Tabriz: The City of Culinary Delights

Almost half of most mouth-watering sweets and confectionary sold on markets across Iran are produced at chocolate factories in Tabriz, making Iran one of the Middle East’s leading countries as far as chocolate production is concerned.

 

Tabrizi People’s Delicious Table

We may call Tabriz the city of delectables, with a whole range of tastes from salty and sweet to sour, including different types of confectionary, fruit leather, broth, meatballs, etc. Bread has a special status on Tabrizis’ table and is one its essential items.

Foods in this region are much influenced by the Caucasus geographical area and have features of the cuisine of Russia, the Azerbaijan Republic, etc.

There is a strong feeling of unity and love for family in Tabriz, which brings family members together for all household activities, especially at mealtimes.

If you walk through Tabriz, you cannot miss trolleys whose owners sell baked potatoes and eggs rather than boiled beetroot and fava beans which are much more common across other Iranian cities. The potatoes and eggs are popular, too, and, in fact, are a signature of Tabriz.

Different types of tasty confectionary are made in Tabriz. Nuts and dried fruit are also an integral part of Tabriz.

The following are the most famous foods of Tabriz:

 

Tabrizi Meatballs

Undoubtedly, large and delicious meatballs are the most well-known food of Tabriz. Its ingredients include lentils, minced beef, onions, eggs, leeks and coriander and rice. Ingredients such as different types of plums, raspberries, fried onions, baked eggs, almond, walnut, and sometimes a whole chicken are inserted inside the meatballs. The meatballs are cooked in a sauce made with tomatoes and saffron.

Bonab Kebab

In most parts of Iran, kebabs are served with rice as well. However, the Bonab kebab is always served with bread in Tabriz. The ingredients of this very special kebab include fresh lamb, onions chopped into very small pieces, salt and pepper. After the mix is ready, they leave it the fridge for up to two hours before barbecuing it.

Dizi Sangi

To make this delectable food, they use lamb, fat, peas, split peas, onions and spices. Dizi Sangi is usually cooked in stone dishes. It is served with different types of pickles, fresh bread, doogh (yoghurt drink) and raw onions.

Leek Cutlet

This food is made with ingredients such as leek, eggs, spices, walnuts and raspberries. In order to make this tasty cutlet, which is very similar to the herbs cutlet, they mix those ingredients, form the mix into the shapes they want and fry it.

Green Beans Cutlet

This food served with soup is an integral part of Tabrizi people’s table and is served in most parties.

The basic ingredients of green beans cutlet include potatoes, minced beef, chopped green beans, garlic, onions, carrots, eggs, walnuts and raspberries. There are two recipes to make this food: Some people mix the ingredients and fry them, and some chop and fry potatoes before adding them to the other ingredients.

Carrot-Prune Stew

This delicious stew contains lamb or chicken as well as carrots, prunes, tomato paste, a little lime juice, fried onions, saffron and other spices.

Milk Rice

This food contains more milk than water; hence, it is called milk-rice. The ingredients include rice, saffron, rosewater, chicken, milk, sultanas, almond shreds and pistachio shreds. To make this food, boil rice with water, rosewater, saffron and salt. After the rice is cooked, it is served with flavoured chicken and sultanas. Almond and pistachio shreds are used as garnish.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

The ingredients of this delicious food include grape leaves, split peas, rice, bulgur, herbs (dill, leek, savory), oil and minced meat. Vinegar, sugar and slat are boiled together and poured on the food as spice.

Roasted Pluck

Roasted Pluck is inspired by Russian foods. Its ingredients include a minced mix of lungs and intestines of sheep. First, they fry onions and the lungs; then they add spices and chopped tomatoes.

Tabrizi Leek Broth

This is a very nutritious food rich in calcium made with ingredients such leek, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, oil and tomato paste. It is served with bread, vegetables and pickles.

Doimaj

Doimaj is a light, inexpensive food which is easy to make. It is made with dried bread, walnuts, local cheese, doogh and herbs. First, they pour doogh on the dried bread to make it soft. Then they put the other ingredients on it before giving it an oval or round shape and serving it.

In addition to the foods mentioned above, different types of broth are cooked in Tabriz, including lentil broth and yoghurt broth.