There are number of side-dishes commonly served at Persian lunch/dinner tables.
For many households, unless there are nán’o sabzi khordan (bread-and-fresh-herb-medley)
and mást (yogurt) at the the table, it is not a complete table setting.
Nán • Bread
There are varieties of Persian breads, nán (it is a Persian word). Some are found in the Middle Eastern & Mediterranean markets.
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Barbari
100x50cm (40×20″)
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Lavash
100x50cm (40×20″)
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Sangak
-baked on stone, note the stone marks 100x50cm (40×20″)
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Taftun
80x40cm (32×16″)
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Nan’e Kabab
– could be as big as 50cm dia (20″ dia)
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Nan’e Qandi
– sweet tasting, favored by children 25cm dia (10″ dia)
Persian kabab kubideh served over nan’e sangak
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Sabzi Khordan • Fresh Herb Medley
Persians love their sabzi… roll it in a piece of nán with a slice of feta/Bulgarian cheese in between, and have it as an appetizer.
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- Geshniz – Cilantro
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- Ja’afari – Parsley
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- Na’ana – Mint
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- Piyazcheh – Scallion
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- Reihan – Basil
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- Shahi – Crest
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- Shevid – Dill
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- Tareh – Chives
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- Tarkhun – Tarragon
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- Torobcheh – Radish
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- Panir – Feta-Bulgarian Chese
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- Gerdu – Walnuts
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Mást • Yogurt
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- Mást – Plain Yogurt
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Mást’o Musir
Yogurt with Persian Shallots
Chopped sun-dried Persian shallots and yogurt
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Mást’o Khiyar
Yogurt is mixed with chopped cucumber, mint, dill, chopped nuts and raisins.
Dough – Yogurt drink made with yogurt, club-soda, salt, pepper and dried mint flakes.
In the photo is cucumber version dough, with cucumber and lemon juice added to the above recipe.
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Pickles, Salads & Side-Dishes
There are many Persian side dishes. These are just a select few that are common. Perhaps, in the future, I will introduce more with recipes.
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Torshi
Pickled mixed vegetables in vinegar
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Khiyar Shour
Persian cucumber pickled in brine
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Salad Shirazi
Diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions mixed with crushed dried mint, seasoned with lime dressing
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Salad’e Olivieh • Olivier Salad
Potatoes, chicken meat, cucumber pickled in brine, peas, carrots, mayonnaise and mustard
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Kashk’e Bademjan
Fried eggplants blended with whey and garnished with mint, garlic, caramelized onion, walnuts & whey
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Mirza Ghasemi
A mixture of smoked eggplants, tomatoes, garlic, eggs, seasoned with turmeric, salt and pepper
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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There is a Persian restaurant we used to visit in Chicago, Reza’s, I remember they would always bring a plate of radishes, Feta cheese and fresh mint….perfect way to start a meal 🙂
I have been to Reza’s! Yes, sabzi khordan!
What a fantastic post Fae! Bookmarking this.
I’m glad you liked it, Sonal. Thank you. 🙂
Yes! Finally someone writes about fresh vegetables.
Love barbari and sangak – of course, before I called them all nan 🙂 My only problem is that I can eat onion (some sort of allergy)…
Oh no! Is it onion in any form? How about when caramelized?
Lovely blog site. I’ve made something called Persian na’an before–is this just a different spelling? (from Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan), also, is the word “nan” a general term like the word bread is used, with sub-categories? This all looks very tasty, and so refreshing!
-Thank you, Suzette.
-Nán is Farsi/Persian word for bread. I don’t know why it is spelled all different ways and the ‘a’ in nán is pronounced with elongated ‘áá’.
-Yes. They are all nán/bread with sub-categories. When generalized, they are all nán but we usually refer them by their sub-categories, i.e. “I crave for barabari or sangak”.
I just love nan! Will try.
What a delicious overview of all of the dishes I am missing out on. Please do make the Persian kabab served over nan’e sangak as I would love to try this one. Have a super week. Take care, BAM
Thank you, Bam. Kabab kubideh (ground) is so difficult/tricky to make (a good one), I only enjoy it at restaurants. When I run out of my recipe repertoire, because of your request, I will challenge it. Thanks for planting the seed in my thoughts. 😀 Fae.
This is interesting reading Fae, you are most knowledgeable!
I have a friend from Iran who has recently introduced me to the delights of Persian food. I also like the cookbook by Greg & Lucy Malouf ‘ Saraban – a journey through Persia’- great recipes & photography.
Thank you for your post, Donna
Thank you so much, Donna. I Googled the book you mentioned. I did not know about the book and appreciate the information. Also, thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a lovely comment. 😀 Fae.
Those are some of my favorite dishes…now I want to go have Persian food at my favorite restaurant..Chelokababi
It all looks great Fae. I specially like the green herbs. Thanks for sharing!! 🙂 Chef Randall
What a wonderful and informative post, Fae…thank you!
All these foods look so good! I could drink the yogurt drink right now, even though it is raining and cold where I am 🙂
My mouth is watering~ Sindy
Hi there, just wanted to let you know I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award and the Very Inspiring blog award. If you are interested go to this link. http://ourgrowingpaynes.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/one-lovely-blog-award-and-the-very-inspiring-blogger-award/
Virginia Darling, First, Congratulations for One Lovely Blog Award and Very Inspiring Blogger Award! Both awards are so~ befitting your blog.
Thank you very much for the nomination, I appreciate you thinking of me. 😀 Fae.
This page is enough to make me hungry!
Very interesting Fae!! thanks
Fae, this is a gorgeous post!! Nan’o Sabzi khordan looks so refreshing along with all the other herbs, drink, and foods. I agree with Cindy, I want to eat your house all the time!! Loving the Persian kabab!! And it is only 6:00 a.m. here 🙂 Definitely salivating everything here 🙂
I miss noneh barbari and just noonva ye ha so much! That kabob has me drooling. Great post mesleh hamisheh
Thank you. Me too… mmm the freshly out of the oven barbari or any of them for that matter. I should go get my butter and jam. :d…
I want to eat at your house……EVERY NIGHT! 🙂
Oh my I love this, I could not remember the names of certain things and you have them on here. Thank you Douq is one of my favorite drinks and I would love to find a recipe for Torshi, I used to serve that all the time. There was a Persian store near my home that had it and I love it so. I love your blog!
Great post Fae!
Love the idea of the spinach and caramelised onion yoghurt. Although I do like my caramelised onions as you may have guessed by now.
Yes, in my book, caramelized onion is the ‘Queen’ of the secret/hidden tastes! Have you seen my post, How to make Crispy Caramelized Onion ?
Like! Like! Like!!! I’m so glad I subscribed to you on FB too – that way I can get double dose of this amazing feast! I’m going to tempt my FB friends to Like your page Fae. There are a lot of Persian fans in my gang! 😀 Hugs, Sharon
I would love to eat everything you made! It looks amazingly delicious Fae!
As you know we LOVE Persian food in my household. A few times a month we pick up food and have a small feast at home. They even make their own bread and it too die for. It is not the same from homemade but it does the trick until I get the courage to make these wonderful dishes at home. I look forward to all your future posts. You make me hungry each and every time. 🙂
What an array of goodies! their names sound musical and inviting and I’m sure the taste lives up to expectation!
Another wonderful post, Fae. Thank you! A good way to start my day here in London reading these.