Attentive readers will know that since late last year, Mr Purple Teeth and I have been challenging our horizons with #virtualtravel #armchairadventures. We've experienced some fantastic wine and food simply by selecting a couple of numbers to represent a latitude and longitude then using the power of the internet to help us "explore".
Where we can, we try to select appropriate food and drink, to help us experience what the place might offer, were we to visit for real. Basically, it's a mini-holiday without leaving the comfort of your home town.
Where we can, we try to select appropriate food and drink, to help us experience what the place might offer, were we to visit for real. Basically, it's a mini-holiday without leaving the comfort of your home town.
Shiraz has long been a favourite at Chateau Purple Teeth, but tonight's Shiraz was a very different kind - an alcohol free wine blog!
As unlikely destinations go, Shiraz in Iran is right up there in terms of being not likely to visit. That makes it ideal for #virtualtravel. The Islamic government have all but eradicated alcohol from Iran, therefore, we selected to visit Shiraz on a day when I'd had a migraine and didn't feel too aggrieved about having a night off the sauce.
It looks amazing. We watched this documentary to explore Iran as far as a tourist can. From this, we decided that Tehran, Esfahan and Shiraz look like interesting places to visit, though the lack of wine means they're unlikely to ever make it to the top of our list...
Shiraz is the capital of Fars Province in and is one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia. It has a population of around 1.5 million and sits in the southwest of Iran on the seasonal river, Roodkhaneye Khoshk.
itself is not the home of the Shiraz grape, whose origins are felt to lie in the Northern Rhone, where the grape is known as Syrah. In fact, when Shiraz wine was produced (and it was reputedly rather good) it was actually white, and could be either dry or sweet.
Based on what we could rummage up, we created a kind of grilled chicken kebab, but served with white rice with mixed dried fruits and some nuts, along with a salad which was predominantly made of fresh coriander, then added pomegranate seeds for good measure.
If I say so myself, it was delicious. We chose to pass on the drinks ideas we'd found in wikipedia, as salted yoghurt mixed with sparkling water didn't seem like a fitting Sunday night beverage. Feel free to try it yourself.
itself is not the home of the Shiraz grape, whose origins are felt to lie in the Northern Rhone, where the grape is known as Syrah. In fact, when Shiraz wine was produced (and it was reputedly rather good) it was actually white, and could be either dry or sweet.
Based on what we could rummage up, we created a kind of grilled chicken kebab, but served with white rice with mixed dried fruits and some nuts, along with a salad which was predominantly made of fresh coriander, then added pomegranate seeds for good measure.
If I say so myself, it was delicious. We chose to pass on the drinks ideas we'd found in wikipedia, as salted yoghurt mixed with sparkling water didn't seem like a fitting Sunday night beverage. Feel free to try it yourself.
After eating, we watched the excellent film Argo about the siege of the American Embassy in Tehran. Hardly the most representative way to learn about Iran, but Ben Affleck is great in the movie and it's worth seeing. Instead of movie night popcorn, we treated ourselves to the finest pitted Medjool Dates. They are basically toffees your doctor would approve of, and were a fitting end to our Iranian #armchairadventure.
Our next virtual destination is North Dakota, and we've been stalling, since that region too, is not exactly famous for wine and cuisine. But we shall report after our trip. Meanwhile, we're desperately trying to find some wine from Germany's Baden Wurttemberg, the sight of the next "trip".
We'd love to hear what you think of our #virtualtravel on our Facebook page, or, leave comments on the blog below.
Cheers!
Our next virtual destination is North Dakota, and we've been stalling, since that region too, is not exactly famous for wine and cuisine. But we shall report after our trip. Meanwhile, we're desperately trying to find some wine from Germany's Baden Wurttemberg, the sight of the next "trip".
We'd love to hear what you think of our #virtualtravel on our Facebook page, or, leave comments on the blog below.
Cheers!
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