Iran is famous for it’s food culture, though it’s not particularly common to find overseas. Meat is a constant theme, particularly lamb, and they have a very sweet tooth when it comes to desserts. Vegetarians will find a lot of egg plant and aubergine on their travels, options can be limited outside of the larger places.
The best meals are in homes rather than restaurants, though there are an increasing number of homes that open themselves for visitors. Typically you sit around on carpets with a plastic sheet and endless dishes set out to share.
Kalampolo
Cabbage rice with meatballs, a tasty and filling lunch. In very un-Iranian fashion I asked for a doggy bag to take away the leftovers, which tasted even better eaten cold for dinner.
Kabab
Not to be confused with the usual grease fest of a (Turkish) Doner kebab, Iranian kababs are skewed meats served with rice and vegetables. Tasty.
Bread
Absolutely delicious within ten minutes of cooking, and almost inedible soon after. Amazingly in a fortnight travelling I only had decent bread perhaps twice, in general hotels and restaurants serve rather tough and unsatisfying bread, despite there being plenty of shops around selling fresh bread.
Perashaki
Savoury meat filled donuts, greasy but quite tasty.
In flight meal
Flying from Tehran to Shiraz. All relatively standard other than the carrot jam. An acquired taste I failed to acquire!
Doogh
Another acquired taste I didn’t really acquire though bearable. A slightly salty runny yogurt, basically like drinking salad dressing.
Falludeh ice and Saffron ice cream in Shiraz
Sorbet with noodle like strands, with the thickest ice cream ice ever had, like eating chewing gum. Nowhere near as a tasty as…
Saffron ice cream in Esfahan
The slab was brought out before the main meal, but survived half an hour almost unmelted, Iranian ice cream is not your usual ice cream…
Plum stuff chicken
Centrepiece of a delicious meal in the mountain village of Ghalat, north of Shiraz.
Roadside picnic
Even with the limited supplies offered by a middle of nowhere roadside shop the Iranians are still capable of pulling together a tasty picnic.
Random lunch
No idea what most of these were but they made for tasty lunch, with a teeth destroying dessert.
Falafel sandwich
Iranian style Subway, with donut like falafel. Healthy, tasty and very cheap, perfect lunch on the move.
Camel stew
Camel is surprisingly tasty, bit like pulled pork and worth checking out in Yazd.
Yazd cakes
On a street corner near the Amir Chaqmaq facade is a famous cake shop, deservedly so based on this box of goodies.
Kashan home meal
Ostrich stew, vegetables, fritter type things, and plenty of rice.
Afternoon tea
Note the sugar on a stick, quite common to find, or just huge lumps of sugar!
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