What it means
لبو (labu) refers to beetroot and especially to the cooked, steamed beet sold as street food. According to Dehkhoda, beet was called leptō in Assyrian and Babylonian, and leptā or liptā in Aramaic, and the Persian لبو most likely derives from these Semitic forms. It is distinct from چغندر (choghandar), which refers more specifically to sugar beet. لبو is the word you hear on the street in Iran, not in formal botanical contexts.
How to use it
- لبو بخر، هوا سرده. (Labu bekhar, hava sarde.) “Buy some beet, it is cold out.”
- لبوفروش سر کوچه وایساده. (Labu forush sar kuche vaisade.) “The beet seller is standing at the corner.”
- لبو رو با نمک و آبلیمو بخور. (Labu ro ba namak o ab limu bokhor.) “Eat the beet with salt and lime juice.”
- این لبو خیلی شیرینه. (In labu kheyli shirine.) “This beet is very sweet.”
Cultural note
In Iran, لبو is one of the most recognizable autumn and winter street foods. Vendors cook whole beets in large pots of boiling water, often over wood or charcoal, and sell them in paper bags with salt. The sight and smell of a لبوفروش (labu seller) cart is deeply associated with cold evenings in Tehran and other Iranian cities. The deep purple stain it leaves on hands and lips is part of the experience.