What kind of food would I find at a Persian restaurant?

Question

One of my neighbors is starting a Persian restaurant. What kind of food is Persian food?

Answer 1

persian (or iranian) food is one of my favorite cuisines. they have delicious grilled meats called "kabab" or "kabob", usually made with minced beef of lamb, and hearty meat stews. they often serve their main dishes with "hummus" (chickpea paste), eggplant paste (a personal favorite, i think it's called "motabal" in other middle eastern countries), grilled onions and tomatoes, yogurt, cheese called "panir", and flat breads called "nan". persian food is not spicy, so don't be afraid to try it.

Answer 2

Middle-Eastern food -- things like shish-kabobs, lots of lamb dishes, saffron rice, doogh (carbonated yogurt drink), etc.

Here's a website with some recipes to give you an idea:
http://www.anvari.org/iran/Persian_Food_Recipes/

Answer 3

Yummy....meat consisting of lamb, chicken and beef; rice; kabobs; and the spice saffron! dont confuse it with Indian food-completely different!

Answer 4

chicken kabob, salads, special rice dishes (basmati or persian rice with chicken, meat or fish), soup (aash)
well, i love kabobs!

Answer 5

Perisan food lol

Answer 6

The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their regions. It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelow kabab (barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white Basmati or Persian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup), kookoo (meat and/or vegetable pies), polow (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia polow, albaloo polow, zereshk polow, and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive.

Iranian food is not spicy. Herbs are used a lot, as is fruit from plums and pomegranates to quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. The main Persian cuisines are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and plenty of garlic, onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, unique Persian spices such as saffron, diced limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes.

Iranian cuisine, apart from its antiquity in the region, has also been a very influential and standard set of fare throughout neighboring countries. Afghanistan, the south-Central Asian states, and the cuisines of India and Pakistan derive heavily in part from the cuisine of Iran.

There are certain accompaniments (mokhalafat) which are essential to every Iranian meal at lunch (nahar) and dinner (shahm), regardless of the region. These include, first and foremost, a plate of fresh herbs, called sabzi (basil, coriander, cilantro, tarragon, Persian watercress or shaahi), a variety of flat breads, called nan or noon (sangak, lavash, barbari), cheese (called panir, a Persian variant of feta), sliced and peeled cucumbers, sliced tomatoes and onions, yogurt, and lemon juice. Persian pickles (khiyarshur) and relishes (torshi) are also considered essential in most regions.
Tea (chai) is served at breakfast and immediately before and after each meal at lunch and dinner, and also many times throughout the rest of the day. The traditional methods of tea preparation and drinking differ between regions and peoples.

It is believed that rice (berenj in Persian) was brought to Iran from southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. Varieties of rice in Iran include champa, rasmi, anbarbu, mowlai, sadri, khanjari, shekari, doodi, and others. Basmati rice from India is very similar to these Persian varieties and is also readily available in Iran. Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a major staple item in northern Iran, while in the rest of the country bread was the dominant staple.

There are four major Iranian flat breads:
Nan-e barbari: thick and oval-shaped.
Nan-e lavash: thin, crispy and round or oval, and is also the oldest known bread in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Sangak: Triangle-shaped bread that is stone-baked.
Nan-e taftoon: Thin, soft and round.
Other breads include:
Nan-e shirmal: Made like barbari, except with milk instead of water, in addition to a bit of sugar, and is eaten during breakfast or with tea.
Nan-e ghandi: Sweet bread made like taftoon, and is eaten during breakfast or with tea.
Nan-e gisu: a sweet Armenian bread, and also is eaten in the morning or with tea later in the day.

The traditional drink accompanying Iranian dishes is called doogh. However many domestic soda beverages such as Zam Zam Cola and its competition Parsi Cola are widely consumed with meals. Both Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola have officially licensed bottling plants in Mashad, with their products surprisingly not subject to U.S. sanctions against Iran. Other drinks are several types of especially prepared sherbets and khak sheer. One favorite is havij bastani, carrot juice made into an ice cream float and garnished with cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices.

There are many dessert dishes, ranging from Bastani-e Zafarani (Persian Ice Cream, also called Bastani-e Gol-e Bolbol) to the faludeh. Persian Ice Cream is flavoured with saffron, rosewater, and chunks of heavy cream. There are also many types of sweets. The sweets divide into two categories: "Shirini Tar" (lit. wet sweets) and "Shirini Khoshk" (lit. dry sweets). The first category consists of French-inspired pastries with heavy whipped cream, glazed fruit toppings, tarts, custard-filled eclairs, and a variety of cakes. Some have an Iranian twist such as the addition of pistachio, saffron, and walnuts. The second category consists of more traditional sweets: Shirini Berenji (a type of rice cookie), Shirini Nokhodchi (clover shaped, chickpea cookies), Kouloucheh (a large cookie usually with a walnut or fig filling), Shirini Kishmishi (raisin and saffron cookies), Shirini Yazdi (muffins or cupcakes from the city of Yazd), and more. Three others-Zulbia, Bamieh and Gush-e Fil, are very popular. Bamiehs are oval-shaped dough pieces, deep fried and then covered with a syrup. Zulbia is also deep-fried dough, but it is poured into the oil so that it twirls. It is then covered with the same syrup. Gush-e Fil (lit. Elephant ears) are also deep-fried dough, fried in the shape of flat elephant ears and then covered in syrup.

Answer 7

french