What it means
دیزی (dizi) means two things at once: the slow-cooked stew of lamb, chickpeas, white beans, potato, and tomato, and the small stone or clay crock it is cooked and served in. The dish is also called آبگوشت (abgusht), but when people say دیزی they usually picture the traditional crock and the whole ritual that comes with it. The word is a diminutive of دیگ (dig), the Persian word for pot, which descends from Middle Persian dēg through Proto-Iranian, so دیزی is native Iranian stock.
How to use it
- دو تا دیزی بیار لطفا. (do ta dizi biar lotfan.) “Bring two dizis, please.”
- دیزی سنگی خیلی خوشمزهتره. (dizi-ye sangi kheyli khoshmaze-tare.) “Stone-crock dizi is much tastier.”
- ظهر بریم دیزی بخوریم؟ (zohr berim dizi bokhorim?) “Shall we go eat dizi for lunch?”
- آب دیزی رو جدا بریز تو کاسه. (ab-e dizi ro joda beriz tu kase.) “Pour the dizi broth separately into the bowl.”
Cultural note
Eating dizi is a two-part ritual. First you drain the broth into a bowl and soak torn pieces of bread in it to make آبگوشت or تلیت (telit). Then you mash the remaining meat, beans, and potato with a wooden pestle called a گوشتکوب (gushtkub) and eat that with bread, raw onion, herbs, and pickles. It is classic, affordable comfort food, often eaten at lunch in traditional teahouses and old-style eateries across Iran.