Top 10 Iranian dishes you should try in Iran + Photos

Iranian dishes are so diverse and delicious that selecting the best to suggest to the international guests, is not really easy? Traveling to Iran will lead you to get acquainted with tasty foods and amazing cuisine. By looking at the geographical location of Iran, you will understand why there are so many different foods in this country. Now, we want to introduce the most famous Iranian dishes from the point of view of foreign tourists.

1. Ghorme Sabzi

If you ask many Iranians about their popular food, they will probably say Ghorme Sabzi! It is prepared with fragrant vegetables, onions, lemons, red beans (in some parts of Iran, white beans), and meat. But what is the secret of its deliciousness? The secret of a delicious Ghorme sabzi, like many Iranian dishes, is its cooking time. The lower the heat and the longer you cook the stew, the more embedded and tastier it becomes. Some even continue to cook it for up to 3 days! It is interesting to know that Fenugreek is a vegetable used in Ghormesabzi that tastes unfamiliar to Americans!

If you ask many Iranians about their popular food, they will probably say Ghorme Sabzi!

2. Kebab

Kebab is undoubtedly the most famous Iranian food. Kebabs, especially Koobideh, are very popular among Iranians and tourists. As you know, grilled kebabs are usually served with grilled tomatoes and peppers, saffron rice, doogh (an Iranian drink based on yogurt), and fresh vegetables. Sometimes it is served with bread instead of rice, the best bread choice is Sangak! You cannot imagine Iranians without their Kebabs!

3. Dizi

If you want to get familiar with Iranian culture, go to a traditional restaurant and order Dizi! The mutton is cooked with beans and potatoes and sometimes tomatoes. Then they eat it with Sangak bread, vegetables, doogh, and onion. Also, in Iranian movies, family and friends go to a traditional restaurant and eat Dizi together to show intimacy and closeness!

Dizi: The tasty and popular Iranian food!

4. Tahchin

Tahchin is one of the most delicious and beautiful Iranian dishes with a stylish and majestic appearance. It is interesting to know that foreigners also call it “The Iranian cake” because of its appearance. This yellow cake is made from rice, saffron, chicken, meat, eggplant, and yogurt, but the chicken style is more famous than others. Of course, to have a beautiful appearance, you must have learned how to cook it well.

Tahchin is one of the most delicious and beautiful Iranian dishes with a stylish and majestic appearance.

5. Chicken kebab

Iranians love meat! In most Iranian dishes, there is chicken or mutton and beef. Another of the most delicious Iranian dishes is chicken kebab, which is usually inseparable from the kebab. One of the traditions of the Iranians is that when they go camping, they must take the necessary ingredients for preparing chicken kebab and grill them on charcoal and fire! You can serve with grilled tomatoes, saffron rice, and butter, which is a tasty combination.

6. Kofte Tabrizi

Kofte (meatballs) Tabrizi, as its name suggests, is originally from Tabriz. But today, it is cooked all over Iran and is considered one of the most delicious Iranian dishes. Actually, in Iran, you can see all kinds of meatballs. This food is prepared from a combination of meat, chickpeas, and vegetables filled with boiled eggs, plums, walnuts, onions, and barberry. We suggest that you do not forget to eat garlic and Doogh with your Kofte!

7. Aash Reshteh

There are different types of َAash (a kind of thick soup that is cooked only in Iran) in Iran and each region has its own version. Among these, Aash Reshteh is the most famous, and foreign tourists are more familiar with it. It is one of the most popular Iranian dishes and is cooked on days like Ramadan. To prepare this Iranian dish, different beans are cooked with specific vegetables, and then noodles and curd are added to them. Also, decorating is very important, and many Iranians are skilled. Fried Onions, garlic, mint, and curd are the main decoration ingredients. Another situation where cooking Aash Reshteh is common is when someone is planning to travel! We suggest you try this delicious food on a rainy and cold day outside!

Aash Reshteh with a gorgeous design on top.

8. Dolma (Stuffed grape leaves)

There are different types of Dolma; such as leaf dolma, tomato dolma, eggplant dolma, and bell pepper dolma, which the leaf dolma is famous among them. Many Iranians cook this food in the spring when the grape leaves are fresh, sour, and delicious. The ingredients inside are a combination of minced meat, vegetables, onions, and split peas. You can try it with yogurt! Dolma is one of the local dishes of West and East Azarbaijan provinces; however, today this delicious food is cooked all over Iran.

9. Zereshk Polo (Barberry Rice Pilaf)

Another of the best Iranian dishes served in every Iranian gathering is barberry pilaf with chicken or Zereshk Polo. This dish is a combination of chicken, barberry, saffron, and white fluffy rice. In addition to its distinctive taste, it has a beautiful and majestic appearance. This dish is one of the most delicious Iranian dishes and has become very famous in the world.

Zereshk polo; A tasty Iranian dish you should try!

10. Gheimeh

Another Iranian food that is very popular is Gheimeh stew. This stew is often cooked with fried and sliced ​​potatoes and sometimes with eggplants. This food is never separated from the Ghorme sabzi, and they are like two sisters! You can always see that Gheimeh is cooked in the days of Muharram. To prepare it, you should cook the minced meat with onion, split peas, tomato paste, lemon in water until they boil perfectly. Finally, you can add fried potatoes or fried eggplants to the stew and serve with saffron rice.

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