Top 10 Best Persian Recipes (2024)

Since earliest times, Persians have been well known for their hospitality, be it tribesman offering a place to rest and drink to the weary travelers, or urban city dwellers offering visitors a scrumptious meal. Tradition demands that only the finest food available be served to guests or travelers, and always in the most bountiful manner possible.

Accounts of early travelers to Iran indicate that, over the years, the dishes served have not changed dramatically. In the realm of Middle Eastern cuisine, there is an explanation why Iranian cooking is famous: not only do many recipes from that part of the world trace their origins to Persia, but the food is also just plain tasty.

With so many different ingredients, it works magic: pickled vegetables and dried fruits, spices ranging from soft, earthy saffron to tart, lemony sumac, water distilled from herbs, and rose-like flowers. And although bread is a staple of Persian cuisine, it is rice that has been elevated into an art form by Iranians.

Check out the finest Persian cuisine recipes!

1. Khoresh-e Loobia Sabz – Green Bean Stew

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Green beans are tender edible pods, also known as French beans or snap beans, that are a very rich source of vitamins and minerals. We recommend choosing the beans for this recipe, which are free of brown spots, have a bright green hue, and snap when broken.

2. Sholeh Zard – Persian Rice Pudding

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The name explains this Persian Saffron Rice Pudding’s texture and colour. A pudding-like texture is what Sholeh and Shilah indicate. Yellow means Zard and Sari. This famous Persian dessert is produced in Iran on all kinds of occasions, including the festivities that take place on the longest night of the year and the advent of winter, including Shabe Yalda (Yalda Night).

3. Naz Khatoon – Persian Eggplant & Herb Salad with Walnuts & Verjuice

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In the Iranian vocabulary, the term ‘Naz’ means glory, grace, youth, or pride, and the word ‘Khatun’ is a female noble title and an alternative to male Khan Khan. In addition to flavorful spices, minced garlic, infused alongside verjuice dressing as well as topped alongside the world walnuts, Naz khatoon is an unproblematic fire-roasted eggplant salad with freshly chopped aromatic.

4. Morgh Polo (Chicken Rice)

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This dish is a popular Iranian meal of chicken and rice with saffron, also called “zereshk ba morgh”. The word “morghe” means chicken and rice means “polo”. The term “zereshk” refers to barberries that are popular in Persian dishes of rice. Before being added to saffron rice, the berries have a sharp, sour taste and are sometimes fried with a bit of sugar.

5. Khoresh Bamieh Khuzestani – Southern Iranian Okra Stew with Tamarind

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A classic Iranian meat dish stewed with tomatoes, okra, and spices is the Persian Okra Stew (Khoresh Bamieh). It’s tasty enough that even the most stubborn okra haters are converted!

6. Persian Chicken Meatball Poppers with Fresh Lime & Chili

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Persian meatballs are not the usual run-of-the-mill meatballs, but they are still very tasty in their own right. They are about the size of a baseball and contain a lot of perfectly delightful ingredients that you can certainly not find in a traditional meatball.

7. Kookoo-ye Marchoobeh – Asparagus Frittata

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Asparagus Frittata is a Persian dish made to mark the start of spring and is a popular Persian New Year recipe. Crafted with lots of fresh spices, eggs, or zereshk, and dried barberries.

8. Kotlet – Persian meat patties

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Kotlet is a Persian dish filled with spices and eggs made with ground beef and lamb and fried in a pan. It originates from the term “cutlet,” meaning a thin slice of meat or a patty made of ground meat in the form of a croquette or cutlet. Kotlet is a tasty family meal that makes perfect leftovers as well and is good for lunch at school.

9. Zereshk Polo O Morgh

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Zereshk Polo ba Morgh, which is steamed and fluffy Persian rice, is a Persian classic made with Zereshk (barberries), Morgh (chicken), and Polo. This is one of the mixed rice dishes that you can encounter as well as larger Persian dinner parties, marriages, and most seasonal festivities and holidays at small informal get-togethers.

10. Sabzi Polo va Mahi (Herbed rice with fish)

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Sabzi Polo ba Mahi means herbed fish rice. Sabzi is vegetables, rice is polo and fish is Mahi. Sabzi polo is a common mixed Persian rice that is traditionally made with chopped fresh herbs steamed with basmati rice. Tareh (green nira, also called garlic chives), cilantro, parsley, and dill are the common herbs that are used in this rice.

Which is your favorite Persian dish? Leave a comment below!

