Iranian fare makes rare stopover

JAKARTA (JP): Although Middle Eastern food is increasingly making its way to local dining tables, the cuisine of Iran rarely ends up in these parts of the world.

It is a pity because Iranian food has much to offer, both for its variety and culinary tradition. Although it shares much in common with other food of the Middle East, it is often considered the most sophisticated and complex of them all, with a careful blending of spices to create rich, subtle flavors.

A sampling of Iranian fare is currently being offered at the Jakarta Hilton's Lagoon Cafe. On the opening night on Feb. 5, a smorgasbord of the food was on offer, ranging from fessenjan, a succulent stew of ground walnuts and chicken with pomegranate paste, which has been a staple of the Iranian diet for thousands of years, to a variety of kebabs (ground meat, lamb and chicken), which can be eaten with rice flavored with saffron or naan bread. There were also various polow, or mixed rice, which can include candied orange peel, pistachio and almond slivers.

For dessert, there were several traditional Iranian sweets, such as sholehzard (rice and saffron pudding) and halva.

Speaking from the perspective of an Iranian native, the food in general tasted quite genuine (the ingredients must have been imported because they are difficult to find on these shores).

Yet Iranian food can be said to be an acquired taste and will not be for all palates. Most dishes have a sour quality, which may be unusual to Asian diners, particularly Indonesians used to a liberal use of spices and chili. Still, there is bound to be something that diners will find to their liking in the dinner only buffet (Rp 95,000 ++) during the promotion until Feb. 15. (Roya Hutasoit)