Iran unique products and food

THE UNIQUE GIFTS
OF PERSIA
Iran’s handicrafts, and souvenirs
By: DR. Hamed Faghiri (Charley)
© 2016 HAMED FAGHIRI (CHARLEY) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
Everybody talks about Iran,
but nobody knows Iran!

General Information

1. Demography
◦ MORE THAN 10,000 YEARS HISTORY
◦ LANGUAGE: PERSIAN
◦ POPULATION: 80.28 million (2016)
◦ Capital: Tehran
◦ Calendar: Persian Calendar
◦ This year: 1396
◦ A Solar Calendar which is the most accurate
in the whole world
◦ Persian New Year:21st March
◦ Official Language: Farsi (Persian)
◦ Area: 1.648 million km2

2. Ethnic groups

3. Some of Iran’s world records
◦ The largest empire by percentage of world population (44% of the whole
world population).
◦ The first world civilization (Jiroft).
◦ The oldest country of the world.
◦ The most accurate calendar of the world.
◦ The largest Islamic Banking System (USD 236 Billion).
◦ The largest hydrocarbon energy reserves (USD 14000 Billion, USD 75 per
barrel).
◦ The largest producer of turquoise.
◦ The world's largest zinc metal resources.
◦ The world's largest jewelry collection.
◦ The most rapid growing of science and technology in the world (340000%
growth in 37 years, 11 times more than the world average, current growth
rate: 25.7%).
◦ The highest proportion of people with high education to the entire
population (15% of the population PHD and Master holder).
◦ Tops the list of countries losing their academic elite (annual loss of 150,000 to
180,000 specialists).

Sweets, Snacks and drinks

1- Gaz (Normal)
◦ Gaz is an Iranian nougat. It is widely
known as the manna of Persia.
◦ Gaz exuded by the last instar
nymph of a small insect
(Cyamophila astragalicola
Gegechkori, Psyllidae) and
collected from a spiny shrub which
grows wild in western central lran.

1- Gas (Luxury)

2- Herbal tea
◦ They contain different types of the natural
and organic herbs. Each of them
mentioned about the types of the herbs
inside the box with the health benefits of
them such as losing weight and so on.

3- Saffron
◦ Saffron is a unique spice
that combines a lot of
salubrious features. 81% of
the global saffron harvest is
gathered in Iran.

4- Honey
◦ Iran has 11 types of climate out
of 13 in the world. Therefore, the
diversity of the plants and
honeys are many and unique.
◦ The history of the usage of
honey and honeybees farming
in Iran goes back to more than
5000 years ago.

◦ According to Avicenna, honey preserves
activity in old age and is an effective
medicine for wound healing and dental
treatment. He used honey against burns
and bacterial infections, caries, cancer, for
detoxing and against fungul infections. He
stated in his Canon of Medicine “Honey is
good for prolonging life, preserve activity in
old age. If you want to keep your youth,
take honey. If you are above the age of 45,
eat honey regularly, especially mixed with
chestnut powder. Honey and flour could be
used as dressing for wounds. For lung
disease, early stage of tuberculosis, use a
combination of honey and shredded rose
petal. Honey can be used for insomnia on
occasions.
◦ There are different types of honey for
example the mixture of 40 herbs honey, nuts
honey and so on.
4- Honey

5- Nabat
◦ Iranian rock sugar
known as Nabat.
◦ It can be only sugar or
with saffron and other
herbs.

6- Nuts and dry fruits
◦ Iran is one of the
biggest producer of
the nuts in the world.
But it is the first in terms
of the quality because
the most of the
products categorize
as organic.
◦ Iran is the first
producer of the stone
fruits in the world.
Therefore, there is a
massive production of
dry fruits.

6- Nuts and dry fruits

7- Pomegranate products
◦ The homeland of Pomegranate is Iran.
Moreover, Iran is the world largest
pomegranate-producer with over 50%
proportion of world's total harvest
◦ There are many sorts of pomegranate
products in Iran such as pomegranate juice,
concentrate and etc.

