The Art of Iranian Cuisine: Preserving Tradition and Technique

For Chef Hanif, the art of Iranian cuisine is more than just cooking - it's about preserving tradition and technique that has been passed down through generations. He believes that every chef in any style is looking for ways to dry cure, preserve, smoke, and ferment food, and these techniques are especially prevalent in Iran. "Iran maybe does better than any country when it comes to preserving food," Hanif says. "We've never considered sour orange molasses or pomegranate molasses as part of the family of preserving citrus historically."

One of the key ingredients that gives Iranian cuisine its unique flavor is the use of preserved fruits and vegetables. In Iran, carrying kilos of fruit was not an efficient way to preserve food, so it was juiced, boiled, thickened, and then stored. This process gives the taste a sweet or tangy flavor depending on the season of the fruit. "This is how many dishes or stews in Iran are given flavor," Hanif explains. Another potent flavor that is commonly used in Iranian cuisine is the taste of smoke, due to the humid weather of living by the sea. Many farmers and nomads would smoke both their rice and their fish as a way of preservation.

Hanif's dream of opening his own restaurant came true, named after his favorite childhood memory - his grandmother's kaghe bread. Persian cuisine is one of the cuisines that can be applied in other parts of the world based on the similarities between the climate and geographical situation. "Most of the key ingredients in our cuisine grow here," Hanif says. This includes walnuts, pomegranate, hazelnuts, almonds, and lots of herbs. He has been exploring Northern Iranian cuisine in Northern California, which he believes is a celebration of their culture.

The restaurant's opening was a moment that Hanif had been waiting for - finally being able to share his passion with his wife, Goie. When he came out of the airport and saw her, he exclaimed, "It's really happening! It happened!" The couple had met while Hanif was exploring Northern Iranian cuisine in California, and their love story was a culinary one. They were finally reunited at the restaurant, which was named after Goie's favorite childhood memory.

The menu at Hanif's restaurant features dishes that showcase the technique and flavors of Persian cuisine. One of the signature dishes is "t" or palar, a vegetarian stew on top of rice made with sautéed garlic, herbs like spinach and parsley, and a souring agent such as sour orange molasses or pomegranate molasses. Hanif believes that this technique is more Iranian than sumac or saffron, as the use of fresh herbs gives the dish a unique flavor.

Hanif has also been foraging in his village to learn about traditional ingredients and techniques. He discovered that Iranians have not updated their conversation about fermented foods, such as sour plums and oranges, which are now considered treasures that need to be preserved. "That's why we haven't defined our du as a fermented product," Hanif explains. "We have to take some kind of action and I think you're doing that in your village."

For Hanif, preserving the ingredients and techniques is not just about food - it's about history, culture, and society. Every bite he takes is a reminder of the importance of preserving these traditions, which are at risk due to distances, sanctions, politics, and geography. He believes that every taste that explodes in his mouth is also a call for action about the preservation of rare plants in Iran, which disappear at an alarming rate.

