The Persian Empire, at the height of its power, was the most wide-spread and powerful empire the world had known until that time. By 486 BC, the Persians controlled all of Mesopotamia and a large section of the Eastern world, including Egypt, Palestine, and even India. This wide control of land and different cultures resulted in the spread of knowledge and customs, including food. Persia, now known as Iran, has a wide variety of culinary delicacies, focused often around rice, lamb and sheep meat, low fat cheese, and bread.
Rice
Rice, called Berenj in Farsi, is the main staple in Persian cooking, and is served in a wide variety of Persian dishes. The rice is often combined with kebab, and is usually seasoned with the strong spice saffron. Eaten with only a saffron seasoning, Persian basmati rice is a fairly healthy dish, containing a scant 160 calories per 3/4 cup serving. The meal contains no fat, 3 g of protein, and an energy-providing 36 g of carbohydrates.
Shish Kebab
Shish kebab, a fairly well known meal here in America often referring to any meat cooked on a skewer, actually means "fried meat" in Arabic, and normally refers to lamb, although depending on cultural differences, can refer to a wide variety of meats. A generic shish kebab is not the most health conscious Persian meal one could eat at 297 calories, 1,830 mg of sodium, and 113 mg of cholesterol; although it does contain a muscle-boosting 38 g of protein per serving.
Feta
Feta cheese is a major culinary staple in Middle Eastern food, and is a low-fat and delicious cheese that can be made from goat, lamb, or cow's milk. Feta cheese is traditionally considered a Greek meal, as the cheese was initially developed by Greek shepherds, but can be found today in a wide variety of international cuisines, including Persian food. One oz. of feta contains 75 calories, 1 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of protein, and 6 g of fat.
Pita
The pita is a soft, flat, bread used in a number of traditional Middle Eastern meals and comes in both pocketed and regular varieties. Pita in its pocketed form is often used for sandwich-like meals, such as falaffel or shawarma, and can be also used almost like pizza dough, with sauces, meat, and cheese placed on top. A single pita contains 200 calories, 160 mg of sodium, 20 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of protein, and no fat.
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