Persian cuisine is one of the oldest in the world, but it was the Iranian revolution in 1979 that led to the migration of many natives across the world. London was a base many chose, creating one of the largest Iranian diasporas globally. Persian migrants brought with them fragrant and flavoursome dishes, full of barberries, pistachios and saffron. One of the first Persian restaurants in the UK was , which opened on Cannon Street in 1961.
But what is Persian food exactly? Predominantly divided into kebabs (there is nothing as important to Iranian culture as chelokebab) and khoreshts (the various stews), Persian food is either lamb or chicken based. But Persian stews can be adjusted to be meat-free in multiple ways, with the most popular versions swapping lamb for aubergine (in ‘gheymeh’, a lamb and split pea stew) or removing it completely from ghormeh sabzi, which is sometimes known as the national dish and includes a wealth of greens, herbs, and kidney beans. Khoresht bamieh is naturally vegetarian, with okra the star of the show.
A quick tangent on hummus. Hummus is great. Hummus is delicious. But hummus is (sadly) not Persian. Both chickpeas and sesame seeds are used a lot in Iranian cooking, but hummus is a dish Persians cannot claim as their own. The reason it’s on a lot of Iranian menus in London is because it’s a crowd pleaser and sits harmoniously with the cuisine’s other dishes, but if you’re looking to narrow down your favourite Iranian food, hummus should not be on that list. Chelokebab (kebab and rice) on the other hand, should be. Wholesome, tasty and unique to Iran, with the kebab fillet marinated for at least 12 hours in onion and herbs. Chelo (rice) is fluffy and garnished with liquid saffron giving it an intoxicating aroma. Remember to season your lamb kebabs with sumac and mix butter into your rice for that extra creamy taste
London's finest Persian restaurants involve kebabs, countless khoreshts, endless varieties of bread dipped in mast moosir (yoghurt with shallots), kashk-e bademjan (aubergine dip with whey) and much more.
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