As a chef, Hanif's mission is to rewrite Persian cuisine with the help of some friends. He wants to share the story behind each dish, and to preserve the techniques and ingredients that have been passed down through generations. By doing so, he hopes to keep the traditions alive and to inspire others to do the same. "Preservation in every sense is at the heart of my mission," Hanif says.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enNature has offered us much our sense of taste is one of those gifts shape by our surroundings in each season when it comes to food geography determines so much Chef hanif sad left Iran for America over a decade ago launching his career with pop-ups and dreams of one day opening his own restaurant Persian Cuisine and Iranian Cuisine being so under represented in United States and I wanted to be a part of the movement to basically solve this problem and create kind of a cultural bridge between Iranians and non-iranians through food Persian Cuisine is not just just about recipes it's about ancient techniques Regional ingredients and spices that have been around since the days of the Silk Road trades that history together with Iron's landscape makes its cuisine one of the most noted and diverse in the world understanding those roots the temperance of Nature and the way Gastronomy can play with that Ecology of flavors starts with with a conversation it's a very beautiful way to talk about ingredients and food because they are like portals into time the past and the future I mean that's the most beautiful thing what is that cuz with that first question you have a whole journey to begin it is his journey that will take us through the flavors of Iran very few know it's a story of preservation and celebration with hanif as our guide for people who want to explore Persian Cuisine I think it's a good point to start with ingredients and techniques and not go for the recipes taking paw from his California popups hanif Journeys back to ton after a long absence it's also time for a reunion with his wife goalie having faced US Travel bands and a global pandemic she's had no choice but to remain here we used to see each other at least once a year for about a month but not seeing each other was definitely so hard we both knew that there is a process which unfortunately was taking more than a normal time because of a travel ban and then the co the only thing that we can do is to really be patient and not let the the negative thoughts or worries come through our way had it traveling to the Caspian Sea in the north of Iran Shad as many Iranians call it is hanif's real Escape surrounded by nature and the province where he grew up it's also a chance to visit his grandmother whose kitchen really inspired him food here in the Caspian province is Herb Centric a unique blend of mountains forests and sea it's smell familiar to everyone growing up who spent hours in their grandmother's kitchen the idea of good food and local ingredients never came from a good restaurant but it came from home I think approaching Iranian food or any food from any specific delicious culture as a system of machines a system of techniques a system of ideas rather than strict recipes all of a sudden it becomes more fun to talk about it becomes more fun to share it becomes more fun to participate in whether or not you have a personal connection to Iran anytime that I go back to Iran I try to be connected to Farmers people from the market foragers Shepherds and all my friends that they're active in the food business back in Iran reiri is an amazing local chef and H's friend he sold local ingredients pickles and sauces in tahron for years pushing the philosophy of Farm to Table overlooking Foreign imports his mission is to elevate Iranian Cuisine by taking it back to his own land for mhm is the lady who has live at our farm when we were a kid she used to be there and took care of us and also a very very great cook Saria knows every herb and plant that surrounds her she grew up foraging the recipes she cooks are based on the local way of life they've been passed down through generations traditional cuisine and cooking methods here are unchanged dedicated to preserving history this rare knowledge people like Saria have must be recorded and learned whilst there's still time Baba for proportion of the plants that we in the west recognize orated in in What's called the Iranian Plateau humans have always foraged throughout their entire Evolution and that was also an aspect of being local you foraged the plants that grew right under your nose even I was really surprised to learn that Iran is big on foraging Iran is big on seasonality if you're moving from place to place you're going to be conscious of the plants that grow around you and you're going to use them accordingly uh maybe when you come back uh with the stories of the plants that you used it sort of begins to spread around to other communities and new dishes rise up doar is basically a blend of Iranian fermented herbs or paste crushed with salt and then used in different ways that's why it is called the green salt thear is a symbol of how we Iranian love herbs and use herbs for me it's a very important sign of how we built up our flavors on preserving I really want people learn that Persian Cuisine is not about kebab and TTI I really want people to know that we have many different varieties of techniques and ingredients and the way of using those I think you have to respect tradition and pay homage to it I think we're just covering the surface right now but I think we can also start experimenting a little more and I think hanif is doing a lot of that popular culture only really sees the first 10% of the story of Iranian food besides the diverse Geographic climates the nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle was a huge influence on Persian Cuisine it was comprised of foraging and animal husbandry taking their flocks across mountains due to their long distance of travel with no place to keep ingredients cool preservation techniques became essential based on the ingredients they can gather and what their flock could provide this also became vital during the silkroad tray as a specific ingredient had to travel all the way from the Far East to the Far West one of these key techniques was drying and fermenting especially when it came to Dairy here they're making cash starting from fresh cow or sheep milk it's Rich salty creamy and nutritious and when dried it can travel for years it's a staple in Iranian Cuisine natural cappuccino for the whole process starts with milking the cow or the sheep or the goat for then you can take the butter out of the yogurt as the butter is full fat the remaining liquid is called du essentially fat for yogurt this is then strained and left in the Sachs Under the Sun this is a fermentation process traditionally used the liquid from The Strain yogurt is called Kut once the D is fermented you have cash both products can then later be used in stews and other dishes preservation it's it's very big and important in most of the Old World um cultures or Old World Cuisine everything that evolved in Iran for the sake of survival and preservation all of those techniques a beautiful side effect was that the flavor became more concentrated and more potent every Chef that I know in any style is looking for ways to dry cure preserve smoke and ferment food those techniques are something that I don't think people associate with Iran that Iran maybe does better than any country they've never considered sour orange molasses is part of the family of preserving citrus historically carrying kilos of fruit was not efficient so it was Juiced boiled thickened and then stored The Taste can be sweet or Tangy depending on the season of the fruit this is how many dishes or stews in Iran are given flavor another potent flavor is the taste of smoke due to the humid weather of living by the Sea many farmers or Nomads would smoke both their rice and their fish as a way of preservation these flavors and smells today are nostalgic of Northern Iran for Fore fore for for Fore h 's deep dive into true local flavors and techniques is coming to an end for now with the knowledge that some of these are on the brink of Extinction he's determined to sing their praise for now it's back to tan flavor packed and the reality of having to say goodbye to his wife once more fore for back in California hanif's Dream of opening his own restaurant came true named after her favorite childhood memory his grandmother's kage bread Persian cuine is one of the cuines that can be applied in other parts of the world based on the similarities between the climate and geographical situation like if you compare Northern R to Northern California most of the key ingredients in our Cuisine mhm grows here mhm walnuts pomegranate hazelnuts almonds um lots of herbs mhm you know that was part of the part of the Journey of us um exploring Northern Iranian cuine in Northern California it's a celebration and his wife goalie is finally able to join him for it at the airport when I come out and I just saw Han I was like wow it's really happening it happened yay a moment that you were like okay now it's real now what we were waiting for is done and I wasn't kind of the person that really go to restaurants I really uh eat in the home and and I married the chef hi hi hello how are you good hello my wife I think goie yeah so B is also here get hello HIC it's a let's have a dinner thank you so much for being here actually you have to see prevalence of sauté the herbs that to me is more Iranian than sumac more Iranian than saffron like sauteed green herbs is no is IR this kind of looks like Orman sezi but it it feels different it's totally different uhuh yeah so that that basically that um stew or sauce underneath is called t or palar which translates into a vegetarian stew on top of the rice but it's a very simple quick stew out of lots of spinach and then D and Canton parsley but the technique is like they saute the garlic but then they saut the herbs and then they add a souring agent it can be sour orange molasses or pomegranate molasses or sometimes at the end they add honestly until I met you I had not associated foraging with Iran mhm as much as I should have and I found it interesting and and a bit shocking that why we Iranians haven't updated or popular conversation that is now in the world why did didn't we Define our DU as a fermented product why haven't defined dollar as a fermented airp sour plums and oranges and all these things and I I think that's that's always the first stepping Stu is realizing the treasure that you have already means we have to take some kind of action and I think you're doing that in your in your village where you go back to visit your family right yeah more people are thinking about the food there's a better chance the food will last the test of time is diving deeper into how all of these things are made and continuing the conversation do you think that that actually helps preserve the preservation preserve the ingredients preserve the the practices it's difficult MH the distances the sanctions the politics the geography every time I take a bite my mother's food I I remember where this comes from and that there is no guarantee that it'll be here tomorrow and I'll try both as an individual as a family but also as a community to remember that every every taste that explodes in my mouth is also sort of a call for Action about a thousand rare plants disappear in the Iranian platform because it's not just about taste