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The Legendary Cuisine of Persian
Experiencing the cuisine of Persia is a delight to the palate as well as a journey through history that takes one back more than 3,000 years into one of the world's oldest and most influential cultures. The origins of most traditional Persian dishes are so old that their recipes had to be inscribed on clay tablets. The enduring appeal of these dishes is legendary, prompting Cyrus the Great to conclude that the ancient Persians could conquer other tribes as much with their cooking as with their prowess.

 
This was at least partially confirmed some 200 years later when Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire but was personally won over to Persian cooking. His Macedonian soldiers, on their return home, carried with them into the Mediterranean area the exotic foods of the Persians, enabling the Greeks and later the Romans to enliven their foods with saffron, lemons, pomegranates, and pistachios. After Alexander, Persia crossed paths with other major world cultures - the Oriental in the 13th century with the invasion of the Moghuls, and the European in the 12th and 13th centuries with the arrival of the Crusaders. In the process, Persia not only absorbed food customs from other cultures, but introduced her own into other countries. So as you enjoy Persian food for the first time, be prepared for it to have a surprising familiarity to you. Enjoy the legend! Nush-e jan!