Famous delicacies of Ardabil Province

Ardabil is one of the ancient cities of Iran and is home to the important and internationally renowned historical attraction the Sheikh Safi al-Din Khanqah and Shrine complex.

One of the reasons for Ardabil’s fame is Ardabil rugs; a pair of exquisite Iranian carpets with international fame, which is on the list of 50 selected works of art in the world. Today, one of these rugs is kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the other in the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Meanwhile, one of the most attractive suspension bridges of Iran is located near this city.

Sabalan Honey

Among different Iranian provinces that have a hand in honey production, Ardabil Province and especially its Sabalan areas, produce the most premium honey in the country.

The pure and delicious honey of this region owes its fame to the geographical location of this province and its floral diversity.

If you manage to buy the pure and natural honey of Sabalan, which is the extract of the plants of the foothills of this mountain, you undoubtedly have the best honey in the world in your hands.
The honey of this region is an extract of plants such as thyme, Milkvetch, clover, sunflower, forty plants, chamomile, etc., each of which has a different color and special healing properties.

Butter and clotted cream

Ardabil Province plays an important role in the country’s livestock production due to its mountainous location; and that’s why, the dairy products of this region are of high quality.

Among the types of dairy products that you can find in Ardabil, butter and clotted cream produced in this province have a lot of fans, and eating them with natural Sabalan Honey is something not to be missed.

Different types of Halva

Halva is another delicious souvenir of this province that is prepared in different flavors. Black halva or Qara halva is one of its types which is made with wheat germ flour. In addition to butter, walnuts and sesame are added to it during cooking process. The reason for the dark color of this halva is the grape concentrate that is added to it in the end.

Honey Qottab or Balabatmaz

Honey Qottab is another one of goodies of Ardabil province, especially made in the city of Khalkhal.

This delicious sweet is made from a combination of yogurt, eggs, flour, walnuts, honey, cinnamon, etc., with rose water and cardamom used to flavor it.

Baghlava

Baghlava is one of the sweets that is prepared in different ways and in different parts of Iran. In Ardabil, this popular sweet is made with various ingredients such as sugar, yogurt, milk, eggs, walnuts, pistachio powder, lemon juice, wheat flour, starch and liquid oil and is sold in confectionary shops and bakeries.

Nan-e Berenji

Khalkhal’s Nan-e Berenji is one of the most famous souvenirs of Ardabil Province. The use of quality powdered sugar is very important in preparing this bread. Of course, in addition to powdered sugar, ingredients such as rice flour, cardamom, ginger and eggs are also used to bake this sweet. In the past, this delicious bread was baked at home and given as a gift to friends and acquaintances, but now you can find this traditional bread in old pastry shops and bakeries.

Rasteh Chocolate

Rasteh Chocolate is one of the old sweets of Ardabil, which can be found only in a number of old and original pastry shops in the city due to the lack of raw materials and the difficult preparation process. It is made with milk, sugar, butter, cream, clotted cream, walnut and cocoa powder and is one of the few sweets with no flour. Making this traditional chocolate takes about 24 hours. It is prepared with old and rare baking tools.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflower seed is one of the most widely used Iranian snacks that is used in parties and gatherings, while watching football and other sport events and even with nuts during Nowrouz holidays along with other types of snacks.

The climate of Ardabil Province is very suitable for growing sunflowers and as a result, some of the best sunflower seeds of Iran are produced in this province.