it's history it's culture it's Society preservation in every sense is at the heart of hanif's mission as a chef it's about history memory and the legacy of Persian Cuisine he is rewriting with the help of some friends nNature has offered us much our sense of taste is one of those gifts shape by our surroundings in each season when it comes to food geography determines so much Chef hanif sad left Iran for America over a decade ago launching his career with pop-ups and dreams of one day opening his own restaurant Persian Cuisine and Iranian Cuisine being so under represented in United States and I wanted to be a part of the movement to basically solve this problem and create kind of a cultural bridge between Iranians and non-iranians through food Persian Cuisine is not just just about recipes it's about ancient techniques Regional ingredients and spices that have been around since the days of the Silk Road trades that history together with Iron's landscape makes its cuisine one of the most noted and diverse in the world understanding those roots the temperance of Nature and the way Gastronomy can play with that Ecology of flavors starts with with a conversation it's a very beautiful way to talk about ingredients and food because they are like portals into time the past and the future I mean that's the most beautiful thing what is that cuz with that first question you have a whole journey to begin it is his journey that will take us through the flavors of Iran very few know it's a story of preservation and celebration with hanif as our guide for people who want to explore Persian Cuisine I think it's a good point to start with ingredients and techniques and not go for the recipes taking paw from his California popups hanif Journeys back to ton after a long absence it's also time for a reunion with his wife goalie having faced US Travel bands and a global pandemic she's had no choice but to remain here we used to see each other at least once a year for about a month but not seeing each other was definitely so hard we both knew that there is a process which unfortunately was taking more than a normal time because of a travel ban and then the co the only thing that we can do is to really be patient and not let the the negative thoughts or worries come through our way had it traveling to the Caspian Sea in the north of Iran Shad as many Iranians call it is hanif's real Escape surrounded by nature and the province where he grew up it's also a chance to visit his grandmother whose kitchen really inspired him food here in the Caspian province is Herb Centric a unique blend of mountains forests and sea it's smell familiar to everyone growing up who spent hours in their grandmother's kitchen the idea of good food and local ingredients never came from a good restaurant but it came from home I think approaching Iranian food or any food from any specific delicious culture as a system of machines a system of techniques a system of ideas rather than strict recipes all of a sudden it becomes more fun to talk about it becomes more fun to share it becomes more fun to participate in whether or not you have a personal connection to Iran anytime that I go back to Iran I try to be connected to Farmers people from the market foragers Shepherds and all my friends that they're active in the food business back in Iran reiri is an amazing local chef and H's friend he sold local ingredients pickles and sauces in tahron for years pushing the philosophy of Farm to Table overlooking Foreign imports his mission is to elevate Iranian Cuisine by taking it back to his own land for mhm is the lady who has live at our farm when we were a kid she used to be there and took care of us and also a very very great cook Saria knows every herb and plant that surrounds her she grew up foraging the recipes she cooks are based on the local way of life they've been passed down through generations traditional cuisine and cooking methods here are unchanged dedicated to preserving history this rare knowledge people like Saria have must be recorded and learned whilst there's still time Baba for proportion of the plants that we in the west recognize orated in in What's called the Iranian Plateau humans have always foraged throughout their entire Evolution and that was also an aspect of being local you foraged the plants that grew right under your nose even I was really surprised to learn that Iran is big on foraging Iran is big on seasonality if you're moving from place to place you're going to be conscious of the plants that grow around you and you're going to use them accordingly uh maybe when you come back uh with the stories of the plants that you used it sort of begins to spread around to other communities and new dishes rise up doar is basically a blend of Iranian fermented herbs or paste crushed with salt and then used in different ways that's why it is called the green salt thear is a symbol of how we Iranian love herbs and use herbs for me it's a very important sign of how we built up our flavors on preserving I really want people learn that Persian Cuisine is not about kebab and TTI I really want people to know that we have many different varieties of techniques and ingredients and the way of using those I think you have to respect tradition and pay homage to it I think we're just covering the surface right now but I think we can also start experimenting a little more and I think hanif is doing a lot of that popular culture only really sees the first 10% of the story of Iranian food besides the diverse Geographic climates the nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle was a huge influence on Persian Cuisine it was comprised of foraging and animal husbandry taking their flocks across mountains due to their long distance of travel with no place to keep