Common Ingredients and Spices in Persian Cuisine

***Common ingredients and spices include, but are not exclusive to:

 Pomegranates (Anar):
“Pomegranates are perhaps the most iconic of Iran’s native foods” and are “believed to have originated in Iran.” It is considered to be “the fruit of heaven” and it was “probably
the real ‘apple’ in the Garden of Eden” (Batmanglij). It has been cultivated in Iran for at least 4,00 years and was traded along the silk road. Today, more than “half the world’s pomegranates are grown” in Iran (Shafia 13). It is generally classified as a “cold” food. In Persian cuisine, pomegranates usually appear in two forms: “fresh seeds or a reduction of pomegranate juice known as pomegranate molasses” (Shafia 13). Its seeds are an appetizer in of itself when sprinkled with angelica powder (Batmanglij). Pomegranate molasses (also referred to as pomegranate paste) is pomegranate juice has been “cooked down” and reduced under high heat and “may or may not have added sugar” (Shafia 13). When “pureed and strained, the seeds produce a refreshing juice for drinking or for flavoring soups and stews” (Batmanglij). 

Yogurt (Maast):
Dough
Yogurt is another staple food of Persian cuisine and “Iranians have been consuming it for literally thousands of years” (Shafia 17). “ Almost every power has been ascribed to yogurt” including, but not exclusively, prolonging life, treatment for baldness, and curing skin diseases. It is often served as a dish on its own, but is also a common ingredient. In Persian cuisine it “forms a fine enrichment” for many dishes, particularly for stews, sauces, or marinades (Batmanglij). “Iranians have found myriad ways to cook” with it either as dips or in marinades for meat or even beverages. Doogh (also mentioned in Unani and “Hot” vs “Cold” page) is a cold yogurt-based beverage with salt that is popular in Iran. It “makes a cool and creamy contrast to rich stews and meats” and is a “vehicle for health” (Shafia 17). “Many recipes call for Mast-E-Kisei” which is a drained, thick yogurt (Batmanglij). 

Pistachios (Pesteh):
Pistachios are “possibly the most beloved treat of all” to Iranians (Shafia 12). “The bowls of mixed nuts and dried fruit to be found in every Persian home would be incomplete without a sprinkling of pistachios” and in “wealthier homes, salted pistachios are served alone and always prove the most popular” (Shaida). Native to Iran, pistachios are “used for dishes ranging from soup to desserts.” Batmanglij states that the term “Pistachio” was derived from its Persian name. “Pesteh.” “In their native soil they attain an exquisite flavor and grow to a great size.” (Shaida). Iran has a long history of producing pistachios and is currently one of the biggest producers of pistachios in the world. In fact, “whole shops are devoted to the preparation and sale of nuts and dried fruits, and the pistachio transcends them all” (Shaida).  However, there has been tension with the United States as they compete to be the number one producer in the world. They are produced in southeast Iran in the hot desert oasis. In Persian cuisine, they are “used so often that they may appear many times in the course of a Persian meal” (Shafian 12) as their “fine flavour contributes to many a sweet and savoury dish in the cuisine of Persia” and are “an important ingredient in a number of polow [or polo].”(Shaida). In cooking, the less expensive, smaller raw and unroasted pistachios are used. Pistachios are also sold without their shells. Although they may appear dark red and “rough-skinned”, they will reveal the “pale green nut in all its simple glory” once soaked. Pistachios are often cut into slivers in many recipes and can be bought pre-cut. They can also be stored in the winter if dried again and put in either a jar or the freezer.

Dried Limes:
“Khaki-colored sun-dried limes are one of the standout ingredients of Persian cuisine” and an “iconic component of the Persian flavor profile.” Moreover, they are sold throughout markets in the Middle East. Ground and whole dried limes are sold. There are “black and creamy colored” limes and “lighter ones” that “are reputed to have a more delicate flavor” and are “more preferred” in Iran (Shaida).  They are both bitter and sweet sweet, but also have a smoky flavor. The flavor is “far more intense flavor because they combine the taste of the juice and rind” (Shafia 10). “The limes are left to dry in the sun, and are by far the most popular souring agent of all, being available the year round” (Shaida). “It’s essential that the limes be perforated before cooking, so that the cooking liquid can be easily infused with their flavor.” These dried limes are “thrown whole into soups and stews” and “you can cut up the softened limes and then eat them--rind and all--along with the dish” (Shafia 10-11). The zest of the limes can also be used as a seasoning. 

Walnuts
Walnuts are native to Iran (Batmanglij) and, in fact, the “walnut tree was known as ‘the Persian tree’ by ancient Greeks” (Shaida). In modern Persia, walnuts are just as vital. When walnuts are in season, they are sold by street vendors who “Spend the day picking and peeling them” and, in winter, are stored in brine in jars (Batmanglij). The unripe walnuts are “preserved in the early summer and are considered a great delicacy.” Walnuts add “crunch and flavour as an ingredient to many dishes, from soups and stews to omelettes and desserts” (Shaida). They complement the taste of pomegranates and these two ingredients often appear in dishes together. For example, fesenjoon or fesenjan is a classic Iranian stew with chicken or duck in a walnut and pomegranate stew.

Rose Water and Rose Petals:
Dried Rose Petals
“Roses have been an integral part of Persian cooking and culture for thousands of years.” A rose is considered to be “‘the Mother of Scents and the Queen of the Garden,’ and its ‘beauty and sweetness’ symboliz[es] ‘the mystic path to God and enlightenment’” (Shafia 13). “Today, the finest rosewater essence is still a major Iranian export.” The “central desert city of Kashan is famous for its intensive production of atr (essence) of roses and golab (rose-water).” Atr or attar is also the basis for all rose perfumes. Azerbaijan, a north-west province of Iran, is also “renowned for its beautiful roses” (Shaida). According to Shafia, rose water to persians is analogous to our use of vanilla extract (14). Rose water is typically used in desserts or sweets and only occasionally in a savoury rice dish. “Rice puddings and Persian ice cream benefit greatly from the addition of a little rosewater” (Shaida). The petals of the rose are used to “adorn and enhance” many Persian dishes and “every Persian kitchen in the northern provinces will have a supply of powdered dried rose petals” (Shaida). These rose petals “lend a surprisingly savory flavor to rice” and “make a great garnish for yogurt and salads” (Shafia 14). These dried petals are also used to make conserves and jams. Despite its prevalence in Persian dishes, rose petals or rose water “are only ever used in very modest amounts, sprinkled with a light hand to give a mysteriously eastern air to a dish” (Shaida). Too much, the dish is overcome with an overly sweet fragrance. 

Dates:
Dates are native to Iran, the Persian Gulf region, and are grown commercially in the Arabian desert (Shaida). They “have been cherished for millenia in Iran and western Asia for its succulent fruit” (Batmanglij). There are 3 kinds of dates in cooking: soft dates, semi-dry dates, and dry dates. Soft dates are “harvested when unripe” and are “delicious… just for eating.” Semi-dry dates are “more syrupy and intense in flavor.” Dry dates are “sun-dried on the trees, and are very firm and sugary” and they “ hold their shape best in cooked dishes” (Batmanglij). Date paste, date sugar, and date molasses are also used in Persian cooking and are made from ground and dried dates. Dates “add a hint of honey” to sweet and savoury dishes and are “a prized part of the customary fruit and nut platter that Iranians prepare for visiting guests” (Shafia 10).

Orange:
The seville is a “bitter, wild, or bigerage orange (narenj)” and once “grew wild along the Caspian thousands of years ago.” Its paste and juice “impart a fine, astringent taste to many fine dishes.” The orange peel is also used as an ingredient in some stews. To remove its bitterness, the peels must be blanched and boiled. These orange peels are often candied during the winter as a sweet treat. The blossoms of the Seville is also used in Iranian perfume. 

