Chelow kabab: Information from Answers.com

Chelo kabab koobideh

Chelow kabab (Persian: چلوکباب) is the national dish of Iran. The meal is simple, consisting of steamed, saffroned basmati or Persian rice (chelow) and kabab, of which there are several distinct Persian varieties. This dish is served everywhere throughout Iran today, but traditionally was most closely associated with the northern part of the country.

It is served with the basic Iranian meal accompaniments, in addition to grilled tomatoes on the side of the rice, and butter on top of the rice. Somagh (powdered sumac) is also made available, and if desired, can be sprinkled upon the rice. It is an old northern tradition (probably originating in Tehran) that a raw egg yolk should be placed on top of the rice as well, though this is strictly optional and no longer common, and most restaurants will not serve the rice this way unless it is specifically requested due to safety concerns surrounding the consumption of raw egg.

In the old bazaar tradition, the rice (which is covered with a tin lid) and accompaniments are served first, immediately followed by the kababs, which are brought to the table by the waiter, who holds several skewers in his left hand, and a piece of flat bread (typically nan-e lavash) in his right. A skewer is placed directly on the rice and while holding the kabab down on the rice with the bread, the skewer is quickly pulled out. With the two most common kababs, barg and koobideh, two skewers are always served. In general, bazaar kabab restaurants only serve these two varieties, though there are exceptions.

The traditional beverage of choice to accompany chelow kabab is doogh, a Persian sour yogurt drink, flavored with salt and mint, and sometimes made with carbonated mineral water.

1 A Note on the History of Chelow Kebab
2 Varieties
3 See also
4 External links

A Note on the History of Chelow Kebab

In his reference article entitled as the First Iranian Popular Dishes, Manouchehr Saadat Noury wrote that, "Many Europeans as diplomats, explorers, reporters and so on have visited Iran (known as Persia at the time) since the era of Safavid Dynasty (1500-1736). In their memoirs and reports, they wrote a lot about the different types of cooked and drained rice (Chelow), cooked rice (Polow), stews, gravies, pickles, and jams. They did not, however, write anything about Chelow Kebab in the sense that it is served today. Iran Chamber published an article online and speculated that the recipe of Chelow Kebab was given to the Iranian people either through Caucasians or as written by Mirza Mohammad Reza Moatamedol Ketab-e Shams-e Larijani, through crown prince Nasereddin Mirza Qajar (NMQ) who demanded the recipe from the Caucasians. Nevertheless, more research is needed to support the speculation reported by the Website of Iran Chamber. At any rate, it should be noted that during Qajar era, the crown princes used to live in Tabriz, the capital city of Azerbaiijan, which borders with Caucasia. The special cook of NMQ who was responsible to prepare Chelow Kebab named as Naayeb. As NMQ moved to Tehran and became Nasereddin Shah Qajar (NSQ) in1848, Naayeb also accompanied the Shah and was promoted as the Court Chef (in Persian: Aashpaz Baashi-e Darbaar). Naayeb later left the royal court and established a restaurant, which was the first Chelow Kebab Restaurant in Tehran. During NSQ, Mohammad Hassan Etemadolsaltaneh was the Minister of Publications and Translation Affairs (in Persian: Vazir-e Enteba-aat va Daarol Tarjomeh), and in his memoir he refers to the same restaurant that was in operation in 1871 (138 years ago) and it was located near to Tehran Bazaar. During Ahmad Shah Qajar or ASQ (ruled 1909-1925); the Court Chef was Javad Farifteh who accompanied ASQ to Paris as ASQ was toppled and deposed. Later, Javad Farifteh established a Chelow Kebab Restaurant in Paris, France. His restaurant was in operation for many years and could attract many Iranians and French customers. In Pahlavi era (1925-1979), many Chelow Kebab Restaurants were established in Tehran and elsewhere. Hassan Shamshiri was the owner of the most famous restaurant serving Chelow Kebab in Tehran. Shamshiri’s wife was from Naayeb family, and his restaurant was in a four-story building located in Sabzeh Maydan near to the Bazaar of Tehran. The reputations of both Naayeb and Shamshiri Chelow Kebab Restaurants have crossed the borders and lots of restaurants using the same names have been established in the UK, Germany, France, Australia, the USA, and many other countries".