Iranians love sour flavours. Like cranberries, barberries have a vibrant red colour, but they’re even sourer. This classic rice dish is studded with the red berries, which are dried and then rehydrated before cooking.
The rice is cooked with plenty of butter, which helps to soften the intensity of the berries.
Quince, rhubarb, green plums, sour oranges, lemons, limes, dried limes, sour cherries, tamarind, sumac and pomegranate are all used in Persian cooking to make food more tart.