Top 10 Best Persian Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous Persian dish? ›

Chelo Kabab (Kebab served with rice) is undoubtedly the most famous Iranian dish. And many people know Iranian cooking with Chelo Kebab. All kinds of kebabs, especially Koobideh, are very popular among Iranians and tourists. Koobideh is ground meat seasoned with minced onion, salt, and pepper.

What is the national dish of Persia? ›

Chelow kabab or Chelo kabab is the national dish of Iran. The meal is simple, consisting of steamed, saffron rice and kabab, of which there are several distinct Persian varieties. This dish is served throughout Iran today, but was traditionally associated with the northern part of the country.

What are the basics of Persian food? ›

Typical Iranian lunch and dinners will be a well-balanced mix of meat, beans, vegetables, herbs, dairy, nuts, and fruits served with rice or bread. The most common animal proteins are poultry, beef, lamb, and fish.

What is the king of Persian food? ›

Considered the king of Persian stews, Khoresht-e Ghormeh Sabzi is a verdant masterpiece. Packed with a medley of fresh herbs, red beans, and tender chunks of meat, it is simmered to perfection. The blend of herbs, including parsley, cilantro, and fenugreek, creates a unique and earthy taste that lingers on the palate.

What do Persians eat the most? ›

Major staples of Iranian food that are usually eaten with every meal include rice, various herbs, cheese, a variety of flat breads, and some type of meat (usually poultry, beef, lamb, or fish). Stew over rice is by far the most popular dish, and the constitution of these vary by region.

What is the most popular Persian stew? ›

Considered one of Iran's culturally significant dishes, Ghormeh Sabzi is a rich beef stew with a unique and complex flavor profile, which results from slow-cooking fresh herbs and dried limes with beef and red kidney beans. Quite simply you will fall in love with this dish, as it's sour, savory, decadent and delicious.

Is Persian food healthy? ›

Aside from the very famous flavor, nutrition is highly important in Persian cuisine. Many dishes incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, providing a well-rounded and healthy meal.

What did ancient Persians eat? ›

The foods of the courts of ancient Persia (as Iran was called until the 1930s) included perfumed stews flavored with cinnamon, mint, and pomegranates; elaborate stuffed fruits and vegetables; and tender roasted meats — dishes that have influenced the cooking of countries as far-flung as India and Morocco.

What fruit is native to Persia? ›

Iran has been ranked between 8th and 10th in global fruit production in different years. Iran produces Persian walnut, melon, tangerine, citrus fruits, Kiwifruit, dates, cherries, pomegranates, peach, oranges, raisins, saffron, grapes , Apricot , Pitted Prune and watermelon.

What is the national drink of Iran? ›

Chai, tea, is the national drink, always on the brew in every Iranian home, shop and office, even at rustic roadside stops. It's traditionally made in a samovar-style device with a small pot of strong tea on top of a larger pot of boiling water, so each person can dilute the tea to their preferred strength.

What did Persians eat for breakfast? ›

Best Persian Breakfasts Platter

Eggs, yoghurt, feta cheese, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam or honey (for toast), and several kinds of bread, such as lavash or other types of Persian bread (Naan), are typical morning dishes.

What is the best food for Persians? ›

By mimicking the diet your cat's ancestors would have hunted and eaten in the wild, we use the whole prey animals, including meat, organs, cartilage, and bone. This provides the best food for your Persian cat and gives them everything they need in order to stay happy, healthy, and strong.

What makes Persian food unique? ›

culture of Tehrān. Persian cuisine is characterized by the use of lime and saffron, the blend of meats with fruits and nuts, a unique way of cooking rice, and Iranian hospitality.

What is the most popular Parsi dish? ›

The Iranian fare includes mutton, chicken, stew, seafood, and dry fruits. The most famous Parsi dishes are Mawa cake, bun maska, berry pulao, and keema pav. These items have become inextricably linked with the Indian palate, and a new Indian Parsi cuisine has evolved. One indispensable item to most Parsis is fish.

What is a typical Iranian breakfast? ›

The combination of feta cheese, jam, and lavash bread served with Persian tea is the most simplistic traditional Iranian breakfast. Of course, either Barbari or Sangak breads are a delicious choice, especially when just fresh out of the oven!

What are the Persians most famous for? ›

The Persians are known for their intricately inlaid metalwork as well as for their legacy of extraordinary architecture. Finely decorated pre-Islamic structures still stand in several ancient cities, as do spectacular mosques and shrines from the Muslim era.

Are Persian and Iranian the same? ›

Modern Iran is comprised of a large number of different ethnic and tribal groups. People who identify as Persian account for the majority, but there are also large numbers of Azeri, Gilaki and Kurdish people, too. While all are citizens of Iran are Iranians, only some can identify their lineage in Persia.

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