Cheese, Walnut + Herb Balls

In Hamadan, these cheese balls are often served during women’s afternoon tea gatherings. Variations are popular throughout Iran. Each region and even each household in a region have their own mix of flavors and ingredients. I had one version that included caramelized onions, which gave it a quite distinctive taste. In Tabriz, these aromatic, nutritious, egg-shaped cheese balls are called doymaj and are eaten as a snack or taken by children to eat for breakfast on their way to school.