Vegetables

Recipe: Stuffed Green Peppers, Eggplants, and Tomatoes

Persians rarely eat vegetables as separate side dishes. Instead, vegetables are usually combined with dried beans, grains, and fruits or stuffed with fruits, rice, and meats.

We are very partial to stuffed vegetables, called dolmeh. Some favorite dolmehs are grape and cabbage leaves, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Fruits such as quinces and apples are also excellent for stuffing. Generally speaking, dolmehs may be served cold as an appetizer or hot as a main dish accompanied with bread and yogurt.

The good cook always chooses vegetables in season, when they are at their height of flavor and nutritional value. Complementary herbs may vary in intensity even from season to season. For example, the perfume of dill in spring is strongest and therefore most desirable for cooking. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs should be used in season whenever possible. They give superior results in every way.

Credits: All photos and recipes from New Food of Life: Ancient Persian & Modern Iranian Cooking & Ceremonies or Silk Road Cooking: a Vegetarian Journey, copyright Najmieh Batmanglij 1986-2004. Courtesy of Mage Publishers, 1032 29th St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.