Appetizers & Side Dishes

Traditionally, Iranian meals are served on the sofreh, a cotton cover embroidered with prayers and poems, which is spread over a Persian carpet or a table. The main dishes are accompanied by bread and a number of small bowls and relish dishes filled with appetizers and condiments. These are called mokhalafat or mazzeh, or noghl-e mey (literally “little tastes for wine”). The essential elements are: