Tahchin , an Iranian rice cake primarily consisting of rice , yogurt , saffron , and eggs .
This is a list of Iranian foods and dishes. Iranian cuisine (Including Persian cuisine) comprises the cooking traditions of Iran . Iran's culinary culture has historically interacted with the cuisines of the neighboring regions , including Caucasian cuisine , Turkish cuisine , Levantine cuisine , Greek cuisine , Central Asian cuisine , and Russian cuisine . Through the various Persianized Muslim sultanates and the Central Asian Mughal dynasty , aspects of Iranian cuisine were also adopted into Indian and Pakistani cuisines .
Typical Iranian main dishes are combinations of rice with meat , vegetables , and nuts . Herbs are frequently used, along with fruits such as plums , pomegranates , quince , prunes , apricots , and raisins . Characteristic Iranian flavorings such as saffron , dried lime and other sources of sour flavoring, cinnamon , turmeric , and parsley are mixed and used in various dishes.
Outside Iran, Iranian cuisine is especially found in cities of the Iranian diaspora such as London , the San Francisco Bay Area , Toronto , Houston and especially Los Angeles and its environs .
Iranian foods
Bread
Lavash : Thin, flaky, and round or oval. It is the most common bread in Iran and the Caucasus .
Sangak : Plain, rectangular, or triangle-shaped leavened flatbread that is stone-baked.
Taftun : Thin, soft and round-shaped leavened flatbread that is thicker than lavash.
Tanur bread : Leavened bread baked in an oven called tanur .
Qandi bread: A sweet bread, sometimes brioche -like.
Barbari : Thick and oval flatbread; also known as Tabrizi , referring to the city of Tabriz .
Baguette : A long, narrow French loaf, typically filled with sausages and vegetables.
Sheermal ("milk-rubbed"): A sweet pastry-bread, also widely known as nan-e gisou
Komaj: A sweet date bread with turmeric and cumin, similar to nan e gisu.
Rice
Method
Description
Polow and chelow
Chelow is plain rice served as an accompaniment to a stew or kebab, while polow is rice mixed with something. They are, however, cooked in the same way. Rice is prepared by soaking in salted water and then boiling it. The parboiled rice (called chelow ) is drained and returned to the pot to be steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the rice grains separated and not sticky. A golden crust, called tadig , is created at the bottom of the pot using a thin layer of bread or potato slices. Often, tadig is served plain with only a rice crust. Meat, vegetables, nuts, and fruit are sometimes added in layers or mixed with the chelow and then steamed. When chelow is in the pot, the heat is reduced and a thick cloth or towel is placed under the pot lid to absorb excess steam.
Kateh
Rice that is cooked until the water is absorbed completely. It is the traditional dish of Gilan Province .
Dami
Rice that is cooked almost the same as kateh, but at the start, ingredients that can be cooked thoroughly with the rice (such as grains and beans) are added. While making kateh, the heat is reduced to a minimum until the rice and other ingredients are almost cooked. If kept long enough on the stove without burning and over-cooking, dami and kateh can also produce tadig. A special form of dami is tachin , which is a mixture of yogurt, chicken (or lamb) and rice, plus saffron and egg yolks.
Polow and dami
Sabzi polow : Rice with chopped herbs, usually served with fish .
Lubia polow : Rice with green beans and minced meat.
Albalu polow : Rice with sour cherries and slices of chicken or red meat.
Morasa polow: Rice "jewelled" with barberries, pistachios, raisins, carrots, orange peel, and almonds.
Shirin polow : Rice with sweet carrots, raisins, and almonds.
Adas polow: Rice with lentils, raisins, and dates.
Baqali polow: Rice with fava beans and dill weed .
Dampokhtak: Turmeric rice with lima beans .
Tachin : Rice cake including yogurt, egg, and chicken fillets.
Kabuli polow : Rice with raisins, carrots and Beef or lamb.
Kalam Polow: Rice with cabbage and different herbs.
Zereshk Polow: Rice with berberis and saffron.
Kebab
Kabab koobideh : Barbecued ground lamb or beef , mixed with parsley and onion .
Juje kabab : Grilled chunks of chicken; one of the most common dishes in Iran.
Kabab barg : Barbecued and marinated lamb, chicken or beef.