ingredients cool preservation techniques became essential based on the ingredients they can gather and what their flock could provide this also became vital during the silkroad tray as a specific ingredient had to travel all the way from the Far East to the Far West one of these key techniques was drying and fermenting especially when it came to Dairy here they're making cash starting from fresh cow or sheep milk it's Rich salty creamy and nutritious and when dried it can travel for years it's a staple in Iranian Cuisine natural cappuccino for the whole process starts with milking the cow or the sheep or the goat for then you can take the butter out of the yogurt as the butter is full fat the remaining liquid is called du essentially fat for yogurt this is then strained and left in the Sachs Under the Sun this is a fermentation process traditionally used the liquid from The Strain yogurt is called Kut once the D is fermented you have cash both products can then later be used in stews and other dishes preservation it's it's very big and important in most of the Old World um cultures or Old World Cuisine everything that evolved in Iran for the sake of survival and preservation all of those techniques a beautiful side effect was that the flavor became more concentrated and more potent every Chef that I know in any style is looking for ways to dry cure preserve smoke and ferment food those techniques are something that I don't think people associate with Iran that Iran maybe does better than any country they've never considered sour orange molasses is part of the family of preserving citrus historically carrying kilos of fruit was not efficient so it was Juiced boiled thickened and then stored The Taste can be sweet or Tangy depending on the season of the fruit this is how many dishes or stews in Iran are given flavor another potent flavor is the taste of smoke due to the humid weather of living by the Sea many farmers or Nomads would smoke both their rice and their fish as a way of preservation these flavors and smells today are nostalgic of Northern Iran for Fore fore for for Fore h 's deep dive into true local flavors and techniques is coming to an end for now with the knowledge that some of these are on the brink of Extinction he's determined to sing their praise for now it's back to tan flavor packed and the reality of having to say goodbye to his wife once more fore for back in California hanif's Dream of opening his own restaurant came true named after her favorite childhood memory his grandmother's kage bread Persian cuine is one of the cuines that can be applied in other parts of the world based on the similarities between the climate and geographical situation like if you compare Northern R to Northern California most of the key ingredients in our Cuisine mhm grows here mhm walnuts pomegranate hazelnuts almonds um lots of herbs mhm you know that was part of the part of the Journey of us um exploring Northern Iranian cuine in Northern California it's a celebration and his wife goalie is finally able to join him for it at the airport when I come out and I just saw Han I was like wow it's really happening it happened yay a moment that you were like okay now it's real now what we were waiting for is done and I wasn't kind of the person that really go to restaurants I really uh eat in the home and and I married the chef hi hi hello how are you good hello my wife I think goie yeah so B is also here get hello HIC it's a let's have a dinner thank you so much for being here actually you have to see prevalence of sauté the herbs that to me is more Iranian than sumac more Iranian than saffron like sauteed green herbs is no is IR this kind of looks like Orman sezi but it it feels different it's totally different uhuh yeah so that that basically that um stew or sauce underneath is called t or palar which translates into a vegetarian stew on top of the rice but it's a very simple quick stew out of lots of spinach and then D and Canton parsley but the technique is like they saute the garlic but then they saut the herbs and then they add a souring agent it can be sour orange molasses or pomegranate molasses or sometimes at the end they add honestly until I met you I had not associated foraging with Iran mhm as much as I should have and I found it interesting and and a bit shocking that why we Iranians haven't updated or popular conversation that is now in the world why did didn't we Define our DU as a fermented product why haven't defined dollar as a fermented airp sour plums and oranges and all these things and I I think that's that's always the first stepping Stu is realizing the treasure that you have already means we have to take some kind of action and I think you're doing that in your in your village where you go back to visit your family right yeah more people are thinking about the food there's a better chance the food will last the test of time is diving deeper into how all of these things are made and continuing the conversation do you think that that actually helps preserve the preservation preserve the ingredients preserve the the practices it's difficult MH the distances the sanctions the politics the geography every time I take a bite my mother's food I I remember where this comes from and that there is no guarantee that it'll be here tomorrow and I'll try both as an individual as a family but also as a community to remember that every every taste that explodes in my mouth is also sort of a call for Action about a thousand rare plants disappear in the Iranian platform because it's not just about taste it's history it's culture it's Society preservation in every sense is at the heart of hanif's mission as a chef it's about history memory and the legacy of Persian Cuisine he is rewriting with the help of some friends n\n"