Parisa's Persian Kitchen: Parisa's culinary travel blog

food & culture in Iran

culinary travel blog

As an Iranian, I did not appreciate the beauty of my country when I lived there. I think it is common that people take the beauty of their own countries for granted and often assume that, to see more, you have to go abroad. I was one of those. My parents always encouraged me to travel abroad but in a way I neglected the beauty of Iran for years. There are very few cities in Iran that I visited while I was living there but once I got out of the country and started my life in Holland I was so determined to travel back and discover its neglected beauty.

Qajar dynasty is the most populated dynasty ever in the history of Iran. Polygamy culture and the persistence on having as many children as possible to empower the dynasty have left Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz with dozens of magnificent houses that used to be the homes of the wives and children of the Qajar dynasty. Some of these aristocrat homes have already been replaced by skyscrapers, apartment buildings and shopping malls by the Iranian government but some have given their place to magnificent cafes and restaurants while still holding their beauty and character. Nowadays the number of these beautiful cafes is increasing as younger people tend to value their heritage more than ever. These days, drinking a cup of orange blossom and saffron infused tea in the middle of a beautiful Qajar home with a lookout to a blue pond in the middle is truly a precious moment.