Los Angeles Persian Restaurants

The traditional drink accompanying Iranian diets is called doogh. Doogh is a mixture of yogurt, water (or soda) and dried mint. Other drinks are many types of specailly prepared sherbets known as Sharbat and khak sheer. One favorite is Aab-e Havij, alternately known as havij bastani, carrot juice made into an ice cream float and garnished with cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices. There are also drinks which are not served with meals. These are Sheer Moz (banana milk shake), Aab Talebi (cantaloupe juice), and Aab Hendevaneh (watermelon juice). These drinks are generally made in stands or kiosks in streets on summer days and on hiking trails. Aab Anaar (pomegranate juice) is also popular and has recently (2007) become popular in North America, specifically for its supposed health benefits including its high anti-oxidant levels (much higher than green tea). Although firm scientific evidence demonstrates the touted health benefits of pomegranate, it is yet unproven and largely a marketing tactic by one U.S. company in particular.

There are many dessert recipes, ranging from Bastani-e Za’farāni (Persian Ice Cream with saffron, also known as Bastani-e Akbar-Mashti, later on known as Gol-o Bolbol as well) to the faludeh, a sort of frozen sorbet, made with thin starch noodles and rose water. Persian Ice Cream is flavored with saffron, rosewater, and chunks of heavy cream. There are also many kinds of sweets. The sweets divide into two categories: “Shirini Tar” (lit. moist sweets) and “Shirini Khoshk” (lit. dry sweets). The first category consists of French-inspired pastries with heavy whole milk whipped cream, glazed fruit toppings, tarts, custard-filled éclairs, and a variety of cakes. Some have an Iranian twist, like the addition of pistachio, saffron, and walnuts. The second category is made of more traditional sweets: Shirini-e Berenji (a type of rice cookie), Shirini-e Nokhodchi (clover shaped, chickpea cookies), Kolouche (a large cookie usually with a walnut or fig filling), Shirini-e Keshmeshi (raisin and saffron cookies), Shirini-e Yazdi (muffins or cupcakes, originated in the city of Yazd), Nan-e kulukhi (a kind of large and thick cookie similar to clod inside without any filling), and more.

There are three primary methods of cooking rice in Iran:

* Kateh: rice which is prepared until the water is absorbed fully. This is also the traditional dish of Gilan Province (described in detail below).

* Polo: rice is cooked by soaking in salted water and boiled, (parboiled rice is known as Chelo.) Chelo is drained and put back in the pot to be steamed. This method results in exceptionally fluffy rice with the rice grains separated and not sticky. A golden rice crust is created at the bottom of the pot called Tah-deeg (literally “bottom of the pot”). Tah-deeg can be plain or with spreading lavash or other thin breads or slices of raw potatoes on the bottom of the pot. Meat, vegetable, nuts and fruits are sometimes added in layers or completely mixed with the chelo and then steamed, such as Baghali Polo, Lubia Polo, Zereshk Polo and Sabzi Polo. When Chelo is in the pot the heat is reduced and a piece of thick cloth or towel is place on top of the pot for absorbing the extra steam.

* Damy: made almost the same as Kateh but at the start ingredients that can be cooked thoroughly with the rice are added such as grains and beans like lentile in “Adass Polo”. In making Kateh the heat is reduced to minimum when the rice and other ingredients are almost cooked. If kept long enough on the stove without burning and over-cooking Damy and Kateh can also produce Tah-deeg. Damy literally means “Steaming.”

Barbari Bread (Persian: Nan-e Barbari) is a type of Persian flatbread in Iran.

Originally introduced into Iran by the group of Mongols known as Barbars. They occupied in northeastern Iran and northwestern Afghanistan. Barbari means “of or related to Barbars” in Persian. Barbars are a group of community living in Afghanistan near eastern borders of Iran. According to Dehkhoda Dictionary of Persian Language, this bread was baked by the Barbar people and was brought to Tehran, becoming famous during the Qajar period.

The term Barbari may also be used similarly in Persian for Berbers who live in and around Algeria in North Africa.

The bread is consumed in many restaurants with “tabriz cheese”, a type of feta cheese from ewe’s milk.

Persian food or the recipes of Iran is wide, with each province featuring recipes, culinary traditions and styles unique to their regions. It includes a large range of recipes ranging from chelo kabab (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:as an example Ash-e anar), kookoo (vegetable omeletes), pollo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia pollo, albaloo pollo, Sabzi pollo , zereshk pollo, 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 wide.

Herbs are normally used together with fruits like plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. The main Persian recipes are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To get a balanced taste, characteristic Persian flavourings like saffron, dried limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special recipes.

Caviar might be one of Iran’s main exports, but most Iranians seem to stick to more typical Middle Eastern recipes.

Flavors are subtle, with cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cardamom, and saffron never drowned out by excess of garlic. The staples are wheat bread and long-grain white rice with lashings of yogurt, lamb and eggplant

Iranians tend to eat a lot of dry cheeses and rich yogurt as Iran’s climate favors the goat, which is called as the “poor mans cow”, but does not suit keeping fresh milk. Most families make their own yogurt that can be used as an ingredient in many dishes or as a cool refreshing drink.

Iranians are proud of themselves on their skill in cooking of rice, and there are a lot number of kinds of two common recipes, polo and chelo. Polo is made of vegetables or meat cooked and mixed with rice, whereas chelo is prepared over the course of many hours with crustier rice topped with sauces.

Persian have looked at food at three different ways for many years; medicinal, philosophical and cultural. The ancient Zoroastrian religion of the Achaemenian and Sassanian is linked to the ancient philosophy of cold and hot food. Other civilizations including China, India, and the medieval West once shared this philosophy. From region to region, the classifications may vary. Animal fat, poultry, wheat, sugar, some fresh fruits and vegetables, and all dried vegetables and fruits are considered as hot in general. Fresh vegetables and fruits, most beef, fish, rice, dairy products are considered as cold. You consume cold or hot foods based on your nature, season or illness. Even today, the way foods are mixed and served takes this into consideration. Walnut, a hot food is combined in a dish that includes pomegranate, a cold food, to make the dish balanced and delicious for instance.

Food was considered to be an art giving enjoyment to both body and mind from cultural aspect.

Persians refined the taste and flavor of diet and how it is presented although it still retains roots in its ancient sources. Iranians prepare food based on what is in season so the food is as fresh and as best quality as it can be. Fragrance during cooking and at the table plays an important role, the same as the taste. Presentation of recipes is a major factor. Food is garnished so for pleasing the eye.

Traditional Persian meals are accompanied with tea (“chai”) served with breakfast before and after lunch and dinner and all over the day.

Rice is a famous dish in Iran brought to the country in ancient times from India or perhaps Southeast Asia. There are several methods in which rice can be prepared in Persian cuisine, but perhaps the best-known is “Chelow” in which the rice is soaked and partially boiled. The water is then drained and the rice steamed, resulting in very fluffy rice with a golden crust at the bottom of the pot.

Some other renowned Iranian recipes include:

- Fesenjan – Traditionally made with either chicken or duck, it is a sweet and sour pomegranate-walnut stew

- Abgousht – Beef and vegetable stew.

- Shirin Polo – This is a traditional wedding dish which consists of rice with slivered orange peels, slivered almonds and pistachio nuts.

- Chelo Kabab – The most well known Iranian dish of all. Chelo Kabab is marinated charcoal-grilled lamb served over rice.