Persian Cuisine

Persian cooking is one of the oldest developed cuisines in the world, and it is nothing like the stereotype of Middle Eastern food: not hot, not heavy with spice, and built on a balance of sour, sweet and herbal.

Rice and tahdig

Rice in Iran is a discipline of its own. It's soaked in salted water for hours, parboiled, drained, then steamed in the pot over a very low flame. The result is long, entirely separate grains — and at the bottom a golden crisp crust called tahdig, the best part of the dish, shared around the table.

Khoresh

Khoresh is the Persian stew served over rice. Ghormeh sabzi with herbs and dried lime, gheimeh with yellow split peas, fesenjan with pomegranate molasses and walnuts. All simmer for hours.

Sour and herbal

Dried lime, unripe grape juice and pomegranate molasses give Persian food its acidity, while coriander, fenugreek, parsley and leek give it its herbal layer. That combination is the Persian signature.

Saffron

Iran is the world's largest saffron producer, and it goes into rice, sweets and drinks. It's steeped in warm water or ice before use so the colour and aroma come out.