Series
Bread, or nun, comes in a great variety in Iran. For reasons that escapes me, there always seem to be a line up in front of bakeries. May be it has to do with the fact that everyone goes out to purchase bread at the same time during Ramadan. Pastries are also very popular, and surprising to our palates: rose water, pistachios, coconuts and honey are all used to give interesting and unusual flavors.
The Esfahan bazaar, seen here, is full of great spice stands; but also grains, fruits, nuts, rose water, honey, saffron-coated pistachios and other delicacies. Its a pleasure for the eyes and for the nose to walk around the bazaars, and also a very good way to meet people. Unlike Arab countries, in Iran people do resort to pressure-sales tactics; the contact is usually friendly because people are happy to talk to foreigners. If they invite you for a cup of chay (tea), its more out of curiosity and hospitality than as a way to get you to enter their store. Another surprising fact: the cleanliness of the bazaar and the food stalls. There are no bad smells, no pieces of decaying food on the ground, no dog shit, no abandoned garbage.
On the left I am eating Abgusht: a stew wit lamb, chick peas and broth that comes in a stone bowl. You start by pouring the cooking juices into a deep plate, and then throw in some bread with which you eat the juice. You then pound the meat and vegetable left in the stone bowl to a puree and eat it with the juice. It is both tasty and filling. Shahriar in the back is having some polo, rice seasoned with saffron and raisins. In the right photo, notice the two baskets full of fresh herbs: basil, mint and a few others... You munch on these, or have a spoonful of yoghurt throughout the meal. Its a nice and refreshing way to clean the palate.
There are usually very nice restaurants inside Hammams; the ones in Kashan, Yazd and Shiraz turned out to be very good as well as gorgeous. During Ramadan its always slower, but we have usually managed to find food at lunch every day.
Just outside of Yazd, in the little town of Meybod, there is a beautifully renovated Caravanserai. These started to appear with trade along the Silk Road, and catered to the caravans. They provided a fortified place where merchants could stop for the night, be protected from bandits, care for their pack animals, and sell their goods in an adjoining bazaar. The caravanserais were found every 25km or so along the Silk Road, about a day's march of the caravans. The Meybod caravanserai is operated by the Silk Road Cultural Office, i.e: the Iranian Government; but we were able to get food even in the middle of Ramadan. Since Islam allows travellers not to fast during Ramadan (provided they do their fasting at some later time), caravanserais do serve food even at this time.
I have really discovered what the Anar or pomegranate tastes like, since I got here. The ones we get in Europe or Canada have been travelling for a while by the time we get them, and they are dry inside. Here they are so juicy, that you can drink straight out of them: you massage the fruit, which bursts the grains inside and then you poke the skin with a tooth. The juice rushes out and its very refreshing, even if it can be messy. I try to eat one pomegranate every day.