What IS Persian Food, Anyway?

The first question we're asked when folks walk through our doors for the first time is, "What IS Persian food, anyway?"

OK, strap in. I'm about to take you through our 101 Crash Course on Esther's Persian Cafe Cuisine.

First things first, I'll back up and start with another question we get a lot: "What is Persian?" According to dictionary.com, Persian means "of or relating to ancient and recent Persia (now Iran), its people, or their language." So, basically, it's modern-day Iranian. 

There's a lot to know about ancient Persian history and culture. Like the stuff we learned about in high school, pop culture - Mesopotamia, Xerxes (remember who fought the Greeks in the movie 300? WE! ARE! SPARTA!!!), creating standardized currency, various religious crossroads, weights and measures, the first post office - but I'll save for another blog post. 

This crazy guy with Leonidus is Xerxes, leader of the Persian Empire

The important takeaway is that the empire was located adjacent to Caucasia to the north, Greco/Roman on the west, North African/Egyptian on the south(west), Indian/near Asian on the east, with the most advanced trade enterprise of the times. The Silk Road ran directly through what is modern day Iran. The geography is varied - lots of gulfs and seas, mountain regions, with lots of different settlers. 

So the flavor profile of Persian cuisine can be quite different, even from one Persian restaurant to the next. There is a lot of worldly influence. So back to the original question: What IS Persian food?

At Esther's, we have a central Persian heritage. Probably the most "traditional" idea of Persian cuisine, if there is such a thing. It's not exactly Mediterranean food - olive oil, tabbouleh, pasta and wine aren't everyday fare. We do some of the same open flame grilling, kabobs are a popular favorite. Pomegranate and pistachio were indigenous and exported, and in return traders brought in rice from China, tomatoes from the Ottoman Empire, turmeric from India, yogurt from central Asia, feta from Greece, saffron from Crete and lamb from the Arabs. We use all of those things. 

Common implements - turmeric, nuts, dried fruits, beans and barley

The Chinese concept of yin-and-yang is a culinary thing for us. We'll use foods you might normally think of as hot (like eggplant) but serve them cold, or cold items (like walnuts) in hot dishes like our fesenjoon (a stewy chicken-pomegranate dish over rice), based on how they raise or lower the metabolism. This is another reason why yogurt is an integral part of every meal, and most of our Persian diners will not go without a glass of doogh or bowl of Maast o Khiar (MAHST - oh- key-ar). (I refer to Doogh as drinkable tzatziki. You know that stuff that goes on your gyro that you're like 'Oh man, I could drink a glass of this stuff?' Well, we did that for you.)

Esther's fesenjoon - chicken, pomegranate, walnut stew with Basmati rice

Sour foods are also a big deal in Iran. On our table, you'll find a shaker of sumac. It's as common as salt and pepper on the Persian table, with a limey, zingy, fresh bite that wakes up the palate. "Do you have any sour?" is what Persians would ask, and they're asking about sumac. So yes, we just put it on every table. Pickling is a big deal in desert climates, so you'll find sour cherries, vinegars, pickled vegetables. We pair a lot of sour with savory (think French duck l'orange?). The acid cuts into the fat of the meat making it easier to digest, and creating a flavor explosion to boot. Gormeh Sabzi is one of our traditional dishes that really embodies this, with an exiting mix of slow simmered beef, herbs and citrus. 

Esther's Gormeh Sabzi - beef, beans, herbs and citrus

We say "stew," but I often tell fist time diners to consider it like Chinese food; like beef and broccoli with meat, veg, simmered in sauce, served with a side of rice. The flavors are different, but it's an approachable way to describe a lot of the "authentic dishes" on our menu. 

Just like the hot-cold yin and yang thing we do, we'll use familiar herb or spice in different ways. Like cinnamon or mint in savory dishes instead of sweet ones. It creates this familiar flavor experience for our new-to-Persian-food diners, like "I know this, and I know I love it, I can't put my finger on what it is...but I know I like it." 

I think that is what makes Persian food so approachable to first-timers, and what keeps folks coming back for more. It's familiar, but unique. After one bite, you'll want to try everything. It's not super spicy - a lot of people think Indian or curry when they think middle-eastern food. We're more packed with herbs and familiarity, combine our foods for digestion rather than anything incredibly peppery or heartburn-y. As a bonus, our menus are typically healthful, naturally gluten-free; our breads are unleavened. We didn't get a lot of processed white flours or refined sugars through the Silk Road, and we don't really use them today.

Like lots of Iranian home cooks, our head chef Reza spends days making food for our menu. Slow-cooking is important to mesh and layer all the flavors together. Sometimes there are a lot of steps. Cooked herbs taste different than fresh herbs, for instance. So different ingredients are added at different stages of the process, creating intense flavor combinations you just can't get when you speed it up. Southern soul food comes to mind, with all-day greens simmering in a pot starting with rendered bacon, then onions, garlic and broth added throughout the process to get to that absolute perfection.

Our typical table - kabobs, maast o khiar, tahdiq (crispy rice),
herbs and feta, stews and flatbread, Persian tea and oh so much more.

It is a labor of love. Persians are a warm and inviting people, and love when you spend hours around the table. We're always happy to brew you a cup of Persian tea (OK, if we're being honest, I'm almost offended when you don't want it after your meal), or to cook you a feast, or send you with leftovers for a week. We're just happy to have you dine at our table. It's where the magic happens. 

So, what is Persian food, you ask? I guess if I had to sum it up, I'd say it's a cross-cultural, familiar flavored, heaping steaming serving of love on a plate. It's food for the soul on a big ol' plate for sharing with all who enter.  Come dine at our table!