Kabab torsh : Traditional kebab from Gilan and Mazenderan , marinated in a paste of crushed walnuts, pomegranate juice, and olive oil.
Kabab Bakhtyari : Mixture of barbecued fillet of lamb (or veal) and chicken breast.
Chenje: Skewered and grilled cubes of meat. Iranian equivalent of shish kebab .
Shashlik : A popular form of shish kebab . In Iranian cuisine, shashlik is usually in form of large chunks.
Kabab tabei: Homemade grilled meat, prepared on the pan.
Bonab kabab : A type of kebab that is made of ground lamb, onion, and salt in the city of Bonab .
Stew
Soup and āsh
Sup e morgh : Chicken and noodle soup.
Sup e jow: Barley soup.
Sirabi : Tripe soup; also known as sirab shirdun .
Tarkhine : Grain and yoghurt soup.
Gazane : Nettle soup.
Adasi : Lentil soup.
Āsh e reshte : Noodle thick soup.
Āsh e anār : Pomegranate thick soup.
Āsh e doogh : Buttermilk thick soup.
Kalle Joosh : Kashk thick soup.
Bozbash : meat soup with red or white beans, green vegetables, herbs, onions and leeks, dried limes and spices.
Shole: Thick soup with meat, different Legume, wheat Bulgur, rice, Nutmeg and other Spices. Shole is originally from Mashhad .
Other
Kuku : Whipped eggs folded in with herbs or potato.
Kotlet : Mixture of fried ground beef , mashed potato , and onion .
Salad Olvie : Mixture of potato, eggs, peas, and diced chicken (or sausage), dressed with mayonnaise .
Caviar : Salt-cured fish eggs.
Dolme : Stuffed peppers or vine leaves .
Kufte : Meatball or meatloaf dishes.
Zaban : Beef tongue.
Pache : Boiled parts of cow or sheep; also known as khash .
Pirashki (pirozhki): Baked or fried buns stuffed with a variety of fillings.
Sosis bandari : Traditional sausage with onion, tomato paste, and chili pepper.
Nargesi : A type of spinach omelette .
Sirabij : A type of garlic omelette .
Gondi : Iranian Jewish dish of meatball .
Iranian pizza : A typical Iranian pizza .
Dopiaza : Traditional Shiraz curry prepared with a large quantity of onions.
Joshpara : Azerbaijani meat-filled dumplings.
Shenitsel : Fried breaded meat.
Tomato scrambled eggs : A dish made from eggs and tomato.
Jaqur-Baqur: A dish made from sheep's heart, liver and kidney.
Biryan: A traditional dish in Isfahan made from minced meat, fat, onion, cinnamon, saffron, walnut and mint that served with baked lung.
Appetizers
Desserts
Snacks
Koluche : Cookies, with major production in Fuman and Lahijan .
Bamie : Deep fried dough soaked in sugar syrup.
Baqlava : Pastry made of filo , nuts , and sugar syrup.
Reshte khoshkar : Fried and spiced rice flour and walnut.
Nougat and gaz : Made of sugar, nuts, and egg white .
Sohan : Saffron brittle candy with nuts.
Sohan asali : Brittle candy with honey.
Nan-e berenji : Rice flour cookies.
Tabrizi Lovuez : Diamond-shaped, made of almond powder , sugar, and saffron.
Nokhodchi : Chickpea cookies.
Qottab : Almond -filled deep-fried pastry.
Kolompe : Pie made of dates and cardamom .
Nabat chubi : Rock candy, commonly flavored with saffron in Iran.
Pashmak : Cotton candy.
Trail mix : Dried fruit , grains , and nuts .
Quince cheese : Made of quince and sugar.
Ajil e Moshkel-gosha : Traditional packed trail mix for Nowruz .
Gush e fil : Dough topped with pistachios powdered sugar .
Poolaki : Thin candy made of sugar, water, and white vinegar .
Baslogh: Pastry made of grape syrup, starch and almond.
Drinks
See also
Dishes by origin Africa North America South America Asia Europe Oceania Caribbean Misc./Other
By type and origin By type
Ingredients Vegetables Herbs and spices
Breads and nans Salads Cheeses Soups and āshes Dishes Sauces Hors d'oeuvre Sweets and desserts Beverages Instruments Related cuisines