When it comes to Tehran, it’s impossible to avoid politics and easy to overlook the Iranian city’s thriving culinary scene. In our first installment of The MUNCHIES Guide to Tehran, our host Gelareh Kiazand introduces us to the bustling street food offerings in the city. We begin our journey at the capital city’s Grand Bazaar, since that’s where commodities first arrive. Gelareh beelines for the market’s food stands, where she samples dried fruits and nuts while waiting out the line at Moslem Restaurant, frequented by up to 5,000 kebab connoisseurs daily—well worth it for her favorite tah chin.
At the more modest and bygone Tajrish Bazaar, she’s the proverbial kid in a candy store, wading through copper and carpet vendors in search of sweet snacks, such as grape molasses and lavasak (fruit leather).