What it means
قیمه (gheyme) is one of the best known Iranian stews (khoresh), made from yellow split peas (لپه), small cubes of meat, tomato paste, and dried limes (لیمو عمانی), almost always crowned with a layer of thin fried potato strips. The name comes from Turkic, where “qıyma” means finely minced or chopped meat, a nod to the small cut of the meat in the dish. People often pair it in conversation with قورمه سبزی (ghorme sabzi), the other great Persian khoresh, since the two are the usual rivals at any Iranian table.
How to use it
- امشب قیمه با تهدیگ داریم. (emshab gheyme ba tahdig darim.) “Tonight we are having gheyme with tahdig.”
- قیمهات رو با چی دوست داری، با سیبزمینی یا بادمجون؟ (gheyme-at ro ba chi doost dari, ba sibzamini ya bademjoon?) “How do you like your gheyme, with potato or eggplant?”
- این قیمه خیلی خوشمزه شده، دستت درد نکنه. (in gheyme kheyli khoshmaze shode, dastet dard nakone.) “This gheyme turned out really tasty, thank you.”
- تو محرم همیشه قیمه نذری پخش میکنن. (too moharram hamishe gheyme-ye nazri pakhsh mikonan.) “During Muharram they always hand out votive gheyme.”
Cultural note
Gheyme is a fixture of Iranian home cooking and one of the most common dishes cooked as نذری (nazri), the votive food given away during the mourning month of Muharram, especially around Ashura. Big pots are prepared and shared freely with neighbors and passersby, so for many Iranians the smell of gheyme is tied to that season. The thin fried potatoes on top are the classic finish, though some cooks make a version with fried eggplant instead.