Updated: 8 July 2019
Every city in Iran is unique in its own way. Each has its own local dishes with rich flavors and ingredients to try. There are even special handicrafts exclusive to that city. And Kerman is no different. Aside from the exotic Persian gardens, ancient mud-brick castles, and UNESCO-listed desert, these are the local specialties you need try while you’re in Kerman and the souvenirs to bring back with you to remember this beautiful city. And since I’d never write a post without including something related to the Persian language, don’t miss two idioms related to two of these souvenirs from Kerman.
Pateh
Pateh is a kind of decorative cloth made from wool. The cloth itself is called ariz (wide) in Persian. Colorful yarn is then woven onto the ariz in different designs such as trees, birds, paisley, and others. The more design the ariz has, the more expensive the pateh is due to the time it takes to sew these patterns. Conversely, the more visible the ariz, the more affordable the cloth. Pateh comes in a variety of sizes and colors, but perhaps the most common shape is a large square. I noticed this kind of pateh framed and hung on the walls in restaurants and traditional teahouses across Kerman.
And your first Kerman-related Persian idiom:
پته کسی را روی آب ریختن
Pateh kesi râ ruye âb rikhtan
Literally: to throw someone’s pateh in the water
English equivalent: to call someone’s bluff
Where does this come from? Well, pateh is made with colorful yarn, and with a good quality pateh, the colors will not bleed if it gets wet. That’s why when you want to call someone’s bluff, you threaten to throw their pateh in the water.
Copper
Just like Yazd, copper (mes) is another must-buy from Kerman. The copper bazaar in the Ganjali Khan Complex can fulfill all your copper needs- not to mention the great prices. Seeing these giant copper pots, I couldn’t help but think how much tadig they could possibly produce.
Copper is an excellent souvenir from Kerman.
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Zireh
Kerman is arguably best known for its zireh, caraway. The bazaar is riddled with zireh vendors, and as you stroll through the interconnected passageways, you’ll keep catching whiffs of it. I’ve never been a big fan of caraway, but the smell was something different in Kerman- it was very fresh and telling me that I needed to see what the fuss was about. In the hotel’s breakfast buffet, I even noticed that the feta cheese had zireh in it. Buy zireh in the charsooq area (the intersection of four paths in the bazaar) where you will find spices and dried fruits and nuts all around.
And your second Kerman-related Persian idiom:
زیره به کرمان بردن
zireh be Kerman bordan
Literally: to take caraway to Kerman
English equivalent: take coals to Newcastle
Once my mom visited me in Tehran and brought me all the things I had missed and requested from the US. And then I noticed a tiny jar of red powder.
“Saffron,” she said.
“Saffron? Mom, you brought saffron to Iran, really? Zireh be Kerman bordan?”
“It’s already ground and ready to use. Because I know you won’t do it yourself otherwise.”
Moms always know best.
Kolompeh
As soon as anyone found out I was going to Kerman, they would say, “You have to try kolompeh.” It’s the local specialty sweet there which is essentially a kind of cookie filled with a minced date and crushed walnut paste. I wasn’t crazy about it to be honest, but the one I had in the Vakil Teahouse in the bazaar was the best. Alongside a glass of hot tea in the afternoon, chasbid (it hit the spot).
Kolompeh is a special cookie with minced dates from Kerman.
Pistachios and Dates
Pistachios and dates are also well-known in the Kerman province. Dates from the city of Bam are among the most famous- small, dark, gooey, and oh-so delicious. And the city of Rafsanjan is the center of pistachio cultivation in Iran.
Nuts and spices make for great souvenirs to take back from Kerman.
Faloodeh Kermani
You may have heard of faloodeh shirazi, the most famous kind of faloodeh, a semi-frozen rice noodle dessert. But it was actually news to me that Kerman also has faloodeh, and when I tried it, I realized why the Shirazi variety is more famous. Faloodeh Kermani isn’t quite noodles, but looks more like the shape and size of orzo pasta. It’s much sweeter and served in a huge bowl with tons of syrup, making it almost soup-like. Worth a try, but my guess is that your preference will still be faloodeh Shirazi.
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Boz ghormeh
Persian language learners may recognize boz to mean “goat” and ghormeh as “stew.” Put the two together and you have the specialty from Kerman. I tried my dish (back before I became vegan, of course) at Bagh-e Shazdeh in Mahan just outside the city. I was told it was pretty much like goosht kubideh (the mashed part of dizi) only it was topped with kashk (whey). And they weren’t kidding.
Boz ghormeh is a local specialty of Kerman.
Qavut
Qavut is essentially a powdered form of a combination of seeds usually mixed with sugar for added sweetness. At the charsoo section of the bazaar, one of the spice vendors had just finished grinding up a batch. He poured a scoop of the warm “40-plant” qavut in my palm for me to try, and aside from being slightly sketched out over what I was really eating, it was actually quite good. I think among the seeds included were hemp, flax, angelica, poppy, and others. There are different kinds of qavut, each blended with a certain combination of seeds for health benefits. The vendor suggested added a couple of spoonfuls to yogurt, but you could also just eat it plain.
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