Ghormeh Sabzi - Herb Stew

A meat and herb stew found in every Persian household. A staple to our culture.

When you walk into the house you are hit with a distinct aroma or fried herbs directing you to the kitchen. This stew is very famous around the world and is made in every household in Iran. It is one of the dishes that has remained unchanged throughout history. The herbs would have been either grown in their backyards or found wild. The meat would come from sheep or lamb. Originally, this dish is made with red meat however, over the years many people switched to chicken because it was cheaper and easier to obtain.

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You haven't had true traditional Persian food unless you have had Ghormeh Sabzi.

Southern Iran - more cilantro is used and tomato paste is added.

Northern Iran - there is no fenugreek leaves added and they replace red kidney beans with rose coco beans

Fars (near the Shiraz) - add diced potatoes

Azerbaijan - herbs are not fried, they also add tomato paste, and red kidney beans are replaced with black eyed peas.

Now, lets move into the discussion of industrialization. Before the introduction of cans to Iran and other places in the world, women would buy fresh herbs needed for this stew, wash and dry them and then sit down for the laborious work of chopping these herbs into tiny pieces. Once all the herbs were chopped, they would be fried. However, because of canned products, companies started making these herbs, frying them and then packaging them into cans. This eliminated the need for cooks or mothers to sit through the labor intensive job of chopping and frying the herbs needed for this dish. Sure, this saves time for a lot of people however, I think that it takes away from the authenticity and flavor of the dish. Making everything from scratch and from fresh ingredients takes a dish to a new level.