Tabriz is the capital city of Eastern Azerbaijan province, and the local food of Tabriz is what you need to try. Meatballs and thick soup, cutlet like dishes or stews, you can have it all in Tabriz.

Make sure to order one of these unforgettably yummy dishes once in Tabriz. Also, the ingredients for dishes from Tabriz are quite accessible, and the recipes are not very hard to follow. Believe me, and if you don’t, you can read it for yourself, and let us know if you like to hear more.

Koofteh Tabrizi

Brace yourself for the most gigantic meatballs you might have ever seen! This crown prince of Iranian dishes has its origins in Tabriz, which is not hard to guess by its name. Expect a dish covered with giant meatballs, usually dipped in thick sauce, when you order koofteh Tabrizi at a restaurant.

Ingredients

A serving of koofteh Tabrizi usually consists of ingredients for the koofteh, the fillings, and its sauce. The main ingredients of koofteh are veal, split peas, onion, rice, potato, egg, chives, parsley, summer savory, tarragon, dried mint leaves, and spice.

The fillings may vary, but most typically they consist of a boiled egg, dried barberry, walnuts, prunes, onions, oil, and spice. Meanwhile the sauce is prepared with tomato paste, oil, onions, and spices. Koofteh Tabrizi is either served with bread and greens, to make a sandwich with, or rice.

Kookoo Loobiya Sabz (snap beans)

If a large bowl of meat doesn’t sound like a good idea, then you should definitely try kookoo loobia sabz. Loobia sabz is the Persian word for snap beans. Also, kookoo in general is the name of a large family of dishes which involve a mixture of vegetables with eggs. The mixed ingredients are fried in a pan and served hot.

This is a semi vegetarian dish which is served hot. You can eat it as a sandwich, together with greens and pickles, on top of a serving of rice, or alone with a variety of side dishes.

Ingredients

The dish is made of snap beans, potatoes, carrots, eggs, bell pepper, mushrooms, and spices. However, ingredients may vary. For example, some people don’t add carrots and mushrooms to the dish, and some use saffron as one of the spices added to the food. Some people also add dried barberries for a different look and taste of the food.

This is an easy dish with simple ingredients. You can easily make it at home too, after trying it in Tabriz.

Ash-e Miveh

Loosely translated, this is a feast of fruits and vegetables in a bowl. More specifically, miveh means fruits and ash is a kind of thick soup. In fact, there is a large variety of ashes (thick soups) in Iran with different ingredients. Ash is best to have in the winter, when the bowl of hot soup warms you up.

Ingredients

There are several variations to this dish. But a typical serving of Ash-e Miveh contains greengage, dried sour cherries, applies, dried apricot slices, red beans, lentils, peas, wheat, rice, especial noodles for ash, and ground beef. In addition to this, salt, pepper, and cumin are the most common spices added to this ash.

If you’re one for a sweet and sour bowl of soup, then it’ll be a waste not to try Ash-e Miveh in Tabriz.

Ash-e Mast

Another variety of ash praised nation-wide belongs to the cuisine of Tabriz. You already know that ash is a kind of thick soup. But what does this kind of ash contain? We call it mast; you call it yogurt. Ash-e Mast is another popular dish in the winter.

Ingredients

Of course, the dish is more than just a mixture of water and yogurt. Add rice, split peas, bulgur, chives, parsley, coriander, dill, and spinach. And that is your ash!

Sometimes, this ash has a sour taste to it. If your ash tastes sour, then local yogurt is responsible for it.

Ab Goosht (Dizi)

Are you looking for a local food of Tabriz that’s been consumed by all Iranians, rich and poor? Bingo! Ab goosht, also called dizi, is one such food. Ab means water and goosht means meat. So, this Tabrizi food is made by meat stock, and some vegetables. It’s better to eat ab goosht for lunch, as you might find it hard to digest, if taken at night.

Ingredients

beef or lamb meat, tail fat, bones, white beans, chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, dried lime, tomato paste, garlic, and spices.

If you order dizi or ab goosht at a restaurant, the food will typically be served in a cylindrical stone container. You will see a mixture of soup, meat, potato, beans and peas in this container. Iranians usually pour the soup in a bowl and add small pieces of lavash bread, fresh onions, basil, lemon juice or perhaps some pickles and drink the soup.

Then take the pestle by your plate and smash the content of the cylindrical container until you get a smooth mixture. You can also eat the meat, beans, and potatoes as is, without smashing them. Then you can either make a sandwich or eat the contents alone. Nooshe jan!

Doymaj

Another masterpiece of Tabriz cuisine is Doymaj, also called Dokmazh. This is a kind of supper, prepared and eaten especially during the summer because of its lightness and cooling features. You can easily make this snack at home.

Ingredients

dried lavash bread, cheese, butter, smashed walnuts, herbs, and raisins.
You can cut the bread into small pieces, pour them into a bowl and sprinkle a little water on them so that they don’t feel as dry anymore (don’t wet them too much). Add melted butter, the walnuts, the greens and cheese to the bread and mix. You can then take small pieces of the mixture, roll them into balls and serve them for supper or breakfast.

Carrot Stew

One of the famous dishes of Tabriz is carrot stew, locally called khoresht-e havij. Stews are a popular dish in Iran, generally. The consist of different kinds of vegetables or beans with chopped pieces of chicken or beef, dipped in tomato sauce.

Carrot stew is one of the foods from Tabriz. It’s needless to say that its main ingredient is carrots. Here is the rest of the ingredients:

Ingredients

carrots, beef or chicken, fired onions, dried plums, saffron, sugar, oil, and spices.

Like any other stew, carrot stew is served with rice together with a variety of side dishes, such as salad, pickles or yogurt.

Ash-e Shile Adas (Lentil Pottage)

Ash is always a good idea, and while in Tabriz, you need to try this local food of Tabriz. Ash-e shile adas, or lentil pottage, is essentially a thick soup of lentils. But it also contains other ingredients.

Ingredients

lentils, chicken stock, onions, rice, bulgur, tomatoes, chives, scallion, water, and spices.

We let lentils, bulgur, and rice soak in water for a couple of hours, before cooking them. Then the onions are fired and added to the chicken stock together with the lentils. When the lentils are half cooked, bulgur and rice is added. Then the rest of the ingredients are added and let cook on a medium heat.

Ash-e shile adas is better served hot, with fresh bread. You can have small side dishes such as fresh veggies or greens like basil with it as well.

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