Persian Dried Herbs Guide: Ghormeh Sabzi, Aush, Kookoo & More
Persian cooking uses dried herbs by design, not as a substitute for fresh — several signature dishes are built specifically around dried herb blends, and are named after them. This guide covers the pre-mixed blends behind Persian stews and rice dishes, the individual herbs sold on their own, a few traditional herbs used for tea and old customs, and the food science behind why dried herbs behave the way they do in the pan.
Persian Herb Blends for Cooking
These are pre-mixed dried herb blends, each formulated for one specific classic dish — no chopping or guessing proportions.
Ghormeh Sabzi Herb
A blend of parsley, cilantro, chives, and fenugreek leaf, dried and mixed specifically for ghormeh sabzi, Iran’s national herb stew. Browse the dried herbs range — the ready-mixed ghormeh sabzi blend sells out regularly, but dried fenugreek, the one component hardest to find in a US supermarket, is stocked separately.
Aush Herb
The herb blend for aush (ash) — Persian noodle and bean soups like ash reshteh — with a mix suited to a heartier, herb-forward broth. Shop aush herb.
Kookoo Herb
The blend behind kuku sabzi, the Persian herb frittata — a fine-cut mix designed to bind well with egg. Shop kookoo herb.
Polo Herb
A blend for herbed rice (sabzi polo) — traditionally served with fish, especially around Nowruz. Shop polo herb.
Individual Dried Herbs
Sold on their own for recipes that call for just one herb, or for cooks who prefer to build their own blend.
Fenugreek Herb (Shanbalileh)
Dried fenugreek leaf, the herb that gives ghormeh sabzi its distinctive slightly bitter, aromatic edge. Shop fenugreek herb.
Leek Herb (Tareh)
Dried leek greens, used in ash reshteh and other herb-forward soups for a mild, oniony depth. Shop leek herb.
Mint Herb (Nana)
Dried mint, a staple garnish and flavoring — sprinkled over soups, mixed into yogurt dips, or steeped for tea. Shop mint herb.
Dill Herb (Shevid)
Dried dill, best known for baghala ghatogh (fava bean and dill stew) and dill rice. Shop dill herb.
Traditional Herbs for Tea & Custom
Not cooking herbs — these are dried plants used in Persian households for tea, aromatic infusions, and long-standing customs.
Esfand (Peganum Harmala)
اسفند — Wild rue seeds, traditionally burned as incense in Persian households as a custom believed to ward off the evil eye (nazar), especially at gatherings or a new home. Not used in cooking. Shop esfand (peganum harmala).
Khakshir (Flixweed)
خاکشیر — Tiny flixweed seeds, traditionally soaked and mixed with water, sugar, and rose water or lime to make a cooling drink, especially in hot weather. Shop khakshir (flixweed).
Golgavzaban (Borage)
گل گاوزبان — Dried borage flowers, steeped into a calming herbal tea often reached for to help with sleep and stress. Shop golgavzaban (borage).
Dried Orange Blossom
Dried orange blossom petals, steeped for a fragrant floral tea — a milder, more delicate alternative to rose petal tea. It sells out periodically; the herbs category lists it whenever it is back in stock.
Why Persian Cooking Uses Dried Herbs Deliberately
In most Western cooking, dried herbs are a compromise — what you use when fresh is unavailable. In Persian cooking that logic is often reversed: ghormeh sabzi and ash-e reshteh are traditionally built on dried herb blends, and the result is not a lesser version of a fresh-herb dish. It is a different dish.
The reason is what drying does chemically. Research on herb drying shows it causes both quantitative and qualitative changes in volatile organic compounds — some compounds degrade or are lost, others become proportionally more prominent, and new compounds form that were not present in the fresh plant. Drying does not simply subtract; it shifts the aromatic profile. That shifted, deeper, less green profile is precisely what a long-simmered Persian stew is built around.
