Caspian cuisine

Did You Know?

• Mazanderani and Gilani traditional wines have historically been made from wild, local grapes.
• Mazanderani people used to drink narenj vehar, a traditional wine drink, after hard labor, particularly during summer and the month of Merdal in the Tabarian calendar.
• Narenj vehar is a cold drink believed to replenish the drinker's energy reserves.

History

Mazandaran Province lies east of Gilan, and the southern Caspian coast is known as the fertile Caspian provinces. Citrus fruits, especially oranges, are grown there and influence the cuisine. Historically, rice was common only in Mazandaran and Gilan, where it is prepared in the kateh style rather than the polos or chelo of other Iranian regions. Rice is cultivated on the slopes of the Alborz mountain range. Seafood is a major component of coastal Mazandarani meals, and Persian caviar (ḵāvīar) appears in egg dishes similar to frittatas or omelettes. From 1400 until 1870, Mazandaran was the sole sugarcane-growing area in Iran, and sugarcane was sometimes eaten with bread and rice. Local wild herbs such as zolang, anarijeh, ouji, and sersem are used in Mazandarani cuisine and are largely unknown outside the province. Some believe these herbs and dishes have medicinal properties, and scholars visit annually to research them. Stinging nettles, found in spring, are made into a nettle soup thought to act as a blood tonic and to improve hay fever.

List of select northern Iranian dishes

This list covers regional dishes from Mazandaran, Gilan, Alborz, and Golestan provinces. Examples include Aghouze-Messeama, Dewpetti, Ispina-Saek, Khali Aush (a soup or stew), Naz Khatun, Ispinej-Mearji, Keahi-Heali, Mirza Ghasemi, and Baghali ghatogh, a bean stew typically made with Rashti fava beans but sometimes with lima, kidney, or fava beans outside Iran. Kateh is a northern rice dish cooked with extra water, butter, and salt. Keshmesh polo (raisins in rice) originated in northern Iran. Khoresh-e gol dar chaman is a stew of garlic, dill, lamb, and broad beans (or fava beans). Khoresh-e torsh tareh is a stew of herbs, garlic, and eggs. Kuku eshpel is an egg dish made with fish roe or caviar. Morgh-e torsh is sour chicken. Sirabij consists of scrambled eggs with chopped and fried garlic leaves. Sir Anar is a garlic-pomegranate stew or sauce. Other dishes include Aghouzenoon, Peshtizik, Pisgendela, Nesseri, Kunak, Tunsernun, Red sugar (Serkh seker), and Reshteh Khoshkar.