Food can represent the rich customs and traditions of a nation, and eating a delicious local meal can create a sweet memory for the tourist. Thus, most of people are interested in trying traditional dishes when they travel to a new destination. Kish Island is one of the top tourist destinations in Iran, which combines tradition and modernity. The indigenous people of this island have delicious local dishes that show their antiquity and ancient culture.
Moreover, the local dishes of Kish are a symbol of the region’s geographical and coastal location. On the one hand, most of these foods are made from fish and other seafood. On the other hand, since the original natives of the island are mostly Arabic-speaking, spicy Arabic foods are among the local dishes of Kish that you can try in every Kish Restaurant.
Here we will introduce you to various local dishes of Kish. Go to The Best Restaurants in Kish If you want information about where you can taste these wonderful dishes.
What are the most famous traditional dishes of Kish?
Traces of fish can be seen everywhere in the traditional dishes of Kish and Southerners in general, but the natives of Kish use different seasonings to flavor the food. For this reason, the taste of their food may be slightly different from other southern regions of the country. Learn more about some of these foods. Travel to Iran with IranAmaze and you can try these dishes in the best restaurants in Kish.
1- Samak Mashwi
The traces of Arabic cuisine are clearly visible in the traditional dishes of Kish. One of these foods is grilled fish. This popular dish of the natives of Kish Island is prepared from fresh fish and Arabic spices. The main ingredient of this dish is fresh fish from the Persian Gulf, which is grilled or fried. Since the inhabitants of the island cook this dish with Arabic spices, it has a wonderful taste for those who like spicy food.
2- Mazroobeh
Fish will not be removed from the table of southerners, especially natives and local dishes of Kish. Mozrubeh is another traditional dish of Kish with a special and unique taste. To prepare the soup, fish is combined with local vegetables and flavored garlic and cooked.
3- Ghalieh Mahi
Ghalieh Mahi is one of the most well-known traditional dishes of Kish. It is not, however, a special dish of Kish, but it is southern, and it is served a lot among the conventional dishes of Kish, and maybe because of the seasonings that are added to it, it has a slightly different flavor from other regions. To prepare this dish, fish is roasted with delicious and aromatic vegetables and cooked with seasoning and other aromatic and tasty ingredients.
4- Shrimp Stew
Shrimp roe stew or shrimp stew has an appearance similar to Ghormeh Sabzi, Ghalieh Mahi, and other Iranian vegetable dishes. with the difference that it uses shrimp instead of meat or fish and the variety of vegetables is less. Its primary and basic flavor is garlic, which is added during cooking. They also add a special pickle to it, which is usually tamarind.
5- Kalreh Kandi
Sardine “Ome” fish is a golden-sided sardine. The natives and residents of Kish Island use this fish to prepare a type of food called Kaleh Kandi. The name of this dish comes from the fact that the head of the fish is first beaten so that only the meat remains. Then they cook it with aromatic ingredients. After cooking, spices, hot onions, and local oil are added to it.
6- Margoog
Margoog or Marqooq is a kind of authentic Arabic food that is cooked in Kish with a different recipe. This authentic Kish dish contains all kinds of fresh vegetables. Margoog is prepared from lamb meat, potatoes, carrots, hot green peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and special spices. To cook it, meat and vegetables are first cooked separately and then mixed. In the end, small pieces of Sangak bread dough are added to the dish. Like all Iranian stews, Margoog is served with rice, and among other traditional dishes of Kish, it remains a little unknown.
7- Pudni
This dish is one of the strangest traditional dishes of Kish. Pudni is a dish cooked with fish meat, spicifically shark meat hunted from the coasts of Kish. Hard shark meat is a little hard to cook. In order to be able to fully cook the meat, the Berpoumians of Kish first cook it in lemon juice and turmeric. Then they skin the shark and press the meat until the water inside the meat is empty. Then it is roasted with spices and aromatic vegetables and served with rice.
8- Hamsah
Inside the pearl oyster, which is called “mohar”, there is a small fleshy part, of course, not all of it is edible. The natives of Kish carefully separate the edible part of oysters and cook the edible part with various spices and onions and make it tasty. You can eat this dish with rice or bread.
9- Majboos Rice
Majbous rice is an Arabic food and is made from a combination of rice, fish or meat or chicken, onions, tomatoes, coriander seeds, fennel, cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and turmeric. The recipe is not that difficult. Pieces of meat, fish, or chicken are put in the pot and special spices such as cloves, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and local spices are added to them. In the end, add the grated tomato and let the ingredients cook well together and settle.
The natives of Kish serve this dish with rice. If you like to try this food, be sure to tell the tour guides to take you to the traditional neighborhoods of Kish so that you can get to know its culture, lifestyle, and of course its delicious food.
10- Biryani Rice
Biryani rice may not be specific to Kish, but it is a southern dish that is very popular in Kish. To make it, they use red meat, potatoes, lentils, raisins, and blackberries. They flavor the meat and cook it well. Potatoes and lentils are also cooked and along with roasted raisins and barberry, cardamom and cinnamon are placed next to the drained rice. This style of cooking turns the rice we always eat into one of the most special traditional dishes of Kish.
11- Mahmar (Sugary Rice)
Mahmar or Meammar is one of the popular and local dishes of Kish Island is Meammar rice. To prepare this rice, they pour a lot of sugar into it during cooking, so that its color turns yellow, then it is served with fish.
12- Hariseh
Hariseh is a kind of traditional and old Halim of Kish Arabs. Wheat and meat are used to prepare harissa. Soaked wheat and meat are cooked together and stirred regularly until the ingredients are completely crushed, then some butter is added to it. They use sugar, butter, and cinnamon to decorate it.
