پنیر

What it means

پنیر (panir) means “cheese.” Native Persian word for any kind of cheese, though the most common Iranian cheese is the salted feta-style white cheese eaten at breakfast.

How to use it

• نان و پنیر می‌خورم (nân-o panir mikhoram) “I am eating bread and cheese”
• این پنیر شور است (in panir shur ast) “This cheese is salty”
• پنیر تازه (panir-e tâze) “fresh cheese”

Iranian breakfast

The classic Iranian breakfast (صبحانه ایرانی) features نان (bread), پنیر (cheese), گردو (walnuts), and چای (tea). The cheese is typically salty white feta-style. Variations include پنیر لیقوان (panir-e liqvân) from the Liqvan region of Tabriz, considered the gold standard.

Common pairings

• نان و پنیر (nân-o panir) “bread and cheese” (set phrase, breakfast)
• پنیر تازه (panir-e tâze) “fresh cheese”
• پنیر سفید (panir-e sefid) “white cheese”

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab