Food and Drinks
When you are traveling to Iran the first thing that influences your food and drink choices is the region you are traveling in. Iran as a multi-ethnical country has so much diversity in its food culture that many Iranians themselves haven’t tasted all the foods Iran has to offer. Based on your travel itinerary you will experience a wide range of tastes and textures. Food is an important part of every Iranian life. Most Iranian foods take a lot of time to make and use complex instructions, so mealtimes are an important event of the day spent mostly with family.
Labeling Persian foods with a taste like sweet, spicy, and so on is nearly impossible. every region has its special dish with different tastes based on its culture, weather and climate. in the south the dishes are mostly seafood and have a spicy taste. in the southeast, because of the neighboring countries the food has a lot of spices coming from Pakistani or Indian culture. in the complete opposite, the north of the country uses a lot of herbs and vegetables. it is the perfect place for Pescatarians and vegetarians. there are numerous vegetarian dishes prepared in the north and with Rasht ( a gastronomy city of Iran) in the center of it you won’t get bored with the same food every day. In the northwest and in places like Tabriz, we have a variety of foods based on the Turkish culture and Koofteh Tabrizi might be the most famous of them all. The deserts of Iran and their surrounding cities are known for their sweets and special deserts.
If you are traveling in the classic route of Iran you can enjoy many of these tastes. Because in most touristic cities of Iran you can find many places representing the food of regions of Iran with good quality.
Standards of food hygiene are mostly satisfactory in all categories of eating houses. In general, Iranian cooking is organic, healthy and nutritious, and you shouldn’t have much problem keeping to a balanced diet. However, the national dish is rice prepared in several special ways and served in vast helpings with almost every main dish, and very few of the main dishes would be considered complete without it. Iranian rice from the rainy plains of Mazandaran and Gilan is considered by many – not only Iranians – to be one of the world’s best rice.
One does not come to Iran for its famous wines or its outstanding brandy. Islamic laws are prevalent and the consumption of Alcoholic beverages is banned. Consumption of these could get one into trouble. Not recommended.
All sorts of soft drinks and the national beverage which is brewed black Tea are readily available. The tea culture of Iran might not have a long history against other drinks in Iran but it is the dominant drink consumed in the country. Tea is not the only brewed beverage of Iran, as we have many special infusions that like the food are dependent on the region that it is made in. these mostly have medical properties in the historical and traditional medicine that was and still is being practiced in Iran. Sherbet is another drink that is made cold and you can make it with every kind of syrup available.
Many Cooking Tours are being done in Iran right now. We pay special attention to the Foods and Drinks of Iran on our trips. for a more focused tour you can check out HERE.
For More information please have a look at our food & drinks FAQS listed in the below link: