Persian food is the traditional cuisine of Iran. This food is diverse and has a rich history, and the ancient cuisine is very similar to the diet Iranians eat today. It’s a unique type of food that everyone should try. Here is a helpful guide to the delicious food’s origins.

Your Introduction to Persian Food

Its Rich History

Persian cuisine dates back as far as the 8th century B.C. and is similar to modern-day Iranian cuisine. The culinary culture of Persia interacted with that of neighboring regions such as Caucasian, Turkish, Greek, Central Asian, Egyptian, and Russian cuisine.

Typical Persian dishes consisted of a mix of rice, meat, vegetables, and nuts. Fresh bread, especially flatbread, was essential to ancient Persian cuisine. Wine was also a significant part of their culture, and its consumption is recorded as far back as 5,000 B.C.

Wine was generally used for ceremonial purposes, and the Persian people did not overindulge very often for this reason. Fruits — like plums, pomegranates, quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins — were also served as dessert.

Its Essential Ingredients

Rice is a staple in modern Persian food, and it always comes with many toppings. They include meat like lamb, goat, or chicken. Then, other toppings are introduced, with some common examples being almonds, pistachios, lentils, carrots, onions, fennel, cilantro, and saffron.

Iranian food is quite flavorful and includes spices like basil, mint, cumin, cloves, saffron, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, and parsley.

Its Staple Dishes

There are some common dishes that you can start with if you’re trying Persian cuisine for the first time. First, there’s Fesenjoon, which is a stew of walnuts, pomegranate juice, and pomegranate molasses with chicken breast served over rice. Pomegranates are a huge part of Iranian cuisine.

Another common Persian dish is a kabob. These are skewers of meat and vegetables over rice. They include various ingredients like filet mignon, chicken breast, boneless lamb, and portobello mushrooms.

Iran’s most widely eaten stew is called Ghormeh Sabzi. It’s green because it contains parsley, cilantro, and spinach, which are then cooked with stewed beef and red beans. It is served over rice and usually featured in every Persian meal.

Sufi Kitchen in northern Atlanta, GA, serves delicious Persian food. They have an extensive menu that describes each dish in detail so you can find something that appeals to you. They serve all of the dishes mentioned above as well as many other delicious options. Visit their website to see the full menu, or call (404) 888-9699 to make a reservation.