TEHRAN-- Director-General of the Domestic Tourism Development Office of Cultural Heritage Ministry Mostafa Fatemi said that based on archaeological excavations, four traditional dishes from ancient Iran have been recreated in the burnt city of Sistan-Baluchestan province and more than 10 historical dishes from the book ‘Sheikh of Food’ have been recreated.

He told IRNA: “Based on a combined work between tourism and archaeology and using the contents of some historical books, we have recreated several examples of ancient and historical dishes such as ‘Wheat pilaf’ which was cooked using coriander and meat on several occasions. There have been various dishes in Iran whose taste and flavor have changed throughout history, we must be able to introduce the history of the dishes.”

Several festivals of ancient cuisines have been held in Shiraz and Zahedan for introducing the history of the foods and recreating them, he said, adding the first competition of ancient foods was held at one of the food academies in Tehran.

“Like other people in the world, Iranians have turned to European-style fast food and fast-cooked meals due to their lifestyle, while in our country, many foods can be served in restaurants. We must introduce Iranian food to the world as a tourist attraction. We are actively participating in world food competitions, and currently, activists from this group have participated in a food exhibition in Turkey.”

He said, “We are looking for restaurateurs in cities and provinces to offer local foods to the people. In this regard, a number of restaurateurs in the provinces of Gilan and Kermanshah are leading the way, and many other provinces have also followed this path. We are also looking to develop Iranian restaurants in other countries through branding in food tourism.”

Fatemi stated that the cities of Gilan and Kermanshah were introduced by UNESCO as Creative Cities of Food. “This year is the year of food tourism in Iran, because a large number of complexes such as Melal restaurants and boutique restaurants that offer Iranian cuisine, along with food businesses, have been added to Iran's tourism facilities, and soon we will see a large number of food tourism facilities that will start operating in cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage in the provinces, which will bring about a great change in this field.”

He added: Mr. Raftari is a pioneer in the field of food and has the oldest Chelo Kebab restaurant with 116 years of history in Iran. Although his brand is enduring and established, it has faded throughout history. He can use these foods alongside his own brand and reintroduce his brand by connecting with the private sector and those who recreated ancient and historical foods. 

Fatemi emphasized: “In ancient Iranian culture, we had instant foods that were prepared quickly. We can easily replace them with fast food. A group is working in detail on this matter.”

KD