Persian cuisine
From Freepedia
Image:Chelo kabab koobideh.jpg
Food in Iran is a fundamental part of Iranian heritage. Their ingredients reflect the geography of Iran, while the savor and colors accent the aesthetic tastes of Iranians. The cuisines are associated with so many social events -births, weddings, funerals; and many other ceremonies and rituals- that culinary traditions are intertwined with a country's history and religion.
Iranian food is a very important and integral part of Iranians' life and culture, so important that its ingredients are very frequently used as metaphors for describing beauty. For example: "Moon-faced beauties have almond-shaped eyes, peachy complexions, pistachio-like mouths, pomegranate colored lips, hazelnut-like noses, red apple cheeks, and lemon-like breasts."
Persian cuisine, includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelow kabab (barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white Basmati or Persian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup), kookoo (meat and/or vegetable pies), polow (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia polow, albaloo polow, and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive.
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Breakfast (sobhaneh)
The basic traditional Iranian breakfast consists of a variety of flat breads (noon-e sangak, lavash, and others), butter, tabrizi white cheese, feta cheese, whipped heavy cream (sarshir, often sweetened), and a variety of fruit jams and spreads. However, other popular traditional breakfasts (which require far more preparation) include haleem (wheatmeal with shredded lamb - similar to Western oatmeal in some respects), asheh mohshalah (thick soup), kaleh pacheh (lamb or sheep's head and feet soup), and others. These latter breakfasts are typically regional specialities, and many cities and towns all across Iran feature their own distinct versions of these dishes. Both asheh mohshalah and haleem are typically prepared the night before, to be served the next morning, and haleem is usually only served at certain times of the year (haleem specialty restaurants are only open during those times). Kaleh pacheh is almost always only served from three in the morning until sometime after dawn, and specialty restaurants (serving only kaleh pacheh) are only open during those hours.
Lunch and dinner (nahar va shahm)
Traditional Persian cooking is done in stages, at times needing hours of preparation and attention. The outcome is a well-balanced mixture of herbs, meat, beans, dairy products and vegetables. Major staples of Iranian food that are usually eaten with every meal include rice, various herbs (mint, basil, dill, parsley), cheese (feta or Persian panir, derived from goat or sheep's milk, and sometimes cow's milk), a variety of flat breads, and some type of meat (usually fowl, beef, lamb, or fish). Stew over rice is by far the most popular dish, and the constitution of these vary by region. Tea is the drink of choice on nearly every occasion, and is usually served with fruit, pastries, or sweets.
You can usually find tea brewing throughout the day in most Iranian homes. Doogh, a yogurt drink, is also quite popular. One of the oldest unique recipes is khoresht-e-fesenjun, a stew consisting of meat in a rich pomengranate and walnut sauce that yields a disnctive brownish color, most often served with white rice.
Persian cuisine in the West
One of the main reasons that Persian cuisine is not widely recognized is that it is often confused with Middle Eastern cuisine, a much broader and more general term, and this confusion is further perpetuated by resturants and markets providing authentic Persian cusine that label themselves as such. Many Persian markets and restaurants are labelled as Middle Eastern, International, or Mediterranean in order to broaden their appeal to the Western consumer. In reality, Persian cuisine is one of the oldest and richest cuisines in the world, and is typically vastly different from what is found in the greater Middle East.
