Native Name: Ash-e Anar Cultural Background: Sour pomegranate juice and reduced pomegranate paste appear repeatedly in the oldest surviving Persian-tradition recipe writing as a souring agent for soups and stews, prized alongside vinegar and verjuice. A soup built around tart pomegranate, herbs, and small meatballs or rice would have made good use of the fruit's […]
Introduction: A late-summer Dalmatian soup made from fresh borlotti (bobići) beans and sweetcorn, simmered with potatoes and cured pork for depth. Cultural Background: A late-summer Dalmatian soup made from fresh borlotti (bobići) beans and sweetcorn, simmered with potatoes and cured pork for depth. Traditionally prepared when fresh beans and corn are both in season, it's […]
Native Name: Morgh-e Shahaneh Cultural Background: Ancient Greek writers who visited or wrote about the Achaemenid Persian court, including Herodotus and Xenophon, described lavish royal feasts featuring whole roasted birds and rich stuffings of dried fruit, nuts and spices, reflecting the empire's access to produce from across its vast territories. This dish reconstructs that kind […]
Introduction: Brodet is a rustic Adriatic fisherman's stew made from mixed whitefish, tomatoes, wine and olive oil, traditionally cooked in a single pot over an open fire by fishermen using the day's catch. Cultural Background: Brodet is a rustic Adriatic fisherman's stew made from mixed whitefish, tomatoes, wine and olive oil, traditionally cooked in a […]
Introduction: This clear beef broth with homemade egg noodles is the classic opener to a Croatian Sunday lunch, especially in continental regions like Zagorje and Slavonia. Cultural Background: This clear beef broth with homemade egg noodles is the classic opener to a Croatian Sunday lunch, especially in continental regions like Zagorje and Slavonia. Simmered for […]
Native Name: Adas Pokhteh Cultural Background: Lentils were a cheap, filling staple across the ancient Near East, and a simple pottage of lentils softened with onion and a little fat was common midday fare for farmers and labourers throughout the Persian Empire. Simplicity was the point: a warming, sustaining meal that could be prepared quickly […]
Native Name: Ash-e Jow Cultural Background: Thick grain-and-meat soups known generally as ash have deep roots on the Iranian Plateau, where barley, the region's oldest cultivated grain, was simmered slowly with whatever meat and herbs a household had on hand. This lamb and barley version reflects the basic, sustaining pattern such soups have followed for […]
Introduction: Pašticada is Croatia's most celebrated festive dish, a beef roast larded with bacon and studded with cloves, marinated for a day or more, then slow-braised in a rich wine and prune sauce. Cultural Background: Pašticada is Croatia's most celebrated festive dish, a beef roast larded with bacon and studded with cloves, marinated for a […]
Native Name: Sabzi va Gerdoo Cultural Background: Fresh herbs — mint, coriander, parsley and spring onion among them — were eaten in generous handfuls alongside bread and cheese rather than treated as a mere garnish, a practice with very old roots on the Iranian Plateau where walnut trees also grew widely and their nuts were […]
Native Name: Kabab-e Barreh Cultural Background: Small skewered pieces of meat cooked quickly over an open fire were practical food for soldiers, travellers and market stalls alike across the ancient Persian world, needing little more than a fire and a metal or wooden skewer. Greek writers who encountered Achaemenid Persian armies noted their soldiers roasting […]