From the herb-and-lamb stews of the north to the tamarind-rich fish curries of Bandar Abbas, Iranian cooking is a regional map drawn in flavour.
The cuisine is organised around sourness and sweetness held in tension: pomegranate and walnut, rhubarb and lamb, dried lime and split pea, barberry and chicken. Saffron ties it together. Rice is the centrepiece but never the star.
A table per province
Gilan and Mazandaran, on the Caspian, cook with fresh herbs, garlic, rice, and fish. Azerbaijan, in the northwest, leans toward yogurt, dried fruit, and lamb. Khuzestan, in the oil-rich south, borrows techniques from Iraq and the Gulf. Yazd and Kerman, in the desert, have a sweet tooth that verges on the Ottoman.