- [Trevor] That is crazy!
(hearts thudding)
Oh (laughing)!
What is he, what is he doing?
(men laughing)
This is crazy!
That's a lot of hearts.
And are they just gonna put
these on the kebab for us?
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah.
- Alright, check it out
guys, it's Trevor James
hanging with Mr. Taster.
We are in Gorgan in Iran, and today,
we're going for a full-on food adventure.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah,
actually we're gonna go
for liver and heart tonight, and also,
we're gonna go to a village called Ziarat.
- Local one?
- And they have
really nice breads there.
And also, we're gonna go to Akbar Joojeh
which is nostalgic.
It's baby chicken,
and really delicious.
- Baby chicken?
- Yeah.
- Awesome (chuckles).
- Let's go!
- Let's go check it out!
(Trevor laughs)
(funky music)
This is part six of nine
of our ultimate Iran
street food adventure.
Huge thanks to Mr. Taster,
and to Persia Tour Guide
from cometopersia.com.
- We are in Gorgan, and we're
gonna go to Ziarat Village
to meet my friend called Mohammad,
and Mohammad gonna show us
a special bread for Ziarat.
- [Trevor] We're heading
into a local village
to try a Gorgan-style
meal to start the day.
- And we are going from Gorgan to Ziarat,
which is almost 20 minutes.
- And here we are.
- After you.
- Special Gorgan-style bread.
- Yeah,
and we're gonna meet Mohammad here.
Mohammad!
- [Trevor] Nice to meet you.
- Sweet.
- Thank you,
nice to meet you.
- It's beautiful here.
Look at this.
Oh, and she's making the fire right now.
- [Mr. Taster] Her name is Zahro.
- Zahro?
- We call her
Chef Zahro from now on.
- [Trevor] Chef Zahro.
So it's a tandoor with fire.
So she's gonna make
some fresh bread for us.
- [Mr. Taster] Yes.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
(Zahro speaking foreign language)
20 years.
- 20 years,
expertly made, local Gorgan-style bread.
- Yeah.
- Oh, wow.
Oh, and here comes the dough.
This is gonna be really cool to see.
And this is the integral
part, putting the water in
till we get the coals dying down.
- Exactly.
- So it's a real tandoor oven?
- Yeah, yeah.
- And then, we're gonna put these,
these bread in.
- Inside, yeah.
- [Trevor] Look at this.
Oh yeah, there's the spinach here,
and then there's the plain.
And I'm really looking
forward to trying the spinach.
- Yeah.
- Oh, and here we go!
That's the spinach bread.
And I love this oil that she's
putting on it right here,
saffron oil, that is the real secret.
(Mr. Taster laughs)
The Persian saffron oil.
- And you can smell it now.
- Yeah.
That's the real secret right there,
the turmeric saffron oil.
(dough plops)
And look at that wall, the clay wall.
Oh, that's so satisfying to watch.
And there they are, wow, finished!
(ladle clunks)
Oh, wow, they look so fluffy!
(Mr. Taster chuckles)
Oh, and that's the magic.
And it's so hot and fluffy.
- Oh!
- Oh, look at the steam
coming off of there!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
(car engine humming)
(Mr. Taster moans)
(Trevor moans)
Oh!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
Oh!
There's the spinach bread with saffron.
- Thanks, Zohra.
- Merci.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
- That's some of the best
bread you'll ever taste
right there.
- Yeah, yeah.
And now, we're gonna continue
and go to Akbar Joojeh,
come now.
- Awesome.
Go for a big lunch meal (laughs).
And next up, before going
for the extreme meat delight
and kebab platter heaven,
Mr. Taster's bringing us
for the ultimate baby
chicken with pomegranate.
Next up, we're going
for Akbar baby chicken.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah.
- Akbar Joojeh.
- Akbar Joojeh (laughs).
- [Trevor] Wow!
Baby chicken with a pomegranate sauce.
- Yes, and it's very a special sauce.
- Very special.
- You can put it
on your baby chicken,
have it with saffron rice.
It's Golestan signature.
- Wow!
We've stopped on the way to our chicken--
- I want some of that.
- And we're gonna get a scarf
for Ting right on the side of the highway.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah (laughs).
