Marqhuitannes

Daddy needs to get his rocks off!

Bush with a hint of John Kerry?

I can't speak for OP but as somebody who has eaten quite alot of Persian food I would recommend:

• Ghorme Sabzi

A herb stew with meat (often lamb), kidney beans and dried limes.

• Fesenjan

A walnut and pomegranate stew with chicken/small meatballs

• Kababs of all variety, grilled on flat skewers over fire (even in most restaurants), eaten with rice or bread, often grilled tomatoes, sumac and raw yellow onion (sounds wierd but it works)

Koobideh Kabab - ground meat kebab which is incredibly juicy

Jojeh Kabab - chicken marinated in saffron & yoghurt

• Dizi/Abgoosht

Lamb stew with chickpeas, beans, onion, tomatoes, turmeric, and dried lime. Which is made in a special clay pot, the stew is often eaten by separating the meat peas etc and the broth, and then then the meat part is mashed together. The dish is then eaten with bread, onion and the broth.

These dishes are all very common but can differ quite alot depending on who makes them.

Generally most dishes are eaten with flatbread and/or Persian rice/Polow/Polo of varying kind, my favourite is probably Zereshk polo - Saffron rice with Barberries or Baghali polo - rice with dill and fava/broad beans.

Also definitely worthy to mention is Tadigh which is basically rice cooked in a bit of oil so that it's crispy and golden in the bottom of the pan, it can also be made with potato or bread in the bottom.

Desserts include:

• Falodeeh Which is basically the predecessor to/oldest documented form of ice cream. It's made with rice noodles, rosewater, sugar and lime/lemon.

• Bastani sonnati Saffron rosewater vanilla ice cream often served with pistachios and can also often be served as a icecream sandwich between wafers which is to die for.

• Lavashak More of a treat, like fruit rollups but in a vast amount of flavours and less processed and more delicious. Generally a favourite among kids.

Lots and lots of other soups and stews

• Many stews - Khoresht-e ***

Khoresht-e karafs is another favourite of mine, herb/lamb stew with dried limes and celery

• Many soups (often quite thick) - Ash-e ***

Ash-e mast - yoghurt soup with rice chickpeas, mint and lamb meatballs

Also Ash-e Reshte - A noodle soup with herbs, chickpeas and "kashk" - a yoghurt product which is quite special.

Drinks

Doogh is what is quite commonly drank with food, very much like ayran, a yoghurt drink, often served with some mint, sometimes ice, can be carbonated or plain.

There are obviously incredibly much more to the Persian/Iranian cuisine than what I've listed, alot of things that very interesting, things that you'd not think go together but which ultimately do. Generally the food is not spicy but definitely not bland, and you will get full, no question about it.

Very likely less often than you have to, if you're from the US.