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Tahchin — a golden Persian saffron and yogurt rice cake.

Persian Food

غذای ایرانی

Explore the dishes, breads, breakfasts and sweets of the Persian table.

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Persian food is healthy not because of one special ingredient, but because traditional Persian cooking brings many beneficial foods together — herbs, vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, yogurt, spices, and thoughtfully prepared grains.

Start with Persian riceChelow, kateh, the rice cooker and tahdig — explained once, for every dish that needs it.→

Khoresht & Stews

خورش‌ها

Slowly braised dishes eaten with rice — built on herbs, vegetables, legumes, fruit and a sour note.

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A bowl of ghormeh sabzi, a dark green Persian herb stew with kidney beans.

Ghormeh Sabzi

قورمه سبزی

A deeply aromatic herb khoresh with beans and dried Persian lime.

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A bowl of gheymeh: yellow split peas and meat in a red tomato sauce with dried limes, topped with crisp fried potato straws.

Gheymeh

قیمه

A tomato-based khoresh with yellow split peas, dried lime and crisp fried potato.

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Fesenjan — a dark Persian walnut and pomegranate stew, served with rice and tahdig.

Fesenjan

فسنجان

A slow-cooked walnut and pomegranate khoresh, sweet-tart and rich.

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Khoresh bademjan: whole browned eggplants and pieces of lamb in a tomato-based Persian stew, served in a white bowl.

Khoresht Bademjan

خورش بادمجان

An eggplant and tomato khoresh, gently sour, prepared in several variations.

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Khoresht karafs — pale green celery pieces and dark cooked herbs with lamb in a shallow bowl, served beside plain rice.

Khoresht Karafs

خورش کرفس

A fragrant celery and herb khoresht, slowly cooked with parsley, mint and a gentle sour note.

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Khoresh esfenaj — Persian spinach and dried plum stew in a copper pot, served with rice.

Khoresht Esfenaj

خورش اسفناج

A spinach khoresh, soured with dried plums — lighter than the better-known herb stews.

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Rice & Tahdig

پلو، چلو و ته‌دیگ

Steamed long-grain rice, layered with herbs, beans or lentils — and the crisp crust beneath.

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Baghali polo — Persian rice with fava beans and dill, served with lamb.

Baghali Polo

باقالی پلو

Persian rice layered with fava beans and dill.

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Sabzi polo — Persian herbed rice.

Sabzi Polo

سبزی پلو

Rice steamed with a mixture of fresh green herbs.

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Adas polo — Persian rice with lentils and raisins.

Adas Polo

عدس پلو

Rice with lentils, often with raisins and dates.

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Loobia polo — Persian rice with green beans.

Loobia Polo

لوبیا پلو

Rice cooked with green beans in a tomato-seasoned meat mixture.

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Tahchin — a golden Persian saffron and yogurt rice cake.

Tahchin

ته‌چین

A saffron and yogurt rice cake with a deep golden crust.

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Kabab & Grill

کباب

Charcoal, skewers, and meat seasoned simply.

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Kabab koobideh — Persian minced meat kababs grilling over charcoal.

Kabab Koobideh

کباب کوبیده

Minced meat pressed onto flat skewers and grilled over charcoal.

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Joojeh kabab — saffron-marinated grilled chicken skewers.

Joojeh Kabab

جوجه کباب

Chicken marinated in saffron, onion and lemon, then grilled.

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Kabab torsh — northern Iranian sour kabab.

Kabab Torsh

کباب ترش

A sour kabab from northern Iran, marinated with walnut and pomegranate.

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Traditional Meals & Ash

غذاهای سنتی و آش‌ها

Thick soups and one-pot meals with long histories.

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Abgoosht served in a stone dizi pot with bread.

Abgoosht / Dizi

آبگوشت / دیزی

A slow-cooked lamb and chickpea pot, eaten in two stages.

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Ash reshteh — Persian herb, bean and noodle soup topped with kashk.

Ash Reshteh

آش رشته

A thick herb, bean and noodle soup finished with kashk.

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Kashk-e bademjan — Persian eggplant dip with kashk and fried mint.

Kashk-e Bademjan

کشک بادمجان

Soft cooked eggplant with kashk, fried mint and onion.

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Bread & the Persian Table

نان و سفره ایرانی

Bread baked daily, and the small plates set around it.

Sangak — long Persian stone-baked flatbread in a Tehran bakery.

Sangak

سنگک

A long stone-baked flatbread, baked on a bed of hot pebbles.

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  • Sangak — File:Sangak bread in Tehran, national bread of Iran. (42426089342).jpg · Photo by Ninara (Helsinki, Finland) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Adasi — a warm Persian lentil breakfast dish.

Persian Breakfast

صبحانه ایرانی

Bread, cheese, herbs and tea — and the warm dishes some mornings call for.

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Adasi — a warm Persian lentil breakfast dish.

Adasi

عدسی

A soft lentil pottage eaten warm at breakfast.

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Haleem — a smooth Persian wheat and meat breakfast porridge.

Haleem

حلیم

Wheat and meat cooked and beaten together into a smooth warm porridge.

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Kalleh pacheh — a traditional Persian early-morning lamb broth.

Kalleh Pacheh

کله پاچه

A slow-cooked broth of lamb head and trotters, eaten very early.

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Nimroo — Persian fried eggs served in the pan.

Nimroo

نیمرو

Fried eggs, often cooked with tomato.

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Sweets & Desserts

شیرینی و دسر

Saffron, rosewater, syrup — sweetness with a fragrance behind it.

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Sholeh zard — Persian saffron rice pudding decorated with cinnamon.

Sholeh Zard

شله زرد

A saffron rice pudding, decorated with cinnamon and pistachio.

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Zoolbia and bamieh — Persian syrup-soaked fried sweets.

Zoolbia & Bamieh

زولبیا و بامیه

Fried batter sweets soaked in saffron and rosewater syrup.

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Every photograph on this page is a real, licensed photograph of the dish it names. Credits appear on each dish page.