Geisi Polow

Name: Geisi Polow
Yield: serves 6
Ingredients: 2 cups basmati rice; 6 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 pound lean lamb, cut into small cubes; Salt and pepper; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 3/4–1 cup tart dried apricots, cut in half; 2 tablespoons black or golden raisins

December 9, 2011

Apricots have a particular affinity with lamb. The early Arab Abbasid dynasty, centered in Baghdad, adopted the combination from the old Persian Empire that preceded it and created a series of dishes on the theme which they called mishmishiya (see page 255), mishmish being the Arab word for “apricot.” Apricot is still a favorite partner to lamb in modern Iran. The rest of the Middle East has adopted it to a lesser degree. You need a tart, natural variety of apricots, not a sweetened one.

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