Smoke & Salt's Food Lover's Guide to Iran

Back in August, A was kind enough to share his experiences during his time in New York while on holiday. Now I’ve had my own little break in Iran, a first for me, allowing me a chance to meet another side of my wife’s family. From Tehran to Shiraz, I’ve felt it apt (without any pressure or arm-twisting from A) to share my food-experiences from a country working hard to bring in a new wave of curious tourism….

First and foremost if we haven’t made it clear before then let me make it clear now: food is still THE MOST influential and most inspiring factors when it comes to experiencing foreign lands. Why? Because after the 2 weeks spent travelling through a country that has polarised opinions when it comes to International Affairs, I would say that 75% of our time was spent talking about food OR planning site-seeing/down-time around eating.

Dalotabad Garden, Yazd

Shah Cheragh, Shiraz

Amir Chakhmakh Complex, Yazd

Right. Food. I did a little bit of research before taking on my travels, even watching a video from the Munchies Team to at least seem prepared. I was ready for rice (the staple starch), I was ready for kebob (at least that’s how it’s pronounced) and I was ready for tea (no PG tips to be seen here, just pure chai; similar to an earl grey), BUT what surprised me the most was the bread! It might sound like a simple idea but, as well as being delicious, they’re about more than just your regular flat-breads. There are at least 4 different types:

• Barbarri: A breakfast-specific flat-bread adorned with sesame seeds, the thickest of Iranian flat-breads.
• Sangack: long, rectangular, soft and baked on small pebbles (that are knocked-off after baking) that help create convection through the dough providing both soft AND crispy textures.
• Lavosh: a thin, stone-baked bread that is the closest relative to your typical flat-bread you might get outside of Iran that manages to retain its softness even after several days (this one was baked on a machined stone, hence the bubble-wrap-like dimples)
• Toftoon: a round bread that is similar to a naan and baked similarly to Lavosh, best served hot!

Barbarri

Toftoon

Lavosh

Sangack

​All of these are unleavened flat-breads but, unless you are an early-riser, it will be hard to find Barbarri, as bakeries only have it ready for the morning. To add a little more confusion to the mix we found a bakery in Taft, near the City of Yazd, that was serving what they called “cornor”. These guys were branching out, making some delicious leavened-breads from wild-yeast (think a mildly-soured sourdough).

Cornor

Tahdeeg

Of course we can’t talk Iran without talking about the hallowed rice which is served as a part of most dishes and treated in various ways. Often you will get hooked up with some tahdeeg; the golden, crispy layer of caramelised rice found on the base of the rice’s cooking pot and has been known to start fights between young siblings to decide who gets the last bite! Lamb (in some shape or form) is mostly your meat of choice, with chicken playing second fiddle to these tail-less animals; yes, a species of Iranian sheep don’t actually have any tails…weird right? And for the record, let it be known that you’re going to have to search far and wide to find a true Iranian who will call themselves vegetarian or vegan.

Now, you’re armed with a baseline of knowledge, here are THE dishes you should make sure you try on your journey through Iran:

• Fesanjan: Lamb (or chicken) braised in walnuts and pomegranate juice. There is a sweet version and slightly more sour version (although it is still sweet in itself). Don’t be put off by it’s, er, brown appearance!
• Chelo kabob (Kubideh): Minced lamb, marinated in turmeric and onion juice, then whipped to create a lighter meat mix and finally grilled over coals. Every kubideh I had was delicious and was, of course, accompanied by rice, grilled tomatoes, flatbread and grilled tomatoes (gorjeh farangi).

Chelo Kabob - Kubideh with gorbeh

• Gormeh Sabsi: A choice of lamb (are you noticing a theme here?!) slow cooked with a mix of dried herbs, garlic and dried limes for acidity. It’s an interesting dish that really shows the importance of dried and preserved ingredients in a country that, geographically, is mostly desert!
• Jujeh Kabob: Chicken pieces that have been marinated in turmeric, olive oil, black pepper and salt (if you’re getting the wings they’ll be hit with lemon juice as well). Cooking meats to perfection on a grill was a trend I noticed everywhere we ate, be it in a family home or out. None of that dry, under-seasoned chicken here!
• Lubia Polo: Probably my favourite rice dish of the lot, although it is definitely a toss-up with tachine). Meat that has previously been braised gets cooked in with rice, a tomato/turmeric-based sauce and sliced green beans. If you’re at a fancy restaurant this might be hard to find as it’s more of a home-style dish, but get it when possible.

Gormeh Sabsi

Jujeh Kabob

• ​Kalepoche: Right, for you brave early-birds out there willing to take on all things offal (this is right up A’s alley!) you have to try this. I’m not completely convinced that a “boiled sheeps head” is the strongest way to present such a dish but it is, apparently, the ultimate way to breakfast in Iran! The broth, thickened with staled bread and the brains of the sheep, is served first with lemon wedges. The rest of the head (cheek, tongue, eye-socket muscle and the brains) come next….who wouldn’t start a day this way?!
• Zhareshk Polo ba Mourg: Chicken that has been braised in a tomato sauce and served with barberries, rice and a little of tahdeeg….when the cooks want you to feel extra-special.

Bagali Polo

Kalepoche

• Bagali Polo: Braised lamb shank or neck (go neck where you can…the meat is just a bit fattier and more delicious!) and dill-enhanced rice. In more Western-food we seem to have reserved dill for flavouring oily-fish, but using dried dill is an interesting combination with lamb.
• Beryani: I’m not going to pretend like we quite figured out what this was BUT here’s what we know: there is some sort of relationship between it and a traditional Indian biryani which, in the case of this Esfhani lunchtime specialty, involves minced lamb baked in a clay pot of some sort. Sidelined by fresh flatbreads and an incredibly savoury bread-thickened soup, I recommend giving this dish a go, especially as you’ll no doubt be stopping in the beautiful city of Esfahan.
• Tachine: Ughh, where to begin with this one....! Take saffron, rice, yoghurt, eggs, braised lamb and barberries; mixed all together then baked slowly until you have a crispy layer of tahdeeg to bring crunch to meaty/rich-perfumed rice, cut with the acidic berries. It’s literally the king of rice-dishes!

Tachine, Moselm Restaurant, Tehran

​I realise that this is slowly becoming the longest bit of writing I’ve ever willingly done, but I think that really does go to show how much there is to divulge about a country that I’ve never been to. This week’s video will also be featuring the food of Iran and I’ll include a couple of restaurants to make sure you check out while on your visit, so on that note, and before I bore you with any more information, I think I’ll end this blog post here, now. R.
 
PS> Don’t think that just because I’ve been away I won’t be reminding you about our upcoming popup at The Elmore Jam in Islington. Be ready for a night of jukebox tunes and, of course, delicious dining!

Pomegranate on Show in Shiraz

Nabot - larger crystallised sugar

Nabot - ready for adding to tea