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