Kale Pache | khash, one of the strangest traditional dishes of Iran. The love and passion of Iranians for traditional Iranian foods is clear and tangible to everyone; among them, there may be people who are not very interested in some of these foods and even call them inhuman foods.

You could include the kele pache, but almost everyone who have tried this traditional and famous Iranian food has become interested and fascinated by it.

The unit of counting is a “Dast”, and each dast contains one head and four legs.

Some people have a habit of consuming extract juice as an appetizer. Eating this water with bread and a little orange or lemon juice is delicious and is a kind of Abgoosht.

Ingredients for making Kale Pache

Sheep’s head	1 pc
Sheep’s feet (pache)	4 pcs
Onion	1 large pc
Chickpeas (optional)	100 grams
Fresh lime juice	5 tablespoons
Cinnamon sticks	2 pcs
Garlic	2 cloves
Ginger	½ teaspoon
Salt, black pepper and turmeric	As much as needed

Recipe for making Kale Pache

The first stage

To prepare kale pache, we must first clean the sheep. We washed the head and legs well and then hit the head firmly on the ground several times to remove the waste completely from inside the sheep’s nose.

The second stage

We can also use a brush or toothbrush to clean sheep’s teeth. Next, to remove the very fine hair on the head, we put it on heat and then clean the frizzy and burnt hair with a knife.

• Note that a non-edible gland is inside the sheep’s brain, which must be removed first after the kale pache is prepared. The brain’s tissue is soft, and we can easily find this gland, which is the size of a lentil.

The third stage

At this stage, we rewash the head until the blackness on the skin of the head is completely removed, then we rinse it and put it aside.

Next, we cut the onion into small pieces and put it in a large pot.

The fourth stage

Now we add a little oil and fry the onion well until it becomes light, then we grate the garlic and add it to the pot. We fry the garlic for a minute or two until its aroma comes out.

The fifth stage

At this stage, add ginger, cinnamon stick, black pepper, and turmeric to the pot.

Fry the ingredients for a minute until the spices’ aroma comes out. Next, slowly add the Kale pache to the pot.

The sixth stage

Now, we add enough water to the pot so that the water level is above the level of the sheep’s head.

Next, we add lemon juice. We increase the heat under the pot to the end so the water starts boiling faster.

The seventh stage

After the water reaches the boiling point, we take the foam from the water and throw it away. 

This prevents the khash from having a fetid smell at the end of cooking. After we obliterate the foams, we turn the heat to the lowest possible level.

The eighth stage

Now, we have to give it 8 hours to cook the kale pache and slowly release its oil. In the meantime, put the chickpeas in a bowl and add enough water to cover them, then set aside to soak.

The ninth stage

At this stage, 2 hours before the end of cooking the kale pacheh, we rinse the chickpeas and add them to the pot. One hour before the end of cooking, we add salt and remove the cinnamon stick from the pot.

The tenth stage

After the kale pache are completely cooked, remove the water from the pot and filter it until it becomes completely clear, then return it to the pot and let it cook with the khash for another 20 minutes till we extract its oil.

The eleventh stage

In the end, we collect the oil collected on the water’s surface with a ladle, put it in a small pot along with some cinnamon powder, and heat it on high heat until it starts to boil.

The twelfth stage

Now, take the pot off the heat. Next, we clean the heads and legs (pache) and put them in a large dish.

Then, we pour the head and legs broth into a bowl and some of the oil and cinnamon mixtures into each bowl of broth.

Golden tips for having the best Khash

Do not add salt to the kale pache in the early stages of cooking; adding salt will cause it to cook late.

To make the kale pacheh easier to digest, you can add coriander seeds, turmeric, cardamom, mint, and other hot spices.

Adding chickpeas to the food in the process of preparing the kale pache makes it glazed and removes its bad smell.

To avoid crushing the sheep’s brain (maghz), add it to the pot in the last hour of cooking.

In order for the kale pache to have a better taste and the meat to be easily separated from the bone, let the food cook with a low flame.

Having a journey in the history of Kale Pache

The history of Kale Pache goes back to 4000 years ago. In the latest discoveries of archaeologists, which took place in 2013, three kilometers away from the city of Sankhvast in North Khorasan, they discovered a four-thousand-year-old skull next to an ancient grave.

It should be mentioned that this news is according to the news received from the archeology board of Iran and Italy, that during their searches in an area called “Chalo,” the result of the excavations carried out In this city, there are 2 graves that are related to 3,700 to 4,200 years ago, and in each of them, the remains of a kale pache were inside.

This shows that khash was probably the popular food of the people of that time, given to them after death. 

According to this evidence, it can be concluded that Kale Pache was an ancient and popular food among Iranians, cooked and consumed for many years. 

But the interesting thing is that now Iranians are not the only fans of this delicious food, and this food is served in most parts of the world, places like Norway, Turkey, Bulgaria, and even the South Caucasus.

More interestingly, on Christmas Eve, Norwegians have a custom of eating the Kale Pache, so it is part of their custom that they eat the ears and eyes first.

If you are one of those people who think that the history of Kale Pache is only for Iranians, we must say that you are very wrong. 

