Persian culture offers a large number of stews, of which we are familiar with only a handful. The importance of a stew in Persian culture is tremendous, it brings out the skills of the home chef in providing a nutritious and delicious meal to sustain the family. Most of old Persia is a very harsh land, rocky, mountainous and arid, the extreme climate making it hard to grow vegetables. Those that were grown were cherished and cooking techniques, including stews and soups, were developed to maximi