Qormeh sabzi

Ghormeh Sabzi

The National Dish of Iran
Alternative names	Qormeh Sabzi
Type	Stew
Place of origin	Iran
Main ingredients	Herbs (parsley, leeks or green onions, cilantro, dried fenugreek leaves)

Ghormeh Sabzi (Persian: قورمه‌ سبزی‎‎) (also spelled as Qormeh Sabzi) (Azerbaijani: Səbzi Qovurma) is an Iranian herb stew. It is a very popular dish in Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan Republic. It is often said to be the Iranian national dish. The history of Ghormeh sabzi dates back at least 500 to 2,000 years.

Ghormeh is the Persian word for "stew", while sabzi is the Persian word for herbs.

The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley, leeks or green onions, coriander, seasoned with the key spice of dried fenugreek leaves. The herb mixture has many variations; any dark bitter green can be used (kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, etc., all work, although none are part of the original recipe).

This mixture is cooked with kidney beans or yellow split-peas, yellow or red onions, black lime (pierced dried limu-Omani Persian lime), and turmeric-seasoned lamb or beef. The dish is then served with chelow (Persian parboiled and steamed rice) or over tahdig.

The last Saturday of each November (First Shanbeh of the Month of Azar in Solar-Hijri Calendar) was declared as the International Ghorme Sabzi (Persian: روز جهانی قرمه سبزی) day by Iranian expats to familiarize people of different cultures with Iranian cuisine and history. This unofficial holiday is usually 3 days after Thanksgiving day in the Unites States.