Although Iran is known as the country of Kebab and chicken kebab, Persian cuisine has much more to offer than the national favorite kebab. Persian food consists of a variety of rice dishes and stews..
Iranians have different breads such as Sangak, Taftoon, Barbari and Lavash. So be sure to try the bread!
While in Iran, do not restrict yourself to fast food and Kebab. We recommend you try Fesenjan (a stew of duck, chicken or beef made with ground walnuts and pomegranate paste), Ghorme Sabzi (a stew with lamb or veal with parsley and other herbs, beans and dried lemons), Shirin Polo (rice and chicken with orange peel, almond and pistachio slivers and saffron), Baghali Polo (rice mixed with broad beans and dill with either veal, lamb or chicken), and Dizi/ Abgoosht (a thick soup with lamb, legumes, potatoes and tomatoes served in a special container. The soup is poured out into a bowl and the meat and vegetables are pounded. This meal is eaten with bread).
Iranian desserts and pastries come in different shapes and sizes. Persian are categorized as dry (without cream) and wet (with cream). Noon Khamei (cream puffs) is one of the most popular wet pastries and Nan Nokhodchi (chickpea cookies) is one of the most popular dry pastries.
Beside the wet and dry pastries, there are several sweet desserts in Persian cuisine, such as Halva (a paste made from wheat flour, butter and rosewater), Shole Zard (saffron rice pudding), Zulbia and Bamieh (sweets made of yogurt and starch, which is fried before being dipped in syrup), Louz (a diamond-shaped pastry made from honey, almond, and coconut flavors), Gaz or the Persian nougat (a chewy mix of Pistachio, Almonds, cardamom and rosewater shaped into square or round little bites) and Sohan (brittle toffee made from flour, butter, saffron, cardamom, and rosewater and decorated with pistachio and almond slivers).
Dough is a yogurt drink sprinkled with dried mint and served with Persian meals especially kebab.
Tea is a common drink even on hot summer days. Iranians usually drink their tea without milk and with rock sugar, cubic sugar or dates.
Tap water is safe to drink in any part of the country but if you do not like the taste, bottled water is always readily available.
One of the most important things to know about Iran is that fruits and vegetables are all organic.