- We got the scarf shop,
and there they all are.
We can take a quick look at them,
and Ting's gonna choose one.
The fashion and the design
here is all really beautiful.
That's pretty nice, isn't it, Ting?
- Yeah.
- What do you think of Iran?
- Nice.
Merci!
- Yeah?
- [Trevor] We're on the
road for Akbar baby chicken.
- This is a gift for Ting.
- What?
- No, no, no.
- Thank you very much.
- No, no, no.
- Yeah, it's a gift.
- Take it, gift.
- Gift.
- Really?
- Oh, really?
- From him, yeah.
- Thank you.
- Wow!
And now we're on the way
for Akbar baby chicken.
- Yeah!
(Trevor laughs)
- Here we are just rolling
through the countryside,
and the pomegranate Akbar
baby chicken is just ahead.
We're here.
- Look at that!
- This is the pomegranate
Akbar baby chicken.
Wow.
- Let's go inside.
- We made it way out into the countryside
to try the Irani pomegranate chicken,
and we're gonna go into the
kitchen to see how it's made.
Oh!
(men chattering)
Here we are!
- This is the baby chicken!
- Oh (laughing)!
- Look at that!
- [Trevor] Wow!
What a beautiful kitchen.
- They boil it first,
and then they fry it,
and it's go into the oil.
Yeah.
- Oh, wow.
And there they are.
(men speaking foreign language)
The Akbar chicken.
So is this a village recipe?
Or is this--
- Yes.
- Yes?
- Yes.
It's exactly what Mr.
Akbar was doing it before.
- [Trevor] Passed through the generations?
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
(man speaking foreign language)
- [Mr. Taster] 55 years ago.
- 55 years of history here?
- Exactly, yeah.
- Wow.
- Leave them in here.
(fryer bubbling)
- Very nice.
(Mr. Taster laughs)
She's good, (chuckling)
yeah, she's really good!
- [Mr. Taster] Look at that.
- Oh!
So originally, if you're
driving down the road
and you're tired, this is
a meal you would come get--
- Exactly.
- If you're a trucker
driving through the roads--
- Exactly.
And you need some chicken.
- Yes.
- [Trevor] Oh, and here
comes the saffron rice,
that's the magic!
This is the country of saffron.
And I just love how
friendly everyone is here,
they're welcoming us into their kitchens
to see the true magic.
- [Mr. Taster] Look at
this one, oh my gosh.
- [Trevor] That looks so juicy.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah, look at that.
- [Trevor] This has gotta
be one of the fried chicken
of the world.
- Yeah!
- [Trevor] One of the top fried chickens
you need to try in your lifetime.
- [Mr. Taster] You should try it.
- [Trevor] Wow!
(chuckling) Merci!
- Merci, merci.
- [Trevor] And people
are so friendly in Iran,
a true, beautiful country
with amazing food.
And that is a chicken to
try right there (laughing).
(chef speaking foreign language)
(all laugh)
(chef speaking foreign language)
- Wow (laughing)!
The Akbar chicken?
- Crunchy.
- Whoa!
- Oh (speaking foreign language)!
- Yeah (laughing), it's gonna be good!
And here we go, they go
right in the oil one by one.
Look at that, that is beautiful.
And you can see that is
the finished product,
the Akbari chicken.
She has expertise, the queen
of baby chicks, right here.
Wow, merci!
(all applaud)
Merci!
Oh, so satisfying looking.
Merci.
- Merci.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
- Oh.
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
And I just love the feel
of the restaurants in Iran.
You feel like you're at home.
And there it is, the Akbar chick.
- It looks good.
- She's a true master.
She really is.
- Yeah, yeah.
This is actually
the pomegranate sauce.
- Oh, this is the secret
right here, the pomegranate sauce.
And then we've got these onions here,
so you take some chicken--
- Exactly.
- Take some onion,
and you're good.
- Add rice, and that's it.
- And that's it.
And there's the rice.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
Saffron, and you can smell a bit of butter
in there, too.
- Yes, yes.
- [Trevor] That is so beautiful.
- [Mr. Taster] Put some
sauce on it like this.
- [Trevor] Oh, right on the chicken!
- [Mr. Taster] Yes, oh my god.
- [Trevor] Oh, that smells delicious.
- That's good.
- You can smell the sour,
sweet, tart pomegranate.
- Exactly, and then
take some chicken, mix it with rice.
- Oh!
- And then the onions in hand.
- Onion in hand?
- Shall we go?
- Wait, wait, wait, wait,
(chuckles) okay.
(Mr. Taster grunts)
(Trevor moans)
Onion down.
- (laughing) Oh my god.
- Oh!
Oh wow, that is delicious.
(Mr. Taster laughing)
It's all about that pomegranate,
sweet, and sour, and tart.
- It's the signature of Golestan Province.
- What a delicious chicken.
- Good signature, isn't it?
- Yes.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
Merci, wow!
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
Wow!
That is delicious.
- This is it (laughing).
- That was so good,
that pomegranate!
- Yeah, it was good.
- And next up, we're going to
a night street area, right?
- Yeah, we're going to
Naharkhoran Square, which is,
you can find lots of
livers, hearts, kidneys.
- Oh wow.
- And this is
the king of king of king of livers!
(Trevor laughs)
And we are off to try the
king of livers and hearts.
We're driving into Gorgan now
for some of the most extreme organ meat.
It's gonna be good.
- Yeah, I'm excited.
- But before the extreme kebab station,
Mr. Taster is bringing us in
to a classic Iranian bakery
to pick up some bread.
And here we are.
- Yeah, we are in the
capital of livers and hearts.
- Liver street.
- Yeah, liver street.
- But first up,
we're gonna get the bread.
- Is the, yeah, bread.
Let's go inside.
- Ooh!
- Salam.
- Salam.
- Salam.
- Salam.
Oh, and this is where it all starts.
(bench scraper clangs)
Look at this skill!
(Mr. Taster laughing)
Look at the skill,
speed!
- He's so professional.
(Mr. Taster laughs)
- That's fast!
(men chuckle)
Wow!
(bench scraper clunks)
You can tell he's done this
for years, a true master.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
(baker speaking foreign language)
- 15 years.
- 15 years
of bread mastery.
- Yeah, he's doing it
when he was child.
- [Trevor] So bread is a real
staple in Persian cuisine?
- Yeah.
- You eat it with everything.
Oh, and here we go.
Just gonna flatten these
out, and make them nice.
So it's pure wheat flour, a little salt.
- Salt.
- And that's all it is.
Oh, that is beautiful, look
at all those Persian breads.
You can really smell
the wholesomeness to it.
And it's gonna go right on this oven here.
So we're gonna put a fresh batch
into this giant, circular
oven in the back here.
It smells so wholesome.
- [Mr. Taster] This is the
juice that they put on the bread
just to make it more fresh and--
- [Trevor] More fragrant.
And as soon as you walk in here,
you just smell the--
- Exactly.
- [Trevor] The whole pure bread aroma.
- Exactly, yeah.
- [Trevor] (chuckling)
Doesn't that smell awesome?
And here we go.
So he's just kneading it out,
making a criss-cross pattern there.
(pestle banging)
Wow, two different styles
of bread here.
So one with the holes,
and one made by hand.
(pestle banging)
They're going in
(men laughing)
one by one.
That is the most unique oven.
I've never seen an oven
like this in my entire life.
- Really?
- Oh, and there's a long one!
(Mr. Taster laughing)
An you can see the fire
in the back, too, that is hot, really hot.
Oh, and it's just getting
slightly golden and fluffy.
Merci, (laughing) oh,
it's so hot, look at that.
(Mr. Taster laughing)
And we're gonna eat that
with heart and liver kebabs.
Let's go.
Oh, that is gonna be good.
It's hot, it's really hot.
Merci.
(men speaking foreign language)
- He doesn't get money.
- No money?
- No money, no.
- Really?
- Yeah (laughs).
- [Trevor] Merci!
(men speaking foreign language)
Merci.
There's a ton of liver shops here, right?
- Yeah, look at that.
- So we're gonna choose
the biggest, brightest--
- Right up here is the one.
juiciest one.
- Right, they're good in here.
- Yeah, especially this one.
- Oh!
Salam.
(men speaking foreign language)
Salam.
- How are you?
- Good, how are you?
(Mr. Taster laughing)
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
- Wow, very happy to be here,
very happy to be here.
