The particular geography of Iran makes it home to various ethnic subcultures with their own food varieties, rendering it potent enough to satisfy tourists with varied tastes, said Afsaneh Jabbarian, in charge at the Persian Food booth in the 2nd festival of the Islamic Arts in Malaysia.
The festival from October 30 to November 9, was attended by some 20 Iranian as well as from 9 other countries, in Putrajaya, Malaysian political capital, reported IRNA.
“Tehran was represented with some 30 different kinds of traditional foods and confectionaries. In this section, not only taste of foods, but also food designs and traditional catering tools received visitors’ acclaim; this is due to the city’s being the capital which endows it with tastes from across the country,” Jabbarian said.
Persian Kababs and Baqlava (a cookie) sold the most among the Iranian foods, she said.
Jabbarian highlighted that food can be a means to know cultures and traditions of each region, and called for taking more advantage of the diverse cuisine in the country, and fostering food tourism.
She urged restaurateurs and hoteliers to pay more attention to food variety, adding that although the country is blessed with various foods, menus usually only offer some certain common foods only.
Artisans from provinces of Bushehr, Markazi, and Tehran also presented their handicrafts, calligraphy, and painting in the festival.
