Learn Iran before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Persian (Farsi). Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• Taarof, a ritual of polite offers and refusals, shapes every meal. A host will press you to take more food, and it is polite to refuse once or twice before accepting. Hosts may also refuse your offer to help; ask again if you mean it.
• In many homes, especially in the countryside and at big family meals, food is served on a cloth called a sofreh spread on the floor. Take off your shoes at the door, sit cross-legged or with your legs tucked away, and never step on the sofreh.
• Iranians usually eat with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left, using the fork to push rice onto the spoon. Knives are rarely needed.
• Tea is the first thing offered to a guest and comes again after the meal. Many people hold a sugar cube in their mouth and drink the tea through it.
• Before or during a meal people say 'nush-e jan', may it nourish your soul, and afterwards guests thank the cook with 'dast-e shoma dard nakone', may your hand not hurt.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Chelow kabab (چلوکباب (chelow kabâb)): Buttery steamed rice (chelow) with a saffron top, served with kebabs: kabab koobideh, made from minced lamb and grated onion pressed onto wide flat skewers, or kabab barg, thin strips of marinated fillet. It comes with grilled tomatoes, raw onion, a pat of butter, sumac to sprinkle and a glass of doogh.
• Ghormeh sabzi (قرمه سبزی (ghormeh sabzi)): A deep green stew of lamb or beef slow-cooked with a big mountain of fried herbs (parsley, coriander, chives and fenugreek), red kidney beans and whole dried limes, which give it a sour, earthy taste. It is served over rice and is often called the national dish.
• Fesenjan (فسنجان (fesenjân)): A rich, dark brown stew of chicken or duck (sometimes meatballs) cooked slowly with ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses, which make it sweet and sour at the same time. It is a dish for guests and celebrations, served with rice.
• Tahdig (ته‌دیگ (tahdig)): The golden, crispy crust of rice that forms at the bottom of the pot. Cooks line the pot with oil or butter and often with saffron rice, yoghurt rice, flatbread or thin potato slices, then turn the rice out so the crust sits on top. The name means 'bottom of the pot'.
• Zereshk polo (زرشک‌پلو (zereshk polow)): White and saffron rice scattered with tiny, tart red barberries fried in butter with a little sugar, usually served with saffron chicken. With its jewel colours it is a favourite at weddings and gatherings.
• Sabzi polo ba mahi (سبزی‌پلو با ماهی (sabzi polow bâ mâhi)): Rice steamed with lots of chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, coriander, parsley and chives, served with fried or smoked fish. It is the traditional lunch on Nowruz, the Persian New Year, when the fresh green herbs suit the start of spring.
• Ash reshteh (آش رشته (âsh-e reshteh)): A thick soup of noodles, beans, chickpeas, lentils and plenty of herbs, topped with kashk (a tangy dried whey), fried onions, garlic and dried mint fried in oil. It is a warming winter dish and is often cooked in big pots to share.
• Abgoosht (dizi) (آبگوشت (âbgusht)): A hearty lamb stew with chickpeas, white beans, potatoes and tomato, cooked slowly in a stoneware pot called a dizi. You pour the broth over torn bread and eat it first, then mash the meat and vegetables into a paste called goosht-e koobideh and eat it with bread, herbs and pickles.

Cities to see

• Tehran (capital): Golestan Palace, The Grand Bazaar, The Azadi Tower.
• Mashhad: The Imam Reza Shrine, Saffron from the surrounding region, The Tomb of Ferdowsi at Tus.
• Isfahan: Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Si-o-se-pol and the other old bridges, Gaz, a nougat with pistachios.
• Shiraz: The Tomb of Hafez, The Nasir-ol-Molk (Pink) Mosque, Persian gardens such as Eram.
• Tabriz: The Historic Bazaar, a UNESCO site, Tabriz carpets, The Blue Mosque of Tabriz.
• Yazd: Windcatchers (badgirs), The Jameh Mosque, Zoroastrian fire temple.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Iran trip