Abgoosht

Abgoosht is a lamb stew with chickpeas, white beans and potatoes, characteristic of Persian cuisine. It is traditionally served in stoneware crocks called dizi, and its name means "meat broth".

History

Abgoosht belongs to a family of stews from the Iranian plateau and neighbouring regions, and its name refers to the meat broth at its base. The sources do not document precisely when or where the recipe first appeared, and the dish seems to have taken its present form through oral tradition.

It is cooked slowly with all the ingredients together. Once done, the broth is strained and the meal is served in two stages: first the liquid is eaten with pieces of bread or dried bread, then the solids are mashed into a paste that is spread on bread, with onion and pickles. This two-stage service is part of what sets it apart.

The recipe spread across the Caucasus and Azerbaijan, where it gave its name to a related dish, piti or putuk, and it also reached Armenia, where it is made with beef instead of lamb.

Culture

Abgoosht is a home dish, eaten at the family table and associated with cold days. Assyrians of northwestern Iran, around Urmia, traditionally make it mostly in winter, with beef, kidney beans, chickpeas and dried lime, served with onions and lavasha, an Assyrian bread.

Variations change with region and available ingredients. Some versions use kidney beans or black-eyed peas instead of white beans, and in Turkey a version is prepared with pomegranate and black pepper. It remains a popular dish in Iran, and its cooking in clay crocks keeps alive the memory of everyday regional home cooking.

Trivia