Why Traditional Persian Herbs Are Shade-Dried
Not all drying is equal, and traditional practice landed on the method the research supports. Studies comparing drying methods have found that sun drying causes significant losses of the major essential-oil compounds relative to fresh material, while shade drying preserves them substantially better — and that raising the drying temperature consistently reduces essential oil content. Volatile aromatic compounds are among the most heat-sensitive components in any dried plant material.
Shade drying is slower and needs more space, which is why it costs more than blasting herbs with heat. It is also why a good dried Persian herb blend still smells distinctly of the herb when you open the bag, and a cheap one smells mostly of hay.
The Step Most Recipes Underplay: Frying the Herbs
Dried Persian herbs are almost never added straight into liquid. The traditional method is to fry them in oil first — for ghormeh sabzi, until the mixture darkens noticeably and turns nutty and fragrant, which can take ten minutes or more of patient, medium-low cooking.
This is not an optional flourish. Frying drives the browning reactions that develop the deep, savoury character of the finished stew, and it is the single most common reason a home-made ghormeh sabzi tastes flat and grassy: the herbs were added to the pot before they were properly cooked. If you take one technique away from this guide, take that one.
How to Store Dried Herbs
The same volatility that makes dried herbs aromatic makes them perishable in a specific way: they do not spoil, they fade. Heat, light and air progressively drive off and degrade the volatile compounds that carry the aroma. Store blends airtight, away from the stove and out of direct light, and buy quantities you will use within months rather than years — a two-year-old bag of sabzi is safe to eat and largely pointless to cook with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between ghormeh sabzi herb and aush herb?
Both are pre-mixed dried herb blends, but each is formulated for a different dish — ghormeh sabzi herb (parsley, cilantro, chives, fenugreek) for the classic herb stew, and aush herb for heartier noodle and bean soups like ash reshteh.
What is esfand used for?
Esfand (wild rue seeds) is traditionally burned as incense in Persian households, a custom believed to ward off the evil eye. It’s not a cooking ingredient.
How do you use khakshir (flixweed seeds)?
Soak the seeds in water until they swell and turn gel-like, then mix with sugar and rose water or lime juice for a traditional cooling summer drink.
Why do Persian recipes call for dried herbs instead of fresh?
Because drying changes the aromatic profile rather than just weakening it. Research on herb drying shows volatile compounds degrade, shift in proportion, and in some cases form entirely new compounds — producing a deeper, less green character that suits long-simmered stews. Dishes like ghormeh sabzi are built around that dried profile, so fresh herbs give a different result rather than a better one.
Do I need to fry dried herbs before adding them?
For stews like ghormeh sabzi, yes. Frying dried herbs in oil until they darken and smell nutty — often ten minutes or more over medium-low heat — develops the browning reactions that give the dish its depth. Adding them straight to liquid is the most common reason a homemade ghormeh sabzi tastes flat and grassy.
How long do dried herbs stay good?
They stay safe far longer than they stay useful. Heat, light and air gradually drive off the volatile compounds that carry the aroma, so a blend kept airtight and away from the stove is best used within months. If a bag no longer smells distinctly of the herb when opened, it will not contribute much to the dish.
Can I substitute one Persian herb blend for another?
Not really — each blend is proportioned for its specific dish. Using kookoo herb in ghormeh sabzi, for example, will give a noticeably different flavor and texture than the dish traditionally has.
Sources
- A review of drying methods for improving the quality of dried herbs — Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Effects of drying method and temperature on herb quality and volatile retention.
- Effects of drying methods on qualitative and quantitative properties of essential oil of two basil landraces — comparison of shade, sun, oven and freeze drying on essential oil yield and composition.
This article covers the culinary use and food science of Persian herbs. It is general information, not medical advice. Some traditional items listed here (such as esfand) are used ceremonially rather than as food.
Shop All Persian Herbs
Browse the complete range of authentic Persian herbs and herb blends at Goaldees (also searched as Goldis), shipped fresh, nationwide across the US. Shop the full Persian herbs collection.
