A summary of local eating habits#

Eating habits in Tehran are pretty structured around three main meals.

• Breakfast (Sobhaneh): This is usually a light meal. People often eat different types of flatbread (like noon barbari, noon taftoon, noon sangak) with butter, jam, honey, or white cheese (panir). Sometimes eggs are involved, either boiled or fried. Sweet tea is a must-have drink with breakfast.
• Lunch (Nahăr): This is typically the heaviest meal of the day and is eaten relatively late, often around 1 PM to 3 PM. Lunch is usually based around rice and stews or kebabs. It’s common to have leftovers from dinner the night before for lunch, especially if someone is working or studying and doesn’t have much time to cook fresh.
• Dinner (Shăm): Dinner is generally lighter than lunch and eaten later in the evening, perhaps from 8 PM onwards. It might be something simple like Kuku (a type of thick omelet/frittata with vegetables or herbs), Adasi (lentil soup), or maybe just bread, cheese, herbs, and watermelon or cucumber in the summer. However, families often still cook full meals for dinner, sometimes even more elaborate than lunch.

Common home-cooked meals vs. street food#

Most meals are cooked at home. Iranian home cooking is famous for its delicious stews served with rice.

• Home Cooking: The heart of Tehran’s food culture is the home kitchen. Classic dishes include:
  • Ghormeh Sabzi: A fragrant herb stew with lamb or beef and kidney beans, often called the national dish.
  • Gheymeh: A stew with split peas, tomato paste, and small pieces of lamb or beef, often topped with crispy fried potatoes.
  • Fesenjan: A rich, sweet and sour stew made with walnuts and pomegranate molasses, usually with chicken or duck.
  • Adas Polow: Rice mixed with lentils and sometimes raisins or dates, often served with chicken or meat.
  • Various Polows: Many dishes involve mixing ingredients directly into the rice while cooking.
• Street Food: While not as extensive as in some other countries, Tehran has its street food.
  • Ash: Thick, hearty soups with herbs, legumes, and sometimes noodles or meat (like Ash Reshteh). You’ll find vendors selling hot ash, especially in cooler weather.
  • Falafel and Samosa: Popular, especially in certain areas, showing some regional influences.
  • Jigar (Liver) or Kebab sandwiches: Simple, grilled meats served in bread are common quick eats.
  • Laboo (beetroot) and Bakeghla (fava beans): Seasonal warm snacks sold from carts.

Local ingredients or spices people use#

Iranian cooking relies on fresh ingredients and specific spices to get its unique flavor.

• Herbs: Fresh herbs are fundamental. Parsley, mint, cilantro, fenugreek (shanbalileh) are used generously in stews and served fresh on the side of meals.
• Saffron: The prized spice, used for coloring rice, flavoring desserts, and giving a distinct aroma to many dishes.
• Turmeric: A common base spice for many stews and rice dishes.
• Dried Limes (Limoo Amani): Used in stews like Ghormeh Sabzi and Gheymeh for a sour, tangy flavor.
• Pomegranate Molasses: Key for Fesenjan and other sour dishes.
• Rosewater: Used in sweets, desserts, and drinks.
• Rice: High-quality long-grain rice, often cooked using the “Chelow” method to get a crispy bottom layer called Tahdig.
• Yogurt (Mast): Served plain, mixed with herbs (Mast o Khiar - yogurt with cucumber and mint), or used in cooking.

Traditional dishes eaten during festivals or weekends#

Certain dishes are saved for special occasions or enjoyed on the traditional weekend (Thursday/Friday).

• Friday Lunch: A very popular dish for Friday lunch when families gather is Dizi (also called Abol Gousht). This is a hearty stew made with lamb, chickpeas, beans, potatoes, and tomatoes, cooked slowly in a stone pot. It’s eaten in two parts: first, the broth is poured over pieces of bread (Tilit), and then the solid ingredients are mashed and eaten with bread and pickles.
• Nowruz (Persian New Year): A classic dish for the Nowruz feast is Sabzi Polow ba Mahi, which is rice mixed with a lot of fresh herbs, served with fried fish.
• Religious Occasions: During mourning periods like Muharram, people often cook and distribute large quantities of food called Nazri. Common Nazri dishes include Gheymeh, Adas Polow, or Ash.

Popular snacks or drinks#

Throughout the day, people snack and drink tea.

• Tea (Chayi): This is the national drink. Black tea is brewed strong and served in small glasses, often with sugar cubes (Ghand) which are sometimes held between the teeth while sipping the tea. Tea is offered constantly to guests.
• Fresh Fruit Juices: Especially in summer, fresh juices (like melon, cherry, pomegranate, carrot) are very popular.
• Sharbat: Sweet, refreshing drinks made with fruit syrups, rosewater, or herbal extracts.
• Nuts and Dried Fruits: A very common snack, especially pistachios, walnuts, almonds, raisins, and dried apricots.
• Sweets: Traditional sweets like Sohan (brittle toffee with pistachios), Gaz (nougat with pistachios or almonds), and various pastries are popular for snacking or serving to guests.

Cultural food taboos or unique rituals#

There are important customs around food in Tehran and Iran.

• No Pork or Alcohol: These are religiously forbidden and not available in the country.
• Halal Meat: All meat consumed must be Halal.
• Eating Together: Sharing meals with family is very important. Guests are always offered food and encouraged to eat.
• Respecting Bread: Bread is highly respected; it’s considered wasteful to throw it away or step on it. Leftover bread is often dried for later use or animal feed.
• Hosting: Iranians are known for their hospitality (Ta’arof), often insisting guests eat more or offering things multiple times, even if the guest initially refuses out of politeness. The host will often put food onto your plate for you.
• Using Bread: For many dishes, particularly stews and things like Dizi, bread is used to scoop up the food instead of just cutlery.

Understanding these daily food habits and customs gives you a much better sense of what life is like in Tehran beyond the famous landmarks. It’s about simple, flavorful home cooking, shared meals, and constant tea.