IRAN Culinary Tours: Too Delicious!

Mind Iran Food Tours not Getting You Fat

Have you ever heard anything about Iran’s food culture? Iran is an ancient country, well-known for its history and its cultural landmarks. However, if you are traveling to Iran without trying its tasty and delicious foods, you will miss an authentic travel experience. Of course by food tradition, we do not just mean different kinds of lamb or chicken kebabs you will find practically in every restaurant around Iran and you may even be exhausted being invited to taste them everywhere.

Iran is a vast country with different ethnic groups each situated in one side of Iran, and each having their own food tradition and history. From North to south and west to east, a person can find different types of foods with different ingredients peculiar to the region and fragrant spices such as cinnamon or cardamom. Apart from kebabs, each region has many stews or slow cooked dishes known as Khoresh, which can be served with rice. These are just a part of Iran’s tastes. There are verity of different desserts, pastries, pickles and appetizers in each province. With amazing scents, textures and colors, Iranian cuisine is one of the best ones in the world.

The only problem for most people is getting weight at the end of their journey, so if you are concerned about your body, I suggest not to accept people’s invitation. However if you are interested in trying new tastes, here are my suggestions for a culinary tour around Iran.

Wherever your destination is in Iran, your journey probably begins or ends in Tehran. Don’t miss Tehran’s old restaurants around bazaar! The Restaurants which are old enough to serve best quality dishes and also a good opportunity to mingle with locals. Unlike the modern restaurants, old restaurants around bazaar serve foods on long tables with people, not knowing each other, sitting next to each other, a tradition which is still presents in teahouses. People would gather in these restaurants and besides eating, would talk about social issues or simply communicate.

Travelling to Iran for the first time, usually includes Shiraz, Isfahan and Yazd on the list of must-sees. In Isfahan, try Gaz, a local pastry with pistachio and also Beryooni, the city’s most famous dish. The best place to taste Beryooni, a traditional food of lamb meat and lung, is around Naghshe Jahan Square and its Grand Bazaar. Our next destination is Shiraz, in the city, look for Faloudeh, a cold dessert usually served with aromatic rosewater and lime sorbet, also known as Faloudeh Shirazi which show its source. Do not miss Kalam Polo (rice with cabbage) when in Shiraz.

Departing from Shiraz, your next destination would be Yazd. The ancient city, famous for its historic structure inscribed as world heritage, has unique pastries like Baklava and Ghotab which can be found on every street corner of Yazd, the most famous store is on Mir Chaghmagh Square.

Continue your way to the south, on the edge of Persian Gulf, you will find a totally different taste, not only inspired by Persian foods but also by Indian and Arabian foods. Bandar Abbas and the southern islands like Qeshm and Hormuz are the best places to try sea foods like Ghalyieh Maygoo. The foods here are mostly hot and spicy. When travelling to the area, do not miss its fish market, one of the best places to see everyday life of locals.

Finishing our journey of adores and colors in the south, my next suggestion is Mashhad in northeastern Iran. The city is home to the shrine of Imam Reza, 8^th Imam of Shiite Muslims. Besides the holy shrine, Mashhad and its surrounding cities have amazing natural and historical sites, mentioned fewer in the travel blogs. If you choose Mashhad as one of your destinations in Iran, try Dizi or Abgusht, a lamb, chickpea, white beans, onion and potato stew cooked in a clay pot for several hours and served with warm bread. If you ask the mashhadis, they will definitely recommend Torghabe for best Dizis. Though it is being served for lunch and dinner throughout the year, the best time to enjoy it is cold winter nights.

Finally my favorite region is Gilan, a Northern Province known for its lush forests and amazing natural landscapes. Its provincial capital, Rasht, has been inscribed as creative city of Gastronomy in 2015, so if you are a food lover, spend more time in the province, you will definitely enjoy local foods served just here, like Torshi Tareh, Lavangi, Borani Polo, Baqala Qatoq and Mirza Qasemi.

This is not the end of your Iran culinary tour. There are more foods and cities to be discovered like Fesenjoon, a chicken stew served with walnuts and pomegranates sauce, Tahchin, Koofte Tabrizi, a large meat ball coked in Tomato sauce and specially served in Tabriz as the name denotes. I would also recommend participating in cooking classes and returning back to your home country with a food receipt as a souvenir. Participating in these classes show you the process of ingredients being prepared and you can also experience making delicious foods yourself and expand your culinary knowledge.