"A hidden gem in the Chapel Hill area"
Upon learning that there was a Persian establishment located right here in Chapel Hill, our club was intrigued. Before visiting Rumi Persian Café, none of the members of our team truly had an idea of what Persian cuisine was. However, after tasting the food and learning about its background, we realized that in theory, we may have had experiences that have had close ties to Persian cuisine, and you might have too. When considering the historical geography of Persia, you immediately think of the powerful Persian Empire that stretched over many different present territories. Persia’s influence reached what’s currently known as Greece, Turkey, Iran and India and much more, and even though each of these areas now has their own unique cuisine, it all stems from the same place: Persia.
Fast forward to present day, head chef Mehti Hagshenas opened Rumi inside the Blue Dogwood Market, a small food court-esque building that holds many different unique food stalls right off of West Franklin Street. With the hopes of bringing Persian flavors to Chapel Hill and adding to the already diverse market, Hagshenas opened Rumi Persian Café. The Iranian-centric restaurant looks to provide true and authentic Persian food. With the market being so tucked away, it truly makes the building and this establishment a gem of the town.
Chef Hagshenas works very hard to make sure that he can deliver the most genuine Persian experience through his cooking. Persian food is meant to be healthy, medicinal, and have healing properties. At Rumi, Hagshenas uses ingredients that are local to the NC area and are considered in season. He uses chicken from Zebulon, NC and is a frequent visitor of many farmers markets, as he likes to support local businesses. He only uses healthy oils like avocado oil to keep the food light. Rumi provides an authentic Persian experience, as Chef Hagshenas keeps the techniques as traditional as was once passed down from earlier generations of family.
Persian food certainly meets the varying food preferences of our Bite the Globe members and reaches the mission of the club to showcase culturally diverse cuisines. We were able to indulge in various poultry, lamb and vegetarian dishes during our Persian experience. The commonality between all the dishes was the bold flavor and lightness of the food which was apparent because of the healthier cooking techniques. The meat dishes are staples of Rumi and in general, Persian cuisine.
The Fessen Joon (pomegranate chicken)
is certainly a dish that must be tried. This dish balances sweet and savory, with the tender chicken covered with a pomegranate sauce and Persian spices that cuts into the sweetness, yet not masking the flavor of the fresh pomegranate, balancing all the flavors beautifully.
The Saffron Chicken
speaks to the legitimacy of the ingredients used. Most restaurants won’t use fresh saffron as it is too expensive, but Rumi does use fresh saffron!
The Lamb shank
might be considered the most popular item on the menu. The meat had a turmeric rub and was braised for many hours. It was served on the bone but fell off the bone because of how tender the meat was. Again, the lightness of the dish caught us by surprise and drove us to eat more!
The Khoresh (Persian stews) are dishes that truly encapsulate the unique flavors and styles of Persian cooking. These stews allow the cooking to be extremely flexible and demonstrates the broad spectrum of flavors that the cuisine can present. The Khoresh can either be meat-based or strictly vegetarian.
Khoresh-e Geimeh
was a tomato based stew with yellow split peas. The dish was flavored with cilantro, parsley, chives, dried fenugreek leaves, turmeric, and dried limes. Because of the combination of ingredients, we were able to understand that there was a particular texture that was needed in a good Khoresh.
Koresh-e Bademjan
is a mixture of eggplant and tomatoes which brought out the flavors of the individual ingredients, but had less of a firm texture. There are also stews that contain lamb which is a great option for people looking for other meat options.
Meatballs
While Chef Hagshenas certainly looks to keep Persian tradition at Rumi, he certainly isn’t afraid to modernize and add his own spin on the food. The main example of this is the meatball dish. They are made of a mixture of beef and lamb. The meatballs are more of an Italian style than Persian because Hagshenas’ pulled from his past of living in Italy. While it looks like an Italian meatball, the techniques are Persian, using a spice blend with turmeric and cooking it in avocado oil, giving it a lighter feel, while bringing out the individual flavor of the meat to a higher degree. This is one way to show that Persian food can be progressive and can be elevated!
In the future, Rumi is looking to add the Persian kabobs to their menu. Chef Hagshenas is all in on keeping his restaurant updated and new for new and returning customers! Rumi is certainly a fantastic addition to an already diverse food culture in Chapel Hill. It is also a business that wants to look after the people of its community. There is a 10% student discount, so it certainly helps you save a little money! Otherwise, it is overall a great place to enjoy the taste of healthy and delicious Persian food!
(Contributions made by Alex Santhuff, Anjie Lynch, Christian Hansen, Judy Cheng, Kasha Seltzer)
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