Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.
-
Try chelo kebab koobideh
Iran's undisputed national staple: two skewers of minced lamb and grated onion grilled over open coals, served over fluffy basmati rice with butter and a charred tomato.
Order at dedicated chelokababi halls; mix the butter and sumac directly into the steaming rice while hot.
-
Try dizi (abgoosht)
A rich stew of lamb, chickpeas, white beans, potatoes, and tail fat slow-cooked in earthenware. You pour out the broth over broken flatbread, then mash the solids into a dense paste using a pestle.
Strictly a lunch specialty served in historic dizi-sara teahouses, eaten alongside sangak bread, raw herbs, and pickled vegetables.
-
Try ghormeh sabzi
The holy grail of Persian stews: tender lamb or beef braised with kidney beans and finely minced herbs including fenugreek, soured by whole pierced sun-dried black limes.
Quality is signaled by a very dark green, almost black hue with a slick of herb-infused oil floating on top; avoid watery, pale renditions.
-
Try fesenjan
An ancient, luxurious stew featuring duck or chicken simmered in an unctuous sauce of finely ground toasted walnuts and reduced pomegranate molasses.
Always served alongside steamed saffron rice to temper the rich, intensely tart-sweet and nutty reduction.
-
Try zereshk polo ba morgh
Braised bone-in chicken in saffron-tomato sauce served over rice layered with ruby-red barberries sautéed in ghee and sugar, garnished with slivered pistachios.
The dried barberries must be glossy and plump, never burnt or gritty, delivering a burst of clean tartness.
-
Try Isfahani beryani
Isfahan's signature specialty, unrelated to Indian biryani: minced boiled lamb and lungs pan-fried in flat copper ladles with cinnamon and mint, served over broth-soaked sangak.
Seek out dedicated beryani-pazi shops near Isfahan's Grand Bazaar; it is intensely rich and served strictly for lunch.
-
Taste crispy tahdig
The prized golden, crunchy crust scraped from the bottom of the rice pot, prepared either from crisp rice with saffron, flatbread, or thinly sliced potatoes.
Tahdig is often not printed on menus; ask your server directly for a plate of crust before the day's batch runs out.
-
Try kashk-e bademjan
A warm appetizer of mashed fried eggplants seasoned with garlic, toasted walnuts, sizzling dried mint oil, and kashk—tangy fermented whey paste.
A vegetarian highlight eaten by scooping warm mouthfuls with thick barbari bread before the grilled mains arrive.
-
Try mirza ghasemi
A smoky Northern Iranian spread made from open-fire charred eggplants stewed with ripe tomatoes, copious amounts of garlic, and soft scrambled eggs.
The smoky charred aroma must lead the flavor profile; reject versions that taste merely like boiled eggplant puree.
-
Try ash-e reshteh
A hearty, thick noodle soup packed with legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans), bundles of green herbs, flat wheat noodles, and drizzled with kashk, fried mint, and golden onions.
A mountain-trail favorite; head to the outdoor terrace stalls along Tehran's Darband canyon for freshly ladled bowls.
-
Try freshly baked sangak bread
The king of Persian flatbreads: a whole-wheat sourdough sheet stretched and baked directly over a sloping bed of blazing river pebbles inside a fiery dome oven.
Buy exclusively from dedicated street bakeries (noonvaee) fresh out of the coals; inspect both sides for stray hot pebbles before biting.
-
Try kookoo sabzi
A thick, fragrant herb frittata where eggs merely bind together dense layers of dill, cilantro, parsley, and scallions, accented with walnuts and barberries.
Delicious warm or chilled; street delis frequently serve thick wedges tucked inside sandwich rolls with sour pickles.
-
Try faloodeh Shirazi Desserts and pastries
One of history's oldest frozen treats: fine starch vermicelli ribbons suspended in a semi-frozen rosewater syrup, dressed with tart lime juice or sour cherry glaze.
Order 'makhloot' at traditional ice cream shops to get a split bowl combining cold faloodeh and rich saffron bastani.
-
Try bastani sonnati Desserts and pastries
Traditional Persian ice cream flavored with saffron, rosewater, and salep orchid resin for stretchiness, studded with crunchy pistachios and frozen clotted cream chunks.
Ask for 'bastani nooni' to have your saffron scoop pressed between two ultra-thin, crispy round wafers.
-
Try Isfahani gaz Desserts and pastries
Isfahan's famous royal white nougat made from whipped egg whites, rosewater, and sweet honeydew exudate from local tamarisk trees, packed with whole pistachios.
Check the box for pistachio content (28% to 40% is premium); flour-packed gaz (aardi) keeps noticeably softer and fresher.
-
Try sholeh zard Desserts and pastries
A delicate, aromatic rice pudding turned brilliant gold with saffron, flavored with rosewater and cardamom, and garnished with cinnamon dust and slivered almonds.
Often cooked in enormous pots as nazri (communal charity food) during sacred festivals, yet readily available year-round in sweets shops.
-
Try brittle sohan Desserts and pastries
Rich, crunchy saffron-infused brittle candy made from wheat sprout flour, caramelized sugar, clarified butter, and cardamom, blanketed in green pistachios.
Proper sohan shatters easily in the mouth with a buttery crunch without sticking aggressively to your teeth; sold sealed in classic metal tins.
-
Drink Persian black tea with nabat Non-alcoholic drinks
Amber-colored black tea brewed slowly atop a samovar, served in waist-slender glass cups (estekan) with saffron rock candy sticks (nabat) for stirring.
Join locals in drinking tea 'ghand-pahloo' style: placing a hard sugar cube between your front teeth and sipping hot tea straight through it.
-
Try salted mint dough Non-alcoholic drinks
A refreshing, savory beverage of fermented yogurt, cold water, and salt, finished with fragrant dried mint and occasional rose petals, still or naturally effervescent.
The definitive companion to fatty skewers of lamb; note that strong traditional dough is notoriously soporific.
-
Drink sharbat khakshir Non-alcoholic drinks
A cooling folk cooler made with tiny herb seeds of London rocket, scented with rosewater, lime juice, and light simple syrup over crushed ice.
Stir continuously with the tall spoon provided so the suspended seeds do not settle onto the bottom of the glass.
-
Drink non-alcoholic delster Non-alcoholic drinks
Iran's ubiquitous non-alcoholic malt beverage, found on every diner table in bitter original hops or flavored with lemon, peach, and apple.
Stick to the plain, unflavored malt version when ordering kebabs to avoid cloying soda-like sweetness alongside grilled meats.
