and cook in a tasty sauce for three hours.
This delicious and favorable food in Iran is Dolma; some people believe it is an Arabic food. This finger food is among the most popular foods in Iran, and mothers primarily cook it in spring. However, they use frozen leaves in cold seasons. You may enjoy it chiefly with bead and Ayran.
Tahchin
Tahchin is another delicious food in Iran that includes rice, chicken, yogurt, and spices, especially saffron, then garnished with nuts like pistachio. This classic and delicious food is not the main dish and is served with other food along with cola, Ayran, and seasonal salads (specific salads of each season).
Famous Food in Iran with International Fame
The foods mentioned earlier are famous from the perspective of Iranians; kabab Koobideh, followed by Qormeh Sabzi, are the most popular foods tourists select. Still, you must know that most foreigners prefer less stewish Iranian foods.
Popular Region-based Food in Iran
East Azarbaijan
This historical and ancient city, loaded with sightseeing places and fantastic food, was the capital of Iran. As mentioned before, the most popular food in East Azarbaijanis kufteh Tabrizi. You can read about Kufteh Tabrizi’s recipe if you need more information.
West Azarbaijan
This province locates in northwestern Iran and benefits from Mediterranean weather. It is one of the most beautiful cities with many historic places, buildings, and delicious food.
Goze Lameh, which literary means do not wait, is a famous food of this province that gets ready fast indeed; it is Iranian fast food. This food is made of garlic, egg, yogurt, oil, and salt then garnished beautifully to be served for breakfast or dinner.
Ardebil
Ardabil, the city of freezing weather, is located in the mountainous parts of Iran and has many attractions. Ashe Dough is its famous food belonging to the groups of soups and pottages made of yogurt, peas, and noodles. It has become popular due to its soup-like texture and ingredients, keeping people warm in cold weather.
Esfahan, the Capital of Traditional Food in Iran
Esfahan, which is called half of the world due to its ancient historical attractions and touristy places registered on the UNESCO list, is among the most famous places in Iran. Yogurt Stew and Beriani Kabab are famous foods in Esfahan; Beriani Kabab is made of meat and served with special bread.
Alborz
Alborz is the fifth most populated city in Iran, benefiting from various climates ranging from desert to the Mediterranean. The split peas stew is the most popular food in Alborz.
Ilam
Ilam is another mountainous area with many rainforests and plateaus and, due to its jungles and green places, has many healthy and delicious foods. Ashe Tarkhineh is a popular food in Ilam that balances the body’s temperature. This pottage is considered a treatment for the flu.
Bushehr
Bushehr is a touristy southern city in Iran possessing fabulous beaches, and due to its vicinity to the sea, you will find many kinds of seafood served in its restaurants. Indeed, Bushehr is called the heart of seafood in Iran.
You would find fantastic shrimp, fish, crabs, and other tasteful dishes, but one of the most popular foods in this part of Iran is called Qalieh Mahi, a stew cooked with fish, unique spices, and vegetables; it resembles Qormeh Sabzi and served with rice.
Tehran
Tehran, the capital and most populated city of Iran, is the center of politics, economics, and education, becoming the home of different cultures and traditions. One of the most popular foods in Tehran is Dam Pokhtak, a kind of fast food prepared quickly. So, when you travel to Iran, try this fantastic food.
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari are fascinating places with many colorful and delicious foods, one of the most famous and popular food Kebab Bakhtiari. As you know, Iranians are kebab-lovers, and Kebab Bakhtiyari is made of lamb meat flavored with spices and onions, and 24 hours later, the meat is ready to be barbequed.
Mashhad
Mashhad is a holy city in Iran with many touristy attractions like the holy shrine of Imam Reza. The city’s most popular food is Balquor Polo, which resembles a Turkish food made with wheat, onion, oil, water, salt, pepper, Iranian special spices, some tomato juice, and sauce. Preparing this food is easy. Another popular food in Iran’s holy city is Shashlik, meaning baked juicy short ribs; however, due to the chef’s efforts in flavoring and making the food, it is among the most expensive foods in Iran.
These foods are among the most popular items in Iranian cities; If you are interested in knowing more, you can check other articles. As mentioned earlier, Iran is home to different cultures and climates; in other words, it is a four-season country, so you find different foods in various places. Hence, try the most popular food in each city while traveling to Iran and enjoy a fantastic experience.
Essential Spices of Food in Iran
Iranians use many spices according to their living regions, so spices like salt, pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, and onion powder are essential in Iranian dishes.
Introducing Most Famous Iranian Nougats
Each part of Iran has special nougats according to the climate and tradition. The following paragraphs cover some of the favorite items.
Tea
Iranian people are tea lovers and welcome their guests with tea. Iranian tea is famous worldwide due to its unique scent and taste. Mostly Iranian tea is served with dates, sugar cubes, or special sugar cubes called Nabat.
Gaz and Sohan
The next sweet nougat is Sohan, a kind of traditional candy found in holly cities that might seem stiff, but it is sweet and chewy. Gaz originates from Esfahan and resembles muchi or toffee but is ten times better served with tea.
Baklava
Baklava is a famous Iranian confectionery, and a souvenir from hot weathered cities served with tea.
Nuts
In Iran, walnut, pistachio, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, chickpea, raisin, hazelnut, and almond are popular nuts served to welcome guests.
Source:
https://www.tasteatlas.com/50-most-popular-foods-in-iran
https://getbookonline.com/learn-persian-while-you-cook-persian-foods/