Persian-Inspired Recipes You’ve Got to Try

According to Naomi Duiguid’s excellent work, Taste of Persia, the ancient empire used to cover many of the surrounding regions, such as Georgia — and still share some of the same flavour profiles. One such commonality is this pate, based on the Georgian pkhali, a spread made out of spinach and other savoury ingredients.

Stuffed grape leaves are also found in many areas of the Mediterranean and Middle East — and while this recipe differs from the Persian version in some ways, such as the addition of couscous and currants, there are also areas of commonality. In most varieties, pliable grape leaves and a fragrant rice stuffing are mainstays (Persian versions tend to veer more towards rice than their meat-filled Grecian counterparts).

Inspired by ingredients common in the cuisine of Iran, this recipe uses meaty eggplant, walnuts and pomegranate glaze to make a pretty vegetarian dish that can be served as an appetizer, main or side.

Lavash is another example of how one food item can have many different variations per region — the Persian style is a softer bread that can be wrapped around kebabs, while this version, which resembles the Armenian style, is crispy.