What it means
قورمه سبزی (ghorme sabzi) is a dark green herb stew, widely called Iran’s national dish. The name is a compound: قورمه (ghorme) comes from a Turkic word meaning braised or fried meat (the same root behind the word korma), while سبزی (sabzi) is Persian for greens or herbs, from سبز (sabz), green. So the word literally means braised meat with herbs. It is made by frying parsley, coriander, leeks or chives, and fenugreek, then simmering them with kidney beans, chunks of lamb or beef, and dried limes (لیمو عمانی). A close cousin in the stew family is قیمه (gheyme), a split pea and tomato khoresh, but the two taste nothing alike.
How to use it
- قورمه سبزی دوست داری؟ (ghorme sabzi doost dari?) “Do you like ghorme sabzi?”
- امشب قورمه سبزی داریم. (emshab ghorme sabzi darim.) “We are having ghorme sabzi tonight.”
- قورمه سبزیِ مامانم محشره. (ghorme sabzi-ye mamanam mahshare.) “My mom’s ghorme sabzi is amazing.”
- یه پرس قورمه سبزی با برنج بدید لطفاً. (ye pors ghorme sabzi ba berenj bedid lotfan.) “One portion of ghorme sabzi with rice, please.”
Cultural note
Ghorme sabzi is one of the most loved khoresh (stews) in Iran and shows up at family gatherings, Nowruz, and ordinary weeknight dinners alike. It is almost always served over چلو (chelo), plain steamed white rice. The flavor depends on long, slow cooking and on the dried limes, which give it a deep, slightly sour and earthy taste. Many Iranians treat a good ghorme sabzi as a benchmark of home cooking, and the phrase is often used affectionately when talking about family meals.