Beryan is one of the traditional foods of Isfahan, but its reputation has spread around the globe since the old days.
Beryani is an adjective used to refer to the shops and restaurants serving beryan exclusively.
Beryan is a high-fat dish made with sheep meat and lung, and because of being hard to digest, it is most appropriately served as lunch.
During the Safavid period, the meat was chopped into pieces, and beryan was cooked in underground tandoors.
Later, in the Qajar era, tandoors were built on the ground in the form of compartments, like the ones used for baking sangak (one of the traditional breads of Iran), and beryan was prepared in large quantities and in spacious shops serving it exclusively, as mentioned in the travelogues of Tavernier and Jean Chardin.
In order to make beryan, lamb neck is boiled along with tail fat and onions, and the mixture is then minced.
Next, saffron, dried mint, salt and pepper are added, and it is usually minced one more time and then fried.
Finally, boiled and minced sheep lung is also fried and then served beside the meat mixture.
Slivered almonds, walnuts and cinnamon, which are used for garnishing purposes, make beryan even more delicious.
You can accompany your beryan with traditional bread.
In Isfahan, beryan is usually served with beryan broth, kashk sauce (made from drained sour yogurt), sangak bread, sabzi-khordan (a combination of fresh herbs and raw vegetables), and doogh (an Iranian chilled savoury yogurt-based beverage).
