Los Angeles Persian Restaurants

Doogh (Persian:dooqh, also dugh Kurdish: Abdugh, Azerbaijani: Atlama), also known as dugh, shlombay, sheneena (used by Iraqi Arabs), mastao (Used by Kurds), abdug, or tahn (the last two mostly by Armenians)—and even dough—is a yogurt-based beverage popular in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia. The word Doogh is a noun form from the Persian verb دوشیدن (Dushidan) which means “to milk” thus doogh means “what comes from milking”. In Kurdish Abdugh form from “ab”-water and “dugh”-yogurt that means “yogurt juice”, or more literally, “water made from yogurt”.

Doogh is made by beating unflavored yogurt until smooth, and then diluting with water to a consistency similar to whole milk. Salt (and sometimes pepper) is added, and commonly dried mint is mixed in as well. Carbonation is achieved by letting it ferment. Doogh is generally served chilled or over ice. A variation is adding diced cucumbers to provide an extra “crunch”.

Doogh may be either naturally-carbonated or not.

Sangak (or nan-e sangak) is a plain, rectangular, or triangular, blanket-like Persian flatbread. ‘Sang’ in Persian means stone or pebble and ’sangak’ means little stone. This bread is traditionally baked on river stones (hence the name), and is occasionally topped with sesame seeds.

Sangak bread was traditionally the bread of the Persian Army. Each soldier carried a small bag of pebbles which at camp was brought together with the “sangak oven” and formed to cook the bread for the entire army. Sangak Bread and Kabab (meat BBQ on coal skewered with a “sword”) is still a staple food of the Iranian Army today.

Qormeh sabzi or khoresht-e-sabsi is an Iranian stew. It is an important element of Persian cuisine, often said to be the Iranian “national dish”.

The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley, leek, and a smaller amount of fenugreek leaves. The herb mixture has many variations; spinach and coriander may be added. This mixture is cooked with kidney beans, green onions, chives, dried limes, and lamb or veal meat. Traditional Tabrizi Qormeh sabzi is almost always cooked with lamb and uses black-eye beans in place of kidney beans. It is then served with polo (Persian rice).

Some prefer to leave out the fenugreek, while most people consider it to be an vital ingredient. The Shirazi version substitutes potatoes for the beans.

Ghormeh (and gheimeh) can refer to diced meat. Sabzi stands for green and also describes many green herbs.

“Khoresh-e mast”(yogurt stew) is a traditional food in Isfahan. Unlike other stews despite its name it is not served as a main diet and with rice; since it is more of a sweet pudding it is usually served as a side recipe or dessert. The food is made with yogurt, lamb/mutton or chicken, saffron, sugar and orange zest. Iranians either put the orange zest in water for one week or longer or boil them for few minutes so the orange peels become sweet and ready for use. People in Iran make a lot of delicate foods and jam with hull of fruits. This diet often accompanies celebrations and weddings.

Isfahan is famous for its Beryooni. This food is made of baked lung and mutton which is minced and then cooked in a special small pan over the fire. The diet is generally eaten with a certain type of bread, “nan-e taftton”.

Gaz is a sweet which originates from the city of Isfahan, located in the central plateau of Iran. Gaz is extracted from the juices and stems of a desert plant known as angebin that is a member of the Tamarisk family, native to the Zagros Mountains range situated to the west of the city. The plant is associated with manna, a food mentioned in the religious texts of the Abrahamic religions. The juice is combined with other ingredients including pistachio or almond kernels, rosewater and egg white.

Generally, the juice and stems were collected from the mountains and brought into town where it was put into copper vessels. The raw mixture was then beaten until it reached the desired consistency and fashioned by hand into the desired shape. This process is still carried out in modern day Isfahan.

Mostly, Gaz nougats are not individually wrapped; rather they are packed together in a box and dusted with flour to keep the pieces from sticking to one another. They can be cut into bite-sized pieces, but are more often sold in larger sizes.

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

Some accompanying dishes and side plates (“mokhalafat”) are considered essential for all Iranian lunches and dinners such as

- Naan – Persian flat bread

- Sabzi – A plate of fresh herbs including basil, coriander, cilantro, fenugreek, Persian
watercress and tarragon.

Dating back over 6,000 years, and many culinary delights, Iran has a rich history. Iranian cuisine feature in Apricots, artichokes, eggplant, lemon, lime, oranges, pistachios, spinach, saffron and tarragon. To achieve the perfect combination, spices are mixed delicately and carefully balanced

There are some accompaniments (mokhalafat) that are necessary to every Iranian food at lunch (nahar) and dinner (shaam), regardless of the region. These include, first and foremost, a plate of fresh herbs, known as sabzi (basil, cilantro, fenugreek, tarragon, Persian watercress or shaahi), a variety of flat breads, called naan or noon (sangak, lavash, barbari), cheese (called panir, a Persian variant of feta), sliced and peeled cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and onions, yoghurt, and lemon juice. Persian gherkins (khiyarshur) and pickles (torshi) are also considered necessary in most regions.

Tea (chai) is served at breakfast. At other times it is served based on the region, generally many times throughout the day. For instance, in the province of Khorasan it is served immediately before and after lunch and dinner. The traditional methods of tea preparation and drinking differ between regions and peoples.