Fesenjān

Fesenjān
A bowl of chicken fesenjān, with Persian rice topped by tahdig
Alternative namesFesenjan, Fesenjoon
TypeStew
CourseMain course
Place of origin Iran (Gilan)
Region or state Iran
Associated cuisineIranian cuisine
Created byIranians
Main ingredientsPomegranate juice, walnuts, poultry (duck or chicken)
VariationsLamb meatballs

Fesenjān (Persian: فسنجان; also called Fesenjoon in Tehrani dialect) is a sweet and sour Iranian stew (a khoresh). The roots of this Persian delicacy trace back to the Sassanid Persia's golden age. It is typically served over rice in the Iranian manner. In Iran, it is made with minced meat (lamb, sheep or beef), meatballs, chicken or duck. Like other khoresh stews served over rice, fesenjan is common also to Iraqi cuisine through Iranian pilgrims visiting Shia sites such as Imam Husayn shrine. As a festive dish for special occasions, it has become part of Jewish Rosh Hashannah celebrations, even though the typology of Jewish ethnic cuisines is imprecise. In Azerbaijan, where it called fisincan plov, the stew is made with lamb meatballs instead of poultry.