Goldie Ghamari - Iranian Food 101

00:00:00.000 Hi, everyone. So as promised, here is my Iranian Food 101 video. This is the one and only time

00:00:06.380 that I'm going to be doing this because when I tell you that I struggled making this video,

00:00:13.440 yeah, I'm way more comfortable talking about politics and Islamic terrorism and Iran.

00:00:19.880 So that's what I'm going to stick to. So without further ado, here we go.

00:00:24.680 We had dinner at an Iranian restaurant called Toronto Persian Cuisine in Toronto.

00:00:28.800 We Iranians love pomegranate. It's a main ingredient in many of our dishes, so when the

00:00:33.880 server recommended the pomegranate margarita, I couldn't resist. Apparently, Tehranto is famous

00:00:38.880 for their pomegranate margaritas, and now I can see why. It was absolutely delicious.

00:00:42.920 If you like chicken soup, then you'll really enjoy the Iranian version, which we call

00:00:47.060 supejo. It's made with chicken, barley, celery, and parsley, and it's the perfect comfort food

00:00:52.020 for cold winters. You can have it as an appetizer or a full meal with bread on the side. The barley

00:00:57.080 soup at Toronto was delicious and highly recommended. If you love olives and savory

00:01:01.700 flavors like I do, then this one's for you. Zeytun Parverde is a classic appetizer from

00:01:06.580 northern Iran. It's basically olives marinated in a rich tangy paste consisting of finely chopped

00:01:11.720 walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic, mint, and a traditional Persian spice called ground

00:01:16.220 angelica. Pomegranate seeds are added for bursts of color and flavor. Mirza Ghassimi is a popular

00:01:21.500 dish often served as an appetizer or main course and goes best with warm, freshly baked Iranian

00:01:26.620 bread. It's made of smoked or grilled eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, and eggs. If you've had baba

00:01:31.280 ganoush, it's similar to that, except for Iranians, we use eggs instead of tahini. I'm personally not

00:01:36.160 a big fan of it, and I don't usually order it when I go out to restaurants, but the Mirza Ghassimi

00:01:39.920 at Tehronto was actually really delicious, and it's something I would definitely order again.

00:01:44.780 Most of mosir is a popular Iranian yogurt dip made with shallots and yogurt. We also have most

00:01:49.560 of khior, which is yogurt and cucumber. Think tzatziki sauce, but way less thick, and we eat

00:01:53.940 it on the side with our meal instead of pouring it on top of meat or using it as a sauce. The

00:01:57.920 masakhir at Tehranto was of course delicious. And now for the reason I decided to come to Tehranto

00:02:02.440 in the first place, the kabob kubideh. I'd heard amazing things about the kabob kubideh, so I had

00:02:07.740 to come and see for myself. I was not disappointed. It was absolutely delicious, and if you're in the

00:02:13.480 Toronto or GTA area and want to try Iranian food, I highly recommend the kabob kubideh at Tehranto.

00:02:19.860 Kabo-kubideh is a staple in Iranian cuisine, and if you're new to Iranian food, this is definitely

00:02:24.540 what you want to order for your first time. It's basically the Iranian version of a meatloaf,

00:02:29.180 but instead of being baked in the oven, it's molded around a flat, wide metal skewer and

00:02:34.160 grilled over hot charcoal. It's always served with rice and grilled tomatoes. If you've noticed

00:02:38.840 that I'm eating with a spoon and fork, that's because we Iranians don't really need knives for

00:02:43.460 our food. Our meats are usually so tender and served in bite-sized pieces that you can just

00:02:48.440 use your spoon to cut it up when it's on your plate. If you like savory flavors then you definitely

00:02:53.140 want to add some sumac to your kebab as well. Kebabs are a staple of Iranian cuisine but the

00:02:58.200 flavors are very different from other regions. Saffron also plays a big role in Iranian cuisine

00:03:02.900 which is where our food gets its aromatic flavors from. The food was delicious, the service was

00:03:08.060 excellent. Shout out to our server Shayan, shout out to the chef who was working that night. If

00:03:12.240 you're in Toronto or the GTA definitely definitely recommend checking out Tehranto for their amazing

00:03:18.260 and delicious Iranian food. And now you know.

Goldie Ghamari - November 20, 2025