There are views,
there are stories,
and then there is the gospel truth.
A reality that one can feel integrated in,
yet not assimilate to….
This is Iran,
the most precious enigma I have held.
A place I have perpetually been enamoured with,
fascinated by.
9:00 a.m, Tehran
It’s time for breakfast
and someone somewhere is getting ready to whip up a Persian Red Omelette.
Pour some Kermanshahi Oil in a pan,
couple of spoons of crushed Tomato...
let them crackle and cook,
crack two eggs in and swirl,
swish continuously
till they’re just about cooked.
One would definitely call it yummy,
but I'll go with Khushmazeh!
That’s delicious in Farsi.
They say that this time of the year,
Iran is supposed to be enveloped in thick snow,
but it's not;
climate change is at work,
and this is apparent in the northern end of the city -
The Alborz Mountains,
a place where most Tehranians would spend their weekends skiing,
hiking in and enjoying a stunning snowed-in landscape from a cable car.
Tehran, the capital, has always been the nucleus of Iran's politics
and a world news report magnet
due to its dynamism
and more importantly its people who have always been vocal, about their views,
whether it's the 2009 protests against electoral fraud
or the recent ones questioning the employment situation and stagnant economy.
The people -
jovial, grounded, warm, welcoming and hospitable
are a kind, caring bunch who don’t discriminate,
demonstrating no difference in demeanour with a tourists or their fellow countrymen.
They display an innate interest in every individual or visitor,
eager to hear about you and where you come from? and how your day was?
The stuff that doesn't make you feel like a stranger,
but instead makes you feel like you’re coming home after a long time.
speaking in Farsi
The thing that people will remember the most when they leave Iran...
is the people..
That I think is kind of unique.
not unique as in just one of a kind, but...
it's becoming more and more rare days.
Yeah, like people make an impression
people are different in different parts of Iran, but...
one thing is for sure; hospitality is a virtue in here.
that's why they make quite an impression on travellers
Misha Faridani, an art school graduate has grown up in Tehran
currently works and manages a backpacker's hostel called ‘HiTehran’...
located in Central Tehran.
I would actually head north from Tehran
If you have one week in Iran...
well, you'll probably land in Tehran...
but don't stay in Tehran for too long.
Tehran can be lovely, but not at the beginning...
because at the beginning you arrive in Iran...
and it's this like...big, huge city of chaos
and you've heard all this stuff about Iran...
well, you're already here, it means that you have a more open mind than...
most people...
If you stay in Tehran...it won't calm you down.
you want to go to some smaller place...
you can enjoy Tehran a lot on your way back.
you know...Tehran will make sense.
it's like a tutorial you know...like..
Tehran is the final boss...
you need to go like beat other smaller bigger bosses
but..
I would go north..
There's this village...
like..one hour before you...
get to the Caspian sea shore..it's on the mountains..
it's called Filband..
it's like a dream up there.
because people in that village live above the clouds..
they live on top of a mountain, in a forest, above the clouds.
you can't capture that beauty on a camera or anything...
you just have to be there to see it..
like an ocean of clouds...
underneath their feet all the time, and they're used to it!
they act like it's normal, like oh..
when we go there, we're like wow!
my friends were like...
we went up there and everyone is like (sound of clicking camera shutter)
just enjoy it, like you can find pictures of this online
like better pictures...
but they never capture the essence of beauty in this thing...
One can cover many dimensions of Iran,
but never skip this unmissable aspect of -
the Irani cuisine.
Food that has beautiful names to begin with -
names you’d want to repeat over and over again
because the sheer pronouncing of Farsi words is so delightful,
and then there’s the visual treat of vibrant colors..
opulence that can put any western continental cuisine to shame
with its liberal use of saffron across the food spectrum
from the apex kebabs
to a butch stew
all the way into their can’t do without tea.
Bread or Naan is a huge cultural hook,
and this fact echoes at every bread shop around each corner.
While some bread shops make use of Tannour or handmade clay-ovens,
most of them have modern rotating machines
that slowly carry bread through the flames.
While there is a variety of bread to choose from,
primarily- Barbari, Sangak and Lavash,
each bread shop specializes in a distinct style of bread,
making every bread stop an experience of new aromas.
