Works Cited

Here is a link to my Works Cited page. Feel free to explore these links to learn even more about Iran!

Works Cited

Iran's Agriculture, Problems & Steps to Improve

Ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, some farmers' and was taken and given to others. Many farmers did not resume farming if their land was taken -- even if they purchased more land. Many of the farmers have difficulty producing a good yield due to poor seed quality, scorched soil and outdated farming techniques. Precipitation is low in Iran and some parts of the country have highly salinated soil. We have very little irrigation. 25% of rural people do not have clean water. My family is lucky to have pure water.

The government of Iran is slowly putting money into researching and improving agriculture. It is a slow process. So far, it has not proved very successful. It is very expensive for farmers to purchase new farm equipment. Changing farming techniques is also difficult as the old techniques are engrained in the farmers' brains. Thankfully, the government can continue to afford learning how to feed its people due to the success of oil.

My Village's Agriculture

Like I said in a previous post, I live in a village outside Tehran, the capital. The average farm in my village is less than 10 hectares. They produce rice as well as wheat, barley and other grains. Saffron is a very important crop for us, especially as a country. I have a date tree. Others cultivate pistachios and various fruits. Fisherman bring fish back to our village as we are not too far from the water. We have a market where we barter and pay for various commodities.

Typical Dinner

"Shaam," or dinner, is very similar to lunch. Tonight we had nân, "berenj," and meat, most often kebabs or fish. Berenj is a different type of rice. I also served yoghurt. Yoghurt originated either with the Greeks or Turks. We consume a lot of yoghurt, a testament to the varying occupants of Iran throughout the years. For dessert, I made "baklava," a flaky pastry. You may have had this before, it is popular throughout the world. We finished shaam with chai tea. This is a very typical shaam for my family and others throughout Iran. 

My village is lucky. We produce rice so we do not have to import it. Rice is a staple of the Iranian diet and is considered a national food. Iran imports 450,000 tons of rice per year.  Fish is also very important to Iran. It is caught in the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The government is trying to develop shrimp farming in the salty marshes. 

One of my favorite seasonings to use is saffron. Iran is the largest producer of saffron in the world. Currently, the government has artificially doubled the price, helping farmers raise their income and, therefore, standard of living. This is ultimately bad because the inflation will prohibit Iran from initiating trade. 

Typical Dinner

Baklava

Fishermen in Iran

Woman picking saffron 

My Favorite Lunch

For lunch, or "naahaar," my son and I eat have different things. At school, my son has a light lunch. It consists of "nân", fresh fruit, dates, pistachio nuts, and cheese. Nân a staple of the Iranian diet. It s a round, flat bread baked on stones. I have a date tree and purchase pistachios grown in my village at the local market. 

At home, I ate "chelo" topped with vegetables from my small garden and a lamb kebab. Chelo is plain, cooked rice. Kebabs are meat seared on a skewer. They are usually made of chicken or lamb. Iran has more lambs than our ranges can support. The government actually wants to reduce the lamb population by 12.8 million animal units. 

Throughout the day, I always have tea burning. My favorite is Chai. It is believed to originate in Russia. 

Today's Breakfast

In Persian, the national language of Iran, the word for breakfast is "soph'ha'neh." A typical soph'ha'neh is a light meal. Eating soph'ha'neh is very common throughout Iran. This morning, my family and I ate honey, yoghurt, bread and feta cheese. We had lavâsh, a very thin, brittle bread I made at home. We also had tea. 

About Iran

Iran is located in Southwest Asia. It is located in a region more commonly known as the Middle East. Iran is about the size of Alaska in the US. Its population is almost 81 million people. Iran has been occupied by many different people. All of our inhabitants has helped shaped our culture, including food and agriculture, to what it is today. The Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Turks are just some of the different groups who have once lived in modern-day Iran. There have been others, as well. However, we consider ourselves Persians. Iran was known as Persia until 1934.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Maryam and I am from a village outside of Tehran, the capital of Iran. I will tell you about Iran as well as its cuisine. I  hope you learn about Iran and enjoy this blog!