This traditional dish is very famous and popular among the people of the Middle East, South Caucasus, and Norway.

In general, kale pacheh is prepared by cooking sheep’s heads and legs, and its other components include ears, tongue, brain, face meat, and legs. 

Cooking the kale pache is also done in dizi form and takes time.

Some people consume kale pache with lemon juice and cinnamon for easier digestion. 

The right time to eat this food is in the morning (Dawn) because of the high cholesterol and fat content.

What is the work of tabbakhi? And how do they work?

Tabakhis are places where this food (Kale Pache) is prepared and served, and a tabbakh is a Chef who is able to prepare Kale pache in the best way. Preparing an incredibly delicious offal is something that cooks are busy with.

The raw materials, which include the head, ears, legs, tongue, brain, eyes, etc., should get to the cook (tabbakh) in the morning, and the cook’s duty is to clean it well and prepare it for cooking by noon.

You can also drink a delicious meat broth (abgoosht) with the juice of this delicious dish as an appetizer, which some people eat with bitter orange.

This delicious food is pleasant and full of energy, but it has a lot of fat, and those with high blood fat and gout should avoid eating it.

The advantages of the Kale Pache

Kale Pache is considered a high-energy and high-protein food. The protein in it is useful for the growth and repair of many body tissues.

Sheep’s tongue (Zaboon | Zaban) is rich in vitamins of group B, especially vitamin B12, which has many beneficial effects on the body. For example, vitamin B12 plays a role in blood formation and nervous system function.

Sheep leg (Pache) has a cold nature and has properties such as blood thinning, laxative, healing of internal wounds and increasing breast milk. This food contains the nutrient coenzyme (Q10).

Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant. Also, the strength of cell function, stimulation of the immune system, improvement and control of blood pressure diseases, heart attack, Parkinson’s, types of cancer, etc. are other roles of coenzyme (Q10).

Disadvantages of kale pache consumption

Kale pache, despite having protein and vitamins, is rich in cholesterol and harmful fatty acids.

Cholesterol, as a fat that has the property of being deposited in the blood vessels of the body, among other factors, causes blockage and clogging of the arteries and causes the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and many other chronic diseases.

It should be noted that among the different components of kale pache, the brain of cows and sheep has more cholesterol; In such a way that sheep’s brain has cholesterol as much as eight egg yolks and is considered a very high-fat food.

Therefore, those who have high blood fat, cholesterol, and uric acid, and suffer from gout and kidney problems, should avoid consuming a lot of khash or kale pache.

Contrary to the general belief that kale pache is useful for people with joint problems and arthritis, the presence of saturated and trans fats in kale pache worsens the inflammation of these patients and its consumption is not recommended at all.

This food is very delicious, fatty and energetic; Therefore, those who have very high cholesterol, blood fat, and uric acid or who suffer from gout should avoid consuming khash.

Although kale pache is rich in nutrients and useful for the body, it contains a lot of cholesterol and fat.

Every 100 grams has 150 calories, and every 100 grams has 2000 kilos of cholesterol.

Cholesterol is a type of fat that, if it is not burned in the body with a lot of activity, is deposited in the walls of the arteries. This causes artery blockage, which in turn causes heart and brain attacks.

People who consumed these types of foods in the past were very active and burned all the calories and cholesterol of these foods in their daily activities, and because of this, they did not have any problems.

Unfortunately, today, we are facing the problem of inactivity among people in society, and the consumption of this type of food will cause many problems for consumers.

Etiquette of serving Kale Pache | Khash

You may be interested to know the customs for eating a historical and popular food like Kale Pache, some of which are still followed when eating Kale Pache.

In the old days, when a person entered a tabakhi, a shop assistant (garson) would lead him to a table to greet the customer.

Then, he would bring the customer a big tray or a large tray in the middle, of which there was a bowl of water from the kale pache and a little brain (maghz) oil.

The waiter would chop the bread of the customer’s choice And then prepare and serve the customer’s ordered meal in a dish.

If the customer of the kale pazi (tabbakhi) was a famous and high-ranking person, the tabbakhi owner (chef) would perform the customer’s rituals.

Of course, rich people didn’t always go to the kale pazi, and sometimes the poor and the needy entered the tabbakhi, and some of them settled for some brain juice by bargaining.

Tips for buying kale pache

Cheap giblets are actually goat or ewe kale paches, which do not have a good taste compared to sheep.

When buying, be aware that the colour of the animal’s brain is not proof of its health, but the colour of the brain is different because of the food that is given to the animal.

But if the brain is disintegrated or dried, the reason is that the head is old. If you sense the smell of infection and also an unnatural smell like rancidity, avoid buying that kale pache.

If you want to buy raw kale pache, be sure to get it from centers whose packaging bears the Ministry of Health seal and the date of production.

Conclusion

Thank you for being with us with this delicious and traditional food. If you have any questions, it’s my honor to answer. Enjoy your exploration of Persian cuisine!

Kale pache is one of those traditional Iranian foods that are rich in nutrients, but excessive consumption is harmful.

I hope enjoy your great meal and share your experience with us. Please share this article with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media. 🧡

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