TEHRAN – On Thursday, an outdoor festival dedicated to the local food of Qalif-Chal was held in Jajarm, North Khorasan province, Jajarm’s tourism chief has said.

“The festival, which was the first of its kind in the region, aimed at introducing local food and promoting gastronomy tourism,” Hadi Mohammadpur said on Saturday.

Qalif-Chal is a traditional dish of Jajarm that was traditionally made by shepherds and herders who lived in the desert for a long time and over time it has become one of the region’s main foods, the official explained.

Qalif-Chal is a pot that is placed in a pit and the contents of the pot are slowly cooked, he added.

The local dish has not yet been listed as a national heritage, but its documentation is being prepared for its inclusion on the prestigious list, he noted.

A handicraft market was also set up on the sidelines of the festival, he said.

In 2020, Iran joined an online campaign launched by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to promote gastronomy as an essential part of tourism.

Experts say that food is not merely an organic product of biochemical composition. However, for members of each community, food is defined as a cultural element.

Iranian cuisine, usually dominated by fragrant herbs, varies from region to region. It principally accentuates freshness, deliciousness, and colorfulness.

Iranian cooking can be seen as a metaphor for the country itself: It’s tart, sweet, fragrant, and vastly complex. It's one of the world's oldest, yet largely obscure, culinary landscapes, with roots dating back to the ancient Persian Empire.

Though North Khorasan province may not be the first choice of travelers, its tourism is getting momentum.

According to Lonely Planet, most foreign tourists pass straight through North Khorasan in transit between Mashhad and Gorgan, but if you have time to explore, it's worth diverting south from the capital, Bojnurd, toward Esfarayen, famed for its wrestling tournaments, the remarkable citadel of Belqays and the partly preserved stepped village of Roein some 20 km north. Although several new buildings spoil the effect in parts of the village, Roein is considered Khorasan’s answer to the well-known Masuleh and is a possible starting point for hikes to little-visited mountain villages.

ABU/AFM