Barbari or Nan-e barbari is the densest Irani bread,
an inch thick with deep handmade grooves running down its length
and sometimes sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Machined Lavash on the other hand is a variant of the regular lavash
where flattened sheets of dough are placed on a belt of rotating hot oven
that gives it the unique bubblewrap imprint.
Words and actions hold weight in Iran,
what is permissible or unforgivable to say, do or be  is never certain -
and that is the only constant.
One certainty to overpower other uncertainties is this -
when you walk the streets brushing shoulders with Iranians,
take a bite into their life and lend an ear to their thoughts
even on burning subjects like the USA
you will find that this is a place where ‘impressions’ come to die.
There is never a bigger disconnect between reality and news fuelled opinion than in Iran.
Azam speaking in Farsi
In Iran it's Tokmhe..
Yes
it's Sohan with Honey
it's bread with cream
and it's popular between Iranian people..
Noon Panjereh
Window Bread!
And if you really want to understand the people, the society or experience Iranian hospitality,
then you have to be fortunate enough to be invited to an Iranian home.
Massoud Mostafavi along with his wife- Azam and son- Amir Ali
are one such example of Iranian warmth and benevolence.
They not only let us into the mundane goings-on of their daily life,
be it a car driven tour of the market
or letting us accompany them in buying a painting for their living room,
but also introduced us to some memorable Persian meals
with his immediate and extended family.
Our first interaction was at a tiny restaurant called ‘Khoshbin’
at Sa’adi Street in Central Tehran,
that is a known institution among Tehranis,
who cram onto the fast-turnover tables for an authentic Gilaki lunch -
food from the Gilan region along the Caspian Sea.
Almost every table had a serving of Mirza Ghasemi
which is made by combining mashed soft-roasted eggplant, garlic and tomato in a pan
while an egg in broken into the mixture at the very end
or be it the Sour Kebab or Kebab Torsh
which are tenderloin chunks marinated in Pomegranate Molasses for extra tartness.
What sets the Gilaki cuisine apart..
is the presence of a variety of fish that are enjoyed roasted whole
with a dash of Orange.
Massoud also introduced me to Hani Parseh,
another traditional restaurant near Azadi Cinema
that is hugely popular among locals
and has people queueing up for an array of Persian Classics like Tahdig,
Zereshk Polow, Ashe Reshteh, Ghormeh Sabzi
and lot more that fill up the huge dining hall with aromas of delicately cooked stews, saffron rice and kebabs.
Unlike Khoshbin, Hani Parseh offers a wide spectrum of Persian dishes
and therefore is a great place to sample almost every celebrated Persian recipe possible.
sings- Ye dosti hum nahi todenge...
Yeah, I mean this was, as I told you I think earlier
this happened on our first day or second that..
we were having at lunch, this another place over here- Koshbin or somewhere
so this other couple who were sitting next to us said "Oh, let me show you how do you eat this."
because probably they thought that we were eating it the wrong way..
so, then that conversation let to a tea, that lead to a dinner and we spend the entire day with them..
I don't think that has ever happened to me and that's very unique..
and that's not only in Tehran, also has happened I think in Isfahan.
You get offered a lot of stuff..
not all of them, but most of them is genuine.
like when people invite you to their houses..
a lot of them really want to come.. hang, you know.
or if...
if they like offer to..
show you around the city..they usually..
all of them means it when they offer to show you around the city.
and a lot of people...
appreciate the fresh new narrative,
the fresh perspective.
so
it is fun for may be you guys to go out and hang out with an Iranian couple..
who told you this is the right way to eat this food.
It's also fun for them
because
there are always something you pay attention to that is everyday stuff for us,
we either notice when you say it or
we either get to appreciate it a bit more because you noted it, so..
It’s a country on the verge of change.
I think it’s a country on the verge,
among other things,
of a tourism boom beyond anyone’s imagination;
because whatever your feelings are on the Iranian leadership in the last three decades,
Iran is breathtakingly beautiful,
the people - uniquely wonderful,
proud, resourceful, educated and funny as hell.
My intent is to share a little slice of Iran,
give you the flavour of something you may never think of tasting simply because of hearsay.
What it feels like to walk through these streets,
to be a visitor yet be treated like a long lost family member,
to take a photograph,
to dine with a local who will hand you an extra piece of bread,
to do what we regard as mundane
yet here it feels special,
endearing & extraordinary
The truth about Iran is that its reality is indescribable.
it is that -
which will capture your heart,
but also occasionally break it.