- Very, very, very welcome
to the barbecue Jahan Nama.
- Thank you,
(men laugh)
thank you very much.
And you've got liver.
- The liver--
- [Trevor] Oh, the big meat fridge.
This is the soul of Persian
barbecue right down here, right?
- Exactly, it's the liver--
- Liver and the fat.
- And the fat.
- Oh yeah.
- It's amazing, it's amazing.
- Wow (chuckles)!
Oh, and look at this, a big bag of hearts.
That is crazy!
(hearts thudding)
Oh (laughing)!
What is he, what is he doing?
(men laughing)
This is crazy!
That's a lot of hearts!
Oh, and here we go!
And heart is one of my
favorite meats, actually,
because it's got that natural meaty,
it's like an upgraded meat.
- [Mr. Taster] Exactly.
- Wow (laughing)!
- Look at that.
- [Trevor] And I love how lean it is.
- Yeah.
- It's not a fatty meat.
- Not at all.
- It's a little fat
on the outside, but the
heart itself is meaty.
Oh!
- Would you like to pick
which one we eat?
- And there's the liver!
- [Mr. Taster] Look at that!
- That is crazy.
Wow.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
(owner speaking foreign language)
- 20 years experience, yeah.
- 20 years experience.
We've got a plate of hearts here,
there's gotta be 30 plus hearts here.
- Yeah.
- And we've got
a bucket of liver.
Wow, the perfect width!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
- Yeah.
- You can really see
that precision.
Liver is an acquired taste, for sure.
- Exactly.
- Some love it, others don't.
But I think it's worth
trying wherever you go
to see the difference in flavor.
(Mr. Taster laughing)
Those are like liver filets.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
Oh!
- Whoa (laughing).
- Oh my goodness!
This is just absolutely
insane, look at this!
Bucket of liver, mountain of
kidney, and a plate of hearts.
What's your favorite?
- Heart really, yeah
- The heart, yeah?
- [Trevor] So this is the liver.
- [Mr. Taster] 20 years experience,
he makes it look fun.
- Yep, you can see it there,
yes, a true expert.
Oh, and there's a bread station here!
- [Mr. Taster] Wow.
- And this is where it all starts.
We just walked into this giant oven area.
This is a different type of
bread, this is the lavash.
You can see it's thinner, and
it goes right on this pile.
Wow (chuckles)!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
That's a mountain
of liver, and kidney, and heart.
Just direct to the grills.
(men laughing)
Look at those!
And this is the real secret right here.
That is the saffron butter.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah, the
chicken's gonna go in that.
- [Trevor] The chicken
goes right in there.
That's it right there.
You can smell that saffron.
(Trevor speaking foreign language)
(chef speaking foreign language)
- Very good, very good.
- Very good.
(Mr. Taster laughs)
Oh, and here we go.
That's out liver seasoned with salt.
(Mr. Taster moans)
Pure liver, no fat.
We got the lean stuff.
And here we go.
- It's a treat.
- [Trevor] Right on
the grill, there it is.
We've got a true feast tonight,
(Mr. Taster laughs)
liver, and heart, and kidney.
And you can see this grill is
just full of meat here, wow!
So we got the koobideh, the classic lamb,
ground lamb kebab.
- Livers.
- [Trevor] We got the livers.
- [Mr. Taster] Livers and fat together.
Mushrooms--
- And tomato,
look at the tomato!
- Look at that.
- Just directly on the coal.
- Oh man.
- And here it is,
the liver's first.
(men chuckling)
Oh, look at that mountain
of liver!
- Oh my gosh,
look at that.
- Oh!
Merci, thank you, thank you.
- That's gorgeous, wow.
- Wow!
- I'm going to make a sandwich for you.
- A sandwich out of it,
let's stuff it even more.
- [Mr. Taster] Yeah (chuckling).
- [Trevor] And there it is, look at that,
the liver sandwich.
So this is the Gorgan special?
- It is.
- The city of livers.
- It is, yeah.
Ready?
- Oh, and it's dripping.
- Yeah, just be careful.
- Okay.
- One, two, three!
(bustling restaurant)
(traditional Iranian music)
(men moan)
- Oh,
even more!
