ExploFood · Asia
What to eat in Iran
Five dishes to try in Iran, the most typical first. One is vegetarian.
Five dishes to try in Iran
Chelow kabab چلوکباب
Grilled skewers of minced or fillet meat with saffron rice, butter and grilled tomato.
How to have it: Iran's national dish; order kabab koobideh at a kababi and sprinkle sumac over the rice.
Ghormeh sabzi قورمهسبزی
Herb stew of lamb, kidney beans and dried lime, tangy and deep green.
How to have it: A home-style lunch served with rice; look for it at traditional restaurants and as a set lunch.
Fesenjan فسنجان
Chicken or duck stewed in ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses.
How to have it: Sweet-sour and rich; eaten with rice, often at celebrations and in the Caspian north.
Dizi دیزی
Lamb, chickpea and potato stew cooked in a stone pot.
How to have it: Pour the broth over torn bread first, then mash the solids with the pestle; Tehran dizi houses serve it.
Ash reshteh آش رشته
Thick soup of noodles, beans and herbs topped with whey, fried mint and onion.
How to have it: Eaten at Nowruz and in winter; sold from big pots at street stalls in the evening.
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Questions
What food is Iran famous for?
Chelow kabab (grilled skewers of minced or fillet meat with saffron rice, butter and grilled tomato) comes first on our list, followed by Ghormeh sabzi, Fesenjan, Dizi and Ash reshteh.
What is the national dish of Iran?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Iran is Chelow kabab: grilled skewers of minced or fillet meat with saffron rice, butter and grilled tomato. Iran's national dish; order kabab koobideh at a kababi and sprinkle sumac over the rice.
Which dishes in Iran are vegetarian?
One of the five on this page is vegetarian as usually made: Ash reshteh. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.