◦ 12 Health Benefits of Pomegranate
◦ Important Nutrients
◦ Contain Two Plant Compounds With Powerful
Medicinal Properties
◦ Impressive Anti-Inflammatory Effects
◦ Help Fight Prostate Cancer
◦ Useful Against Breast Cancer
◦ Lower Blood Pressure
◦ Help Fight Arthritis and Joint Pain
◦ Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
◦ Help Treat Erectile Dysfunction
◦ Help Fight Bacterial and Fungal Infections
◦ Help Improve Memory
◦ Improve Exercise Performance
7- Pomegranate products

8- Sour cherry products
◦ Sour cherries (also called Albalu) are
loaded with important nutrients,
including phytochemicals (disease-
fighting plant compounds),
antioxidants and vitamin C. This tiny red
fruit is beneficial for cancer prevention,
reduces inflammation, enhances heart
health and provides other health
benefits.
◦ It was planted around Caspian sea
(modern day Iran) and went to Greek
300 B.C.
◦ Iran still is the largest producer of the
sure cherry and there are many
different sure cherry base products in
Iran such as juice, dry sour cherry,
pickle, jam, compote, and so on.

8- Olive products
◦ 11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil
1. Olive Oil Is Rich in Healthy Monounsaturated
Fats
2. Olive Oil Contains Large Amounts of
Antioxidants
3. Olive Oil Has Strong Anti-Inflammatory
Properties
4. Olive Oil May Help Prevent Strokes
5. Olive Oil Is Protective Against Heart Disease
6. Olive Oil Does Not Cause Weight Gain and
Obesity
7. Olive Oil May Help Fight Alzheimer's Disease
8. Olive Oil May Reduce the Risk of Type 2
Diabetes
9. The Antioxidants in Olive Oil Have Anti-Cancer
Properties
10. Olive Oil Can Help Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis
11. Olive Oil Has Anti-Bacterial Properties

9- Oxymel (Sekanjabin)
◦ Oxymel, is a medicinal drink or syrup
compounded of vinegar and honey
and other ingredients. About 1200
types of oxymel were also described
and their considerations and
contraindications were presented in
Medieval Persian pharmaceutical
manuscripts and Avicenna’s Canon of
Medicine.
◦ Oxymel in medieval Persian medicine
was a kind of syrup which is called
traditionally Sekanjabin in Persia.
◦ Oxymel contains vinegar and honey
and is prepared by mixing vinegar (one
unit), honey (two units) and potentially
water (four units) as well as herbs, roots,
blossoms, spices and so on.

10- Sesame products
◦ Sesame nutrition benefits
◦ Not only are sesame seeds an excellent
source of copper and a very good source
of manganese, but they are also a good
source of calcium, magnesium, iron,
phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, molybdenum,
selenium, and dietary fiber. In addition it
contain two unique substances: sesamin
and sesamolin. Both of them have been
shown to have a cholesterol-lowering
effect in humans, and to prevent high
blood pressure and increase vitamin E
supplies in animals. Sesamin has also been
found to protect the liver from oxidative
damage.
◦ There are many sesame based products
in Iran such as Halva, Ardeh and sesame
oil.

11- Herbs extracts
◦ There are 30,000 types of
the herbs in Iran which
the fresh one use to take
the extract and the dry
one use as herbal tea.
◦ All of them have different
medical benefits
according to the experts.

◦ Condiments or herbal extracts are one of the most
widely used forms of plant usage. There are more
than 40 types of plants that are sweated and used
medically in Iran.
◦ The medicinal are
◦ Stimulate olfactory neurotransmitter receptors
◦ Stimulate the process of making hormones
◦ Balance the body heat
◦ Balance the metabolism
◦ Control the levels of stress hormones
◦ Improve the sexual power
◦ Improve the body's defense system
◦ Improve and stimulates the brain and secretion of the
nerve transducers
◦ Balance the emotional and physical behaviors
◦ Relieve the stress
◦ Causes certain mental states in human and creates a
sense of health, euphoria, and pleasure
11- Herbs extracts

12- Caviar
◦ The most expensive of all
caviar, and indeed the
world's most expensive food
is 'Almas', from the Iranian
Beluga fish. Almas is
produced from the eggs of
a rare albino sturgeon
between 60-100 years old,
which swims in the southern
Caspian Sea where there is
apparently less pollution.

13- Sohan
◦ Sohan is a traditional
Persian saffron brittle
toffee. Its ingredients
consist of wheat sprout,
flour, egg yolks, rose
water, sugar, butter or
vegetable oil, saffron,
cardamom, and slivers of
almond and pistachio.

14- Yazd mix sweets
◦ Yazd known as the
capital of the traditional
dry sweets in Iran.
Baklava, Ghotab and
Pashmak are the most
popular sweets made in
the city.

15- Date products
◦ Iran is the second largest
producer of the date in
the world. There are many
base date products in
Iran such as date sugar,
date syrup, date vinegar,
date cookie, fresh date,
and etc.

16- Chocolate and candy
◦ Iran is the biggest producer of chocolate products in the middle east.

17- Noghl
◦ Noghl is the sugar-coated
nuts. It is made by boiling
sugar with water and rose
water and then coating
roasted almonds in the
mixture. It can also be
made with other nuts such
as walnuts or other items.
Noghl is often eaten along
with tea.

18- koluche
◦ Iranian traditional cookie.

Handicrafts

1- Persian calligraphy
◦ It is not only related to the fond and way
of writing. It is the art of using words and
alphabets for drowning and creating the
masterpieces.

2- Persian Miniature
◦ Persian Miniature is a
small handmade oil
painting on paper,
whether a book
illustration or more
importantly on a piece
of camel bone. The
techniques are broadly
comparable to the
Western and Byzantine
traditions of miniatures
in illuminated
manuscripts. The bright
and pure coloring of the
Persian miniature is one
of its most striking
features.

3- Persian carpet
◦ The Persian carpet also known as Persian rug
is an essential part of Persian art and culture.
Carpet-weaving is one of the most
distinguished manifestations of Persian
culture and art, and dates back to ancient
Persia. Iran is also the world's largest
producer and exporter of handmade
carpets, producing three quarters of the
world's total output. The weaving of pile rugs
is a difficult and tedious process which,
depending on the quality and size of the
rug, may take anywhere from a few months
to several years to complete.
◦ A genuine Persian rug, depending on its
age, size, and quality of craftsmanship, can
fetch from few hundreds to thousands or
even millions of dollars.
3D Persian carpet

3- Persian carpet

4- Meenakari (Minakari)
◦ Meenakari (Minakari) is the art of coloring
and ornamenting the surface of metals by
fusing over it brilliant colors that are
decorated in an intricate design. Mina is
the feminine form of Minoo in Persian,
meaning heaven. Mina refers to the Azure
color of heaven. Enamel working and
decorating metals with colorful and
baked coats is one of the distinguished
courses of art in Isfahan. Mina is defined
as some sort of glass-like colored coat
which can be stabilized by heat on
different metals particularly copper.
Although this course is of abundant use
industrially for producing metal and
hygienic dishes, it has been paid high
attention by painters, goldsmiths and
metal engravers since long time ago. In
the world, it is categorized into three kinds
of Painting enamel, Charkhaneh or chess
like enamel, Cavity enamel.

4- Meenakari (Minakari)

5- Turquoise Inlaying
◦ Turquoise Inlaying both on jewelry and
containers includes a copper, brass,
silver, nickel or bronze object on parts
of the surface of which small pieces of
turquoise are set in mosaic fashion thus
giving the object a special glamor.

6- Engraving (Ghalam Zani)
◦ Engraving (Ghalam Zani) is the art of carving superb
designs on various metals such as copper, brass, silver
and gold. Isfahan is the main center for engraving. The
artistic work of this course made by the artists is the
glorious and undeniable indication of Previous metal
work of Iran and Isfahan, in particular. The historical
discoveries belonging to the ancient times as the
Sassanide (700AD), the Seljuk - (100 AD) and the
Safavid (1600 AD) dynasties indicate a few of the
outstanding metal work periods.

7- Malileh kari
◦ Malileh Kari is a delicate
kind of jewelry metalwork,
usually of gold and silver,
made with tiny beads or
twisted threads, or both in
combination, soldered
together or to the surface
of an object of the same
metal and arranged in
artistic motifs.

8- Khatam-Kari
◦ Khatam means "incrustation", and "Khatam-Kari" means
"incrustation work". This craft consists in the production
of incrustation patterns (generally star-shaped, with thin
sticks of wood (ebony, teak, ziziphus, orange, rose),
brass (for golden parts), camel bones (white parts).
Ivory, gold or silver can also be used for collection
objects.
◦ Sticks are assembled in triangular beams, themselves
assembled and glued in a strict order to create a
cylinder, 70 cm in diameter, whose cross-section is the
main motif: a six-branch star included in a hexagon.
These cylinders are cut into shorter cylinders, and then
compressed and dried between two wooden plates,
before being sliced for the last time, in 1 mm wide
trenches. These sections are ready to be placed and
glued on the object to be decorated, before lacquer
finishing.
◦ The tranche can also be softened by heating in order
to wrap around objects. Many objects can be
decorated in this fashion, such as jewelry/decorative
boxes, chessboards, cadres, pipes, desks, frames or
some musical instruments. Khatam can be used on
Persian miniature, realizing true work of art.

