One of the to-do things, when you visit Iran, is to experience a delightful and exceptional taste of their cuisine. The cuisine reflects an especial essence of the country’s every part and has been maintained over a period of three millennia. There is a huge variety that makes it tempting to try. Besides traditional dishes of Iran, Iranian cuisine also includes a tremendous variety of regional dishes that have won their names over many years. Because multiple regions have geographic relations with each other, hence there has been a good variety of food adoption from various nearby regions.
Here I would talk about some regional dishes which are the main part of the country’s cuisine and are much served during the time of celebrations. Besides, it lets people experience unforgettable exotic tastes. Let’s have a look at the regional dishes that Iranian Cuisine offers.
1. Azerbaijani Cuisine
In the northwestern part of Iran there is a region of Azerbaijan where people living there make many delicious dishes of their tradition. The traditional sweet treats of the region include şəkərbura (a pastry of shekerbura). It’s sizzling dishes include a variety of thick soup, namely aush, Binab Kababi (a type of kebab), jaqur-baqur (a dish akin to Scottish haggis), Tebriz Kuftesi (a type of kufte, cooked differently). Albeit this exotic food is much influenced by Turkish food, but it has a noticeably Iranian taste. Moreover, they use flavors of lemon juice and butter much more frequently than the other groups.
2. Caspian Cuisine
Iranian provinces Mazandaran, Gilan, and Golestan are situated at the southern coast of the Caspian Sea where there is a great deal of fertility of seafood, which makes this region rich and worthy. This region includes some foods originating from here the most famous being Kateh (a rice dish). Amazingly, the Caspian Sea is the source of one of the expensive foods on the earth with their worth being more than gold! Yes! You read it rightly. Caviar (or fish egg roe) are the main course of Caspian Cuisine with a great deal of price and is one of the top exports of Iran. But people who are fond of tasting the delicacy of this royal food can afford such a lucrative amount for its taste can tell you how it is worth experiencing. These egg roes come in a variety and they belong to the sturgeon – a fish of pre-historic origin. Among the caviar, The Iranian Beluga Caviar is one of the most preferred types. One can see other caviars and buy Caviar Online easily.
3. Balochi Cuisine
Baloch people are widespread in the regions of several countries, particularly Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Their much popular dishes include Dampukht (a meaty dish), Kaak (hard bread to be served with sajji – skewed lamb). The Irani Baluchi people add dates and met in their dishes a lot. The famous dishes in the Irani Baluchistan are tanurche or taronca in which pomegranate powder is used to prepare the met. Moreover, there are lots of bread and meat recipes that are specifically famous in this region.
4. Southern Iranian Cuisine
Typically, the food dishes belonging to this region are prepared with plenty of spices. Seafood is the main course of this cuisine as it is a nearby coastal region. There is a famous sauce called Mahyawa, which is made by the fermentation of the fish.
5. Turkmen Cuisine
Colestan and North Khorasan are the provinces of Iran with the maximum population of Turkmen people. One of the food staples which is cooked with rice, carrots, and chunks of mutton is plov, which is extensively cooked by the Turkmen people. Another main course that falls under this cuisine is Chegdermeh – a delightful mixture of meat, rice, tomato, and onions that gives a tempting aroma when cooked.
6. Kurdish Cuisine
In the Western part of Iran, the Kurdistan region houses tremendous local pilaf, ash, and stew dishes. Among them, traditionally cooked dishes of this region include dande kabab (a recipe made with grilled rib of meat), Sib polow (a dish of potato and rice), and xores-e tare (it is prepared by chives – a kind of Khoresh).
To cut a long story short, Iranian cuisine is full of scrumptious recipes that one can either go to dine and enjoy its completely different taste or if that’s not possible for you, you can simply explore more about it and cook yourself. But the taste made by the traditional cooks has its own flavor!