A Few Words about Herbs or Sabzi

Herbs get everywhere in Iran; not only do they feature prominently in all sorts of dishes, they are eaten just as they are, in great handfuls. Not for the Persian housewife the mouse-like sprinkling of dried greenery that passes for herb use over here. Many Iranian dishes are so laden with fresh or dried herbs that they assume a rich green hue. The main stars of the show are parsley (jaffaree), coriander (geshneez), chives (tareh), spinach (esfanaj), fenugreek (shambahlileh), dill (chiveed), mint (na’nah), tarragon (tarkhoun) and basil (reyhan). Then there are all sorts of carefully measured mixtures of herbs, used variously for herb omelettes (sabzi kookoo), casseroles (sabzi ghormeh), soup (sabzi ash) and rice (sabzi pulao); you may prepare your own mixtures, but they are widely available pre-mixed in Persian stores, both in dried and frozen form.