Bandari food | An interesting new experience!
Although Every part of Iran is so unique and adventurous, but Southern cities of Iran are truly another world! Their culture and life style is so special and nothing similar to other kinds of culture you see in Iran; and food is not an exception in the uniqueness we mentioned. Actually, the culture of Southern part of Iran is more similar to Arabic speaking countries due to them being near and their port trading. Some of their food looks like an Arabic/Indian food mixed with Iranian culture to monopolize it’s specifications! One of the attractions the city of Bandar Abbas is it’s spicy and delicious food! The strong taste of the local food of Bandar (known as Bandari food) is so delicious that it may be your most important reason to travel to Bandar Abbas again! So be with us to find out about them and weather you’ll like them!
Bandari food | Not even similar to what you’ve experience before!
The cooking of local food and the prosperity of this issue to this day is one of the most important reasons for the survival of the local culture of Bandar Abbas among the inhabitants of this city. The food is so unique and some people even consider it as Bandar Abbas attractions! Here are some delicious dishes of Bandar Abbas:
Disho | A perfect pilaf dish
Rice is one of the main ingredients of most Iranian dishes. And although Bandari food has many differences with ordinary dishes of Iran; but Disho is a pilaf dish and has the most common ingredient of Iranian dishes. This brunch is one of the most delicious dishes in Bandar Abbas. But for saving it’s uniqueness, you should cook the rice in a completely different and new way! To cook this food, Bandaris (people from Bandar Abbas), use date juice to cook the rice.
Pour the rice into boiling water mixed with date juice; and after it is half ready, leave it in the pot to infuse the rice with date juice. Once prepared, they serve it with fried fish (which is mostly Indian mackerel). The warm nature of the fish neutralizes the cold nature of the rice and creates a wonderful combination in terms of taste.
Sosis Bandari | The most famous Bandari food!
Sosis Bandari (Bandari sausage) is the most famous and popular food of Bandar Abbas. The main ingredient of this food is sausage that Bandaris prepare in their special way. Other than sausage, other ingredients of this food are onions, potato, tomato, pepper and other spices like curry. Unlike other Bandari foods you can find sosis Bandari in every fast food in Iran. This food is served as a sandwich and you can have it with mango pickle and different sauces.
Ziboon | One of the oldest bandari foods
Another colorful food and southern glaze that has been immersed in the local culture of Bandar Abbas since ancient times is called Ziboon. The main ingredients of this food are: rice, fish, tomatoes, onions and spices. Similar to Spanish rice, this dish is combination of rice with middle layers. The middle layer of Ziboon is fish, flavored with tomatoes and spices. Mango pickles and other port pickles, are wonderful condiments we recommend you to have alongside your food.
Hawari polo | A colorful Bandari dish!
Hawari polo, takes it’s name from Longtail tuna (we call “Hour” in Iran). To cook this food, Bandaris use fish (or shrimp), which has a very delicious taste. Hawari polo is similar to Ziboon, mixed with fish, shrimp, etc. In the process of cooking this dish, in addition to fish/shrimp, rice, onion, garlic, potato, cowpea, tomato paste, cumin and spices are used.
What is the best fish for this Bandari food?
You can use any kind of fish in Hawari; but the original fish to cook this dish is the longtail tuna that we mentioned at the first of the paragraph.
Mahyaveh | Both a Bandari meal and breakfast!
Mahyaveh is one of the most popular local dishes of southern cities of Iran that is also part of the history of Bandar Abbas! You can both have Mahyaveh as a meal and as a sauce along with other dishes! Weird, huh?! Well, trust us, it taste weirdly amazing!
They prepare this dish from small dried and powdered fish such as sardine with salt and water with spices. They pour this into a jar and keep it a lot. Many indigenous people like Mahyaveh as a breakfast snack with bread. And if you want to have it as a meal, you can pour it on rice and have it like a stew!
Balalit | A sweet pasta!
This is a nutritious food that Bandaris usually crave for breakfast to have an energetic day. Due to it’s sweetness and lightness, it is also common to have this food is for dessert. Ingredients of Balalit include: pasta, date juice (or sugar), rose, butter, cardamom and saffron.
Mofalak | You have too try this Bandari food!
Mofalak is one of the famous local dishes of Bandar Abbas, the main ingredient of which is fish. The people of Bandar Abbas first fry the fish with onions to make this delicious food. Then they roast some wheat until it turns brown and add the fish and onion mixture to it and let it brew. Indian spices are the secret of the deliciousness of this food! So if you are a fan of spicy food, do not neglect!
Ancas (squid) | Our favorite Bandari dish!
Here is one of the most popular dishes in the south Iran! In the local culture of Bandar Abbas, they serve squid fish as food similar to stew (Ancas dish) and kebab. To prepare the Ancas dish, they boil the fish with dates and water and then fry it with onion, spices and tomato paste. It may seem like a strange combination; but do not doubt that the food is very tasty and delicious.
Which of the Bandari foods we mentioned was your favorite? Let us now your loved one! And thanks for reading the article.