- Wow (laughs)!
- Oh, merci (laughs)!
(moans) Wow.
(owner speaking foreign language)
(Trevor speaking foreign language)
- Merci.
(owner speaking foreign language)
(Trevor speaking foreign language)
(owner speaking foreign language)
- Wow, that's the best liver--
- This is good,
this is good.
- You'll ever eat right there.
Sweet basil?
- Have some, yeah.
- You can just put it into your--
- Yeah, and just close it.
- Oh, that is perfect.
Sweet basil, I love all the herbs in Iran,
so many varieties.
And that doesn't have
a strong liver flavor.
It's meaty, really delicious!
(Trevor moans)
(Mr. Taster laughs)
That sweet basil--
- Yeah, it's amazing.
- That's delicious!
- Yeah, just smell it.
(Trevor moans)
Oh my god, that's fresh and--
- It's the perfect contrast--
- It is, exactly.
- Between the meaty liver
and the fresh basil, that's the real magic
right here, the sweet basil.
- The kidney mountain
for the best Food Ranger in the world.
- (laughing) Oh!
- Go for it.
- Oh (moans).
- Oh my god (laughing), look at that!
(Trevor moans)
- Oh yeah!
- It's good, isn't it?
- That's delicious.
It doesn't taste like organ.
(Mr. Taster laughs)
(men speaking foreign language)
- What do you think about
barbecue Jahan Nama?
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
- Number one, number one.
- Thank you very much.
- Thank you, I love Iran,
amazing country.
- Thank you very much.
Thank you.
- And this liver, oh yeah.
- Very nice.
- Very nice.
Oh, and we've just tasted
the liver, and the kidney,
and the heart, and here's our
chicken with saffron butter.
It's gonna go on our plate.
We've got the classic
koobideh, and tomato,
and wow, that's gonna be
great finish to the meal here.
Oh, merci (chuckling)!
(Mr. Taster laughs)
We've got a lot.
Wow.
- So it's mince meat.
- Mince meat.
- And the fat is around.
- Oh wow!
- Have it, look at that.
- [Trevor] It's like a little fat ball.
(Trevor grunts)
- It's hot (laughs).
- Oh,
Oh!
- Too hot (laughs)!
- That is amazing.
(Mr. Taster laughing)
(Trevor moans)
- It is good.
- That is a pure fat explosion.
- Exactly.
- What do you think
about unani?
- Unani, it's very nice.
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language)
(men speaking foreign language)
(men chuckling)
Very nice.
It's so juicy.
And this is the saffron chicken.
Oh yeah, saffron chicken,
saffron butter chicken.
- Yeah!
- Oh (chuckling)!
This looks unreal (laughs).
- One, two, three.
(bustling restaurant)
(traditional Iranian music)
(men moan)
- Oh!
Oh, wow.
- It's gorgeous, it's juicy.
- Oh, it's so juicy.
It's such a rich saffron flavor,
and there's a bit of a spice to it.
I honestly didn't think that organ meat
would be this delicious.
- Really?
- The liver, the kidney,
the heart, I've had it before,
I know it can be delicious,
but not this delicious, yeah.
- As good (chuckles)?
- [Trevor] Merci, merci.
(men speaking foreign language)
Bye-bye, bye-bye.
(men speaking foreign language)
They're not taking money.
- No.
- No money?
- No money (laughs).
- Oh.
(Mr. Taster laughing)
It's too, the hospitality
is too much here.
- (laughing) Yeah, nobody gets money.
- Merci.
- Thank you very much.
- [Trevor] Thank you very
much, very delicious.
(Trevor speaking foreign language)
- Thank you, thank you.
- Thank you,
thank you very much.
Wow, that was just amazing.
- Merci,
(Mr. Taster speaking foreign language).
- Merci, merci.
- Merci.
- You guys can check out Mr. Taster
in the description below.
Thank you so much.
- Thank you so much.
- And also, big thanks to Ali,
Persia Tour Guide.
- Thank you,
thank you so much.
(men speaking foreign language)
Organizing the best itinerary
of Iran.
- Thank you.
Beautiful time, and it's
just a great time here.
- My pleasure,
thank you so much.
- Thanks a lot guys.
- Thank you, thank you.
- Wow!
