Persian Cuisine Courses
Iranian cuisine is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, culinary traditions and styles distinct to its region. It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelo kabab (rice served with roasted meat: barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white basmati or Iranian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup: for example Ash-e anar), kookoo (vegetable Souffle), polo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia polo, albaloo polo, Sabzi polo, zereshk polo, Baghali Polo 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. Fresh green herbs are frequently used along with fruits such as plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. Typical Persian main dishes are combination of rice with meat, lamb, chicken, or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian flavorings such as saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes.
Cooking Techniques
Cooking over an open fire is traditional Iranian practice . Another method
is slow cooking, without exposure
to flame, in a copper cauldron (dig-e mesi) or a special oven (tanur) made
of fire clay . Soups (Ashs ), broths
(Ab-gosht), rice (Chelow, Polow), stews (Khoreshs), pot-roasts, and many
sorts of sweets may be cooked in
this way. The method remains in favor today with modern gas or kerosene
heating appliances. The old-type
cooking stove (fer) has ceased to be popular, though it remains the best
means of cooking certain traditional
dishes (like the vegetable omelet called Kuku). Another traditional skill,
which still thrives, is the grilling of
all sorts of Kababs over red-hot charcoal (Zoghal-e chub).[1]
Shopping for spices at the market becomes an experience in itself
Rice is accompanied by tah dig or toasted rice