8- Khatam-Kari

9- Termeh
◦ Termeh has originally known as a
sort of hand weaved colorful
textile with special patterns
mainly Persian Paisley which was
originated in Yazd. Traditionally,
the cloth was hand-woven using
natural silk and wool fibre.
Weaving Termeh is a sensitive,
careful and time-consuming
work that a good weaver could
produce only 25-30 centimeters
in a day.

9- Termeh

10- Gabeh
◦ A Gabbeh a hand-woven pile rug of coarse
quality and medium size (90 x 150 cm or larger)
characterized by an abstract design that relies
upon open fields of color and a playfulness with
geometry. This type of rug is popular among the
populations of the Zagros Mountains of Iran,
including Kurdish, Luri and Qashqai people. The
Gabbeh is usually crafted by women.
◦ Gabbeh carpets are much thicker and coarser
than other Persian carpets; sometimes it is as much
as one inch in depth. In fact, it is more of a variety
of kilim than carpet. The word 'Gabbeh' comes
from the Persian meaning raw, natural, uncut. This
is a rough and primitive carpet.
◦ Gabbeh is made of natural, hand spun wool yarn
and all the colors are created with natural plant
dye. Due to its relative ease of production (less
precise pattern, small number of knots per square
centimeter, etc.) a Gabbeh is one of the less
expensive varieties of Persian carpet.

11- Persian Kilim
◦ Persian Kilim is a flat tapestry-woven
carpets or rugs produced from many
cities in Iran. Kilims can be purely
decorative or can be used as an
extra layer to everyday wearables
such as handbags and shoes. Kilims
are produced by tightly
interweaving the warp and weft
strands of the weave to produce a
flat surface with no pile. Kilim weaves
are tapestry weaves, technically
weft-faced plain weaves, that is, the
horizontal weft strands are pulled
tightly downward so that they hide
the vertical warp strands.

12- Ghalamkar
◦ Ghalamkar fabric is a type of
Textile printing, patterned
Iranian Fabric. The fabric is
printed using patterned
wooden stamps. The stamps
are mostly made of pear
wood which has better
flexibility and density for
carving and long-standing
utility. In this workshop, there
are hundreds of different
patterns consisting of
arabesque designs, flora and
fauna designs, geometric
designs, pre-Islamic designs,
hunting scenes, polo games,
Persian poems, Armenian and
Hebrew inscriptions.

13- Persian Turquoise
◦ Persian Turquoise has been used in
jewelry for thousands of years and will
most likely continue to be used for
thousand of years more. Persian
Turquoise mines in Iran mostly belong
to Neishabour near Mashhad, there is
more than 100 caves for excavation.
Firm evidence exists that Persian
Turquoise these mines were heavily
worked beginning in the 10th century,
but there is also evidence that some
of the mines near the surface may
have been exploited as early as 2100
B.C. Iran has also has a mine in
Damghan (Bagho Mine)and a newly
opened mine in Kerman (it is too new
and selling from this mine is not
permitted yet, but Iranians can find
some in the market) which has good
quality.

14- Gold craft
◦ They are made by real 18 carat
with certificate.

15- Moaragh
The artist uses the different
types of the wood for
drawing. There is no color use
in the masterpieces except
the original wood colors.

16- Monabat
Persian Carving wood known as
Monabat. They are special because they
have Persian art and design style.

17- Persian ceramic
◦ They have Persian style
design. So it makes them
unique.

18- Pottery
◦ There are many modern
pottery in Iran But there is a
very unique one because
they use ancient techniques
and design. So the products
look like antiques from 5000
BC however they are new
and cheap.
Original from 5000 BC
Copy from ancient pottery

19- Charogh
◦ 100% natural, and handmade
ancient shoes.

20- Giveh
◦ 100% natural, handmade,
ancient shoes.

Iran unique products and food

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