What it means
تره (tareh) refers to a group of edible allium greens, primarily leek and garlic chives, that are fundamental to Persian cooking. The word is native Persian, descending from Middle Persian tarrag (meaning “vegetable”), itself from the older form tarr (meaning wet or moist), related to the modern Persian adjective تر (tar). In Persian culinary vocabulary, tareh is one of the core سبزی (sabzi) herbs that forms the base of dishes like ghormeh sabzi and kuku sabzi. Note that tareh is distinct from پیازچه (piazche), which is spring onion: tareh has a flatter leaf and a slightly stronger, garlicky edge.
How to use it
- تره رو نگیر، قورمهسبزی با تره درست میشه. (tareh ro nagir, ghormeh sabzi ba tareh dorost mishe.) “Don’t skip the tareh, ghormeh sabzi is made with it.”
- یه کیلو تره بخر. (ye kilo tareh bekhar.) “Buy a kilogram of tareh.”
- تره رو خوب بشور بعد خرد کن. (tareh ro khub beshur ba’d khord kon.) “Wash the tareh well, then chop it.”
- کوکوی تره خیلی خوشمزهست. (kukuye tareh kheyli khoshmazast.) “Tareh frittata is very tasty.”
Cultural note
Tareh is one of the herbs that defines the flavour profile of Persian cuisine. Ghormeh sabzi, often called Iran’s national stew, relies on a mixture that typically includes tareh alongside parsley, fenugreek leaves, and dried fenugreek. Every spring before Nowruz, Iranian households purchase bundles of fresh herbs to prepare kuku sabzi, a herb-dense egg dish eaten as part of the New Year celebration, and tareh is always among the core ingredients. The herb is inexpensive and available year-round at Iranian greengrocer stalls (sabzi-foroushi).