In Iran, traditional food is distributed as Nazri (free food), like Ghorme Sabzi or Adas Polo, but the most traditional meal prepared for distribution is Gheymeh or Gheymeh Nazri (also the predominant food for Ashura in Iraq). The food is considered holy for anyone who eats it or makes it. It is given free by individuals and private groups as a way of completing an offering made to God in honor of Hussein’s martyrdom. Often cooked in enormous copper pots over wood-burning fires, and then served in disposable containers that litter city sidewalks for weeks, the food is believed to have benefits both physical and spiritual.
