Iran
Saffron rice, slow stews and pomegranate-bright salads.
Iconic recipes
Chelo Kabab Koobideh
Persian charcoal-grilled minced lamb skewers served over saffron-buttered rice with grilled tomato and sumac.
Ghormeh Sabzi
Persian herb stew of slow-cooked lamb with kidney beans, dried lime and a forest of fried herbs.
Khoresh Fesenjan
Persian walnut-and-pomegranate stew with chicken, rich and sweet-tart.
Tahdig (Persian Crispy Rice)
Persian basmati with a golden saffron-butter crust at the bottom of the pot.
Ash Reshteh
Persian thick herb-and-noodle soup with beans, kashk and crispy mint-onion.
Ghormeh Sabzi
Iran's national herb stew — slow-cooked with lamb, kidney beans and dried lime.
Abgoosht (Dizi)
Tehran's classic slow-simmered lamb, chickpea and potato broth mashed and eaten with sangak bread.
Kotlet
Persian potato-and-beef patties fragrant with turmeric — a Tehran lunchbox staple.
Kalleh Pacheh
Overnight Tehran soup of lamb head and trotters, eaten at dawn with fresh bread.
Mirza Ghasemi
Smoky Gilani dip of fire-roasted eggplant, garlic, tomato and egg.
Baghali Ghatogh
Gilan stew of fava beans, dill and egg with plenty of turmeric — served with kateh rice.
Kabab Torsh
Mazandarani beef skewers marinated in pomegranate molasses, walnut and herb paste.
Salad Shirazi
Finely diced cucumber, tomato and onion salad from Shiraz dressed in verjuice and mint.
Ghalyeh Mahi
Bushehr's dark tamarind-and-herb fish stew from the Persian Gulf — spicy and pungent.
Kalam Polo Shirazi
Shirazi cabbage rice layered with spiced meatballs, dill and cinnamon.
Sholeh Mashhadi
Mashhad's thick pilgrim porridge of wheat, beans, lamb and greens.
Shishlik Shandiz
Khorasan's famed lamb rib chops marinated in saffron and onion, char-grilled at Shandiz.
Mashhadi Shirin Polo
Sweet jewelled rice of orange peel, almond, pistachio and saffron chicken — Khorasani wedding pilaf.
Ash-e Kurdi
Kurdish thick herb soup with chickpeas, lentils, wheat and kashk from Sanandaj.
Koofteh Kermanshahi
Kermanshah's giant stuffed meatball packed with rice, split pea, herbs and a boiled egg core.
Kabab-e Rish
Kurdish shredded-lamb skewers marinated in yoghurt, sumac and onion.
Koofteh Tabrizi
Tabriz's football-sized herb meatball with rice, chickpeas and a whole hard-boiled egg centre.
Dolmeh Barg-e Mo
Azeri vine-leaf rolls stuffed with rice, split pea, meat and herbs, served with yoghurt.
Ash-e Doogh
Tabriz yoghurt-and-doogh soup with meatballs, rice and mint — served cold in summer.
Beryani-e Isfahani
Isfahan's pan-fried patty of minced lamb and cinnamon eaten on flatbread with walnut and mint.
Gaz (Isfahan Nougat)
Chewy Isfahani nougat of manna, rosewater and pistachios, dusted with flour.
Khoresh-e Mast
Isfahan's sweet yoghurt 'stew' with saffron lamb, sugar and pistachio — served as dessert or side.
Sohan-e Qom
Brittle saffron-and-butter toffee from Qom, studded with pistachio and almond.
Ghalyeh Meygoo
Khuzestani prawn stew with tamarind, fenugreek and chili — Persian Gulf coastal classic.
Ahvazi Falafel
Ahvaz-style chickpea falafel — spicier than Levantine, served in flatbread with pickles and amba-like sauce.
Samboose Khuzestani
Khuzestani samosas of spiced potato and lentil in thin pastry — Ramadan favourite.
Ash-e Shooli
Yazdi Zoroastrian sour soup of beets, spinach, chickpeas and vinegar — traditionally served in temples.
Baklava Yazdi
Yazd's delicate diamond baklava of almond, cardamom and rosewater — lighter than Turkish style.
Qottab
Yazdi almond-and-cardamom stuffed crescents fried and dusted with powdered sugar.
Dolmeh Armani
Iranian-Armenian vine leaves stuffed with rice, mince and lots of tarragon, cooked in verjuice.
Gondi
Iranian-Jewish chickpea-and-chicken dumplings poached in golden turmeric broth — Shabbat classic.
Khoresh Gheimeh
Yellow split-pea and lamb stew with dried lime and cinnamon, topped with matchstick fries — Muharram staple.
Kabab Barg
Long skewers of tenderloin marinated in onion, saffron and lemon — the noble Persian kebab.
Zereshk Polo Ba Morgh
Saffron rice jewelled with barberries and served with braised chicken — a celebration dish.
Loobia Polo
Green-bean rice with spiced beef mince, cinnamon and tomato — a weeknight favourite.
Baghali Polo Ba Mahiche
Fava-and-dill saffron rice served with slow-braised lamb shanks — spring classic.
Halim (Persian Wheat Porridge)
Overnight wheat-and-lamb porridge topped with cinnamon-sugar and melted butter — winter breakfast.
Shole Zard
Golden saffron rice pudding perfumed with rosewater and cardamom, dusted with cinnamon.
Faloodeh
Frozen rose-syrup vermicelli sorbet from Shiraz, served with lime.
Doogh
Fizzy salted yoghurt drink flavoured with dried mint — the classic Persian meal companion.
Nan-e Barbari
Long, ridged Persian flatbread crusted with sesame and nigella — bakery-window staple.
Sabzi Polo Ba Mahi
Herb rice with pan-fried whitefish — the traditional Nowruz new-year meal.
Adas Polo
Lentil-studded saffron rice with raisins, dates and spiced mince or shredded chicken.
Mast-o-Khiar
Cool Persian yoghurt-and-cucumber side with mint, walnut and raisins.
Chai (Persian Tea)
Strong black tea steeped in a two-tier samovar and drunk clear with a sugar cube between the teeth.