Iran - Our Fiftheenth Meal

For meal #15, Mark took us to Iran (also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran). Our main dish was kabob koobideh (lamb/beef kabob) and steamed Persian rice with tahdig. The grilling on skewers did not go quite as planned, so we ended up having the meat off-the-skewer, which lent itself well to nice sandwiches with lavash. 

Tahdig -- the crunchy darker-colored rice -- is apparently the star of this dish, which is always served to guests. For us, we were not sure about the appeal -- it just tasted like crunchy rice! Not sure if this was a nuance of preparation method, or if we just don't have the palate for it. 

The rice itself was nice, fluffy with a hint of saffron, but again, we were not sure the final taste justified its lengthy (hour+) preparation time. Basmati rice sure is good, though.

Roast vegetables. Another experiment in terms of preparation -- it was a challenge to get these cooked all the way through using this grilling method (roasted over open coals). Gives you respect for the Iranian chefs!

The lavash bread was delicious! Apparently this was made similarly to the way I made pita recently - a dough with olive oil in it. I really liked this, and Mark said it was pretty simple to make. I would like to try my hand at it in the future.

A dish of pistachios with sumac, a traditional Iranian spice which appeared in the kabobs. I don't think I have ever had sumac - it was so delicious! Very lemony, with an earthy tang. Apparently lemon-pepper is considered a reasonable substitute, if that gives a hint to the flavor. I really really liked this flavor - I think it would go well on anything savory that would normally take lemon (salad, fish, etc.). It has been fun building out our spice cabinet through these meals.

The dill/cucumber/yogurt condiment was tasty. This "maast o khiaar" was a familiar flavor for us -- although we know it as "tzatziki," which we eat regularly in middle eastern food.

Raw onion is apparently a common condiment for  Iranian meals -- though I'm not sure we partook.

Our beverage was doogh, a sparkling yogurt drink. Mark liked it, but this one was a little funky for me -- I like sparkling drinks, and I like yogurt, but the combination as a drink wasn't quite right for me. It almost seemed like a Japanese or Korean drink, since they have yogurt drinks there -- I joked with Mark it would have been better with some shochu in it. (Although this would not fly in Iran, where alcohol is illegal.)

For Mark's birthday, I bought him an ice cream maker, and he made us this delicious bastani, a traditional Persian ice cream made with rose water, saffron, and pistachio. A very lovely creamy yellow color, and a delicious, mild flavor. Excellent!

After dinner, we began watching Persepolis (2007), the movie based on the famous (and terrific) graphic novel, which I read in junior high or high school. We ended up being too tired to finish it (though I'd like to later). One of my favorite horror movies is Iranian - A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). Completely genius and visually stunning. Highly recommend to everyone!

I regret I don't know much about the history and culture of Iran, except that it is a strict Islamic country and women are expected to dress modestly and cover their hair, and there are taboos on certain forms of social interaction between men and women (buses are sex-segregated, for example). One nice thing about doing these meals, however, is that it causes me to perk my ears up when I hear news about countries we have "visited." So hopefully I will learn more.

When? December 6, 2020

Who cooked? Mark

What's for dinner? (Recipe links) lavash bread, kabob koobideh, Persian rice with tahdig, maast o khiaar, doogh yogurt drink, bastani ice cream

Iran Stats

• Population: 82,913,906 (19th in the world)
• GDP: 1,631 (18th in the world)
• Life Expectancy: 76,5 (60th in the world, compared to US at 36th with 78.9)
• Founding Date/Age in 2020: 609 BC / 2629 -- a very old civilization. The Iranian Revolution ended in 1979, and the monarchy was replaced by the Islamic Republic. 
• Official Language: Persian
• Largest Islamic banking sector
• Largest producer of:
• Pistachios
• Saffron
• Caviar
• Stone fruits
• Turquoise
• Handmade carpets
• Oldest carpet in the world (Pazyryk burials)
• Hottest surface temperature ever recorded (159F!)
• Largest Shia population
• Highest natural background radiation
• Most major earthquakes, 5.5+ Richter magnitude
• Most accurate calendar in use (Iranian calendar)
• Highest ratio of female to male school enrollment (1.22 female per male student)
• Largest number of former national capitals (31 former capital cities)
• Largest population of foreign refugees (mostly Irani and Afghan)
• Largest reserves of zinc
• Fastest growth rate in science and technology - 1000% increase in output over 9 years (2010)
• Largest fleet of NGV (natural gas vehicle -- rather than running on gasoline); 3.5 million in use