TEHRAN – On Friday, tens of Bojnurd citizens celebrated local cuisine in an outdoor gastronomy festival.

The festival was dedicated to preparing and enjoying Ash Reshteh, a popular thick soup whose main ingredients include Persian greens, beans, and noodles. Many families exchanged their soups with one another, showed off skills, and served attendees to the festival.

“In addition to celebrating local cuisine, the festival was held yesterday to promote excitement and social excitement among people,” CHTN quoted North Khorasan province’s deputy tourism chief, Abolfazl Esmaeili, as saying on Saturday.

The flavor of this beautifully spiced vegetable soup is mainly characterized by two unique ingredients: the first one is Reshteh, or flat noodles, which are starchier and saltier than their Italian counterparts, and as they cook, the starch they release thickens the soup. And the second is kashk, a form of dried, drained yogurt or whey, which is saltier and sourer than Greek yogurt or sour cream. More like feta than yogurt, kashk gives ash its distinct, satisfying flavor.

Iran is the paradise of foodies. Every province and even every city of Iran has its own specific delectable dishes. So, one can enjoy a wide range of foods here in Iran; and the Khorasan region is one of the most popular places among foodies.

The cornerstone of every Persian meal is rice or Polo. Persian cuisine is, above all, about balance — of tastes and flavors, textures and temperatures. In every meal, even on every plate, you’ll find both sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, cooked and raw, hot and cold.

No Persian meal is complete without an abundance of herbs. Every table is set with sabzi-khordan, a basket of fresh herbs, radishes, and scallions, which are eaten raw and by the handful, often tucked into a piece of fresh flatbread with a bite of feta, cucumber, or walnuts.

AFM