Traditionally Persian food is classified as hot or cold. Whether they are cooling or warming to the body.
Although the classification changes according to which region you are in, no Persian Recipe website would be complete without a list of Hot & Cold foods.
Hot Foods
- almonds
- apples
- basil
- bay-leaf
- cardamom
- cherries – sweet
- chickpeas
- chickpea flour
- chives
- cinnamon
- cloves
- cucumber
- currants
- curry powder
- dates
- dill
- duck
- eggs
- fenugreek leaves
- figs
- fish
- ginger
- grapes
- hen
- honey
- lamb
- maize
- mangoes
- marjoram
- mint
- mung beans
- mushrooms
- nigella seeds
- nutmeg
- okra
- onions
- oregano
- parsley
- peppers
- quinces
- raisins
- rosewater
- saffron
- salt
- split peas
- tarragon
- turmeric
- vanilla
- walnuts
- wheat whey
Cold Foods
- apricots
- barberries
- barley
- barley flour
- beef
- beet
- cabbage
- carrots
- cauliflower
- celery
- cherries – sour
- citrus fruits
- cockerel
- coffee
- coriander leaves
- corn
- cornflour
- cumin
- eggplant
- garlic
- kidney beans
- lentils
- milk
- peaches
- pistachios
- pomegranates
- plums
- prune
- radishes
- rice
- rice flour
- sugar
- sumac
- tamarind
- tomato paste
- turkey
- veal
- vinegar
- watermelon
- whey