Question about Iranian cooking
Posted by yabbitgirl on Jan 17, 2010 · Member since Apr 2006 · 14266 posts
This is one of those questions that gets in my head and goes round and round.
When I was in highschool and college, the Iranian students I knew had a certain pleasant smell about them. It was a lemony, spicy sort of scent and at first I thought it was some kind of perfume. But a friend who had an Iranian boyfriend told me, "No, it's some spice they put in their food, they put it in everything." But she didn't know what it was called.
Today I opened a package of lemon grass powder and was strongly reminded of this pleasant smell memory. Does anyone know what the lemony spice used in Iranian cuisine would be? Zaartar? Or something else?
hmm... No. But I think it would be awesome to smell of lemongrass.
this reminds me of how i always like when people smell of cumin.
My brother-in-law is Iranian, and his grandma always uses Saffron in everything, I don't know if that would be the smell you're thinking of.
My brother-in-law is Iranian, and his grandma always uses Saffron in everything, I don't know if that would be the smell you're thinking of.
No, saffron doesn't smell very strong...though it does have a slight mushroomy smell. This was pleasant , but penetrating, like kimchi. You could walk into the university library and know where the Persian students were sitting.
You might ask your BIL? Or smell him? ;D (No, that might be seriously misconstrued...)
YG- I asked him, (he doesn't eat much Persian food these days, so the smelling was out LOL,) and he said a mix of parsley, saffron, and lime juice, or dried limes. One thing I've noticed about him and his family if that they eat ALOT of fruit! (maybe thats the fruity smell?)
I always thought it was an incense.
YG- I asked him, (he doesn't eat much Persian food these days, so the smelling was out LOL,) and he said a mix of parsley, saffron, and lime juice, or dried limes. One thing I've noticed about him and his family if that they eat ALOT of fruit! (maybe thats the fruity smell?)
It might be that, plus sumac, which I don't think is available here, that might just be it. We do have some new "foreign" foodshops (ie LA and Arabic cultures) but I'm a bit shy of walking in and browsing. Which is probably silly of me, I'm sure they'll take my money. But it's hard to ask someone..."Hey could you sell me the spice that makes you smell like that?" :-D
I have sumac... maybe mine sucks, but it doesn't strike me as a super strong smell that would be mixed up with lemongrass. I was thinking the combo of dried limes and saffron might be it.