Angelica Petals
“In the spice section of Persian grocery stores, you’ll find packages labeled ‘golpar’” which is translated to “angelica” (Duiguid 30). “Persian cooks use the seeds and powder as souring agents for dishes containing pomegranates, and in soups and stews” (Shaida). This spice is often blended with salt or just used alone as a seasoning. It is “best harvested around September 29, the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels.” “The Persian term honors the herb as panacae” or a remedy for all diseases (Shaida).  Angelica should not be confused with European angelica, but is a “related spice with an appealing slightly bitter edge” (Duiguid 30). 
Barberries:
Barberries are a “tart red fruit, high in malic and citric acids.” Although they are “little appreciated in the West” (Batmanglij), the barberry is still very popular in Iran (Shaida). Iranians typically dry and store the berries and use them to add flavour or for seasoning.They are “usually too sour to be eaten raw (Batmanlij), but “add brilliance and a refreshing tartness to a number of dishes” (Shaida). Zereshk polo is a traditional and popular dish that features barberries. 
Saffron:
Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world according to National Geographic and worth more than gold in weight, is is believed to have originated in Crete, that the
Persians carried East (Shafia 14). It has been cultivated in Iran for at least three thousand years (Shaida) and is now “the world’s biggest producer of the spice.”. It “blazes an orange tail across the whole of Persia cuisine, flavoring entrees, desserts, and rice with its unmistakable scent” and Iranian saffron is considered to be the best in the world. “Iranians typically grind saffron in a small mortar” and then boiled with water, stock, or heated milk, butter, or oil (Shafia 14). This saffron solution is used in almost every dish in Iranian cuisine.

Sumac:
Sumac is a “tart, coarse powder made from the red berries of the sumac shrub.” The sumac has a “milder, brinier taste because of the salt that’s added to facilitate the grinding process” (Shafia 15) which Iranians “prefer” to lemon (Batmanglij). “You’ll find it on the table at a Persian restaurant as surely as you will see salt and pepper in an American establishment” (Shafia 15-16). The berries, leaves, and branches are boiled together in water. They are then either “sieved to make sumac juice” or the “berries alone are dried and crushed into a powder.” The latter is more typical and sold in many Iranian grocery stores. “In persian cooking, sumac is used to season the saffron rice that accompanies kebabs,” however, it also “complements fish, chicken, and vegetables equally well” (Shafia 15-16). Sumac “adds distinction to breads, marinades, soups, and stews, among other dishes” and is “delicious when sprinkled on kebabs or onion salads mixed with yogurt” (Batmanglij). 

Tamarind:
Tamarind is native to Africa, but it has “been a key ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking for thousands of years” (Shafia 16). “It was the Arabs who introduced tamarind to Iran” in the 7th and 8th centuries. Tamarind is mostly used in southern Iran, most likely due to its proximity to the Persian Gulf. It is also the closest part of Iran to Africa and India. “Its salty sourness was a very real temptation to the Persians, especially in the regions of the south and east” (Shaida). Tamarind is “tempered with sugar” to form a “deliciously tangy condiment.” “Tamarind and seafood have a special affinity and it’s common to find them paired in recipes” (Shafia 16). 

Turmeric
Turmeric was known as the “Indian Saffron” for centuries, but is known as “yellow twig” to persians (Shaida). Although indigenous to India, “ground turmeric is used in virtually every Persian stew, and the mustard color it gives to food is a memorable feature of Persian cuisine.” When “cooked down slowly” it “adds a warm background note that subtly enhances the overall taste of a dish” (Shafia 17). In meat stews, it cuts the “mutony flavour of the meat but only rarely to color the rice” and is never used in place of saffron (Shaida). 

Cardamom
Cardamom Green Pods
Cardamom is from South India and has become an “integral part of Persian cuisine thousands of years ago” with its sweet and spicy taste (Shafia 10). Cardamom is an “element in virtually every Persian pastry and dessert (Shafia 10). Cardamom has green, white, or black pods, but Persians prefer the white. Green is second to white, but black pods “have a distinctive smoky flavor” that is “best avoided” (Batmanglij). Ground cardamom is easily available and easiest to use. However, pods serve as decoration and its seeds “flavor rice and sweets” (Batmanglij).“Fastidious Iranian cokos buy the pods only, break them open with a hammer of the flat side of a knife, and grind the seeds as needed” since the”flavor of cardamom fades relatively quickly” (Shafia 10). 

Coriander
Coriander is indigenous to Iran and are sold as either fresh leaves or seeds. The fresh leaves are known as cilantro in America and “have an intense musky taste.” The seeds “look like pale peppercorns” and “have a concentrated fiery flavor” (Batmanglij). “The leaves of coriander are used more often than the seeds,” but “seeds are sometimes used in pickling.” Ground coriander is sometimes “sprinkled on meat and poultry to reduce the fatty flavour” and found in “advieh (mixed spices).” Coriander mixed with parsley and chives forms “the basis of many cooked herb dishes” that are “so popular in Iran” (Shaida). 
***This list may be missing some other common ingredients. 

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