Heimat #4: Ghormeh Sabzi (Houryar Esmaeili, Iran/Germany) starting in June
Heimat doesn’t translate. And perhaps it doesn’t need to. It isn’t a concrete place, but a feeling, something that lives in memory, through smell, taste, and texture. All of us carry it, none of us need to agree on it.
Each month, we cook a classic that tastes like one kind of Heimat – across different kitchens and biographies – inspired by the people we live and work with in Berlin, grounded in the produce of our region.
Heimat #4: Ghormeh Sabzi (Houryar Esmaeili, Iran/Germany)
So far, our Heimat series has largely drawn from the extended Nobelhart cultural sphere. With the fourth instalment, we’re finally making good on our promise to look beyond what you might call “potato Europe.” From Tuesday to Thursday starting on the 2nd of June until the 9th of July, we’ll be serving Ghormeh Sabzi, a classic Persian braise of lamb and herbs, for which Berlin-based artist Houryar Esmaeili – born to Iranian parents, raised in the Saarland – acts as our patron.
Calling Ghormeh Sabzi a “stew” may be technically correct, but it also doesn’t quite seem to do it justice. Because one thing became clear very quickly during our trial runs in the Nobelhart kitchen: what develops over the course of the nearly four hours that a good Ghormeh Sabzi needs is a stunning depth as well as an unusually fragrant, evocative aroma that stays with you.
That is mostly thanks to the sheer volume of fresh herbs that form the basis of the dish: parsley, field leek, coriander, mint, dill, and, above all, fenugreek greens, which, one might argue, are something of a character-defining note in the dish’s complex flavour profile. This intensely green base meets lamb – from Jakob Hermühlen of Schäferei Hullerbusch – along with beans and dried limes that add a subtle, gently sour note. We’ll be serving it with its traditional accompaniment of toasted rice.
© Ann-Sophie Raemisch
For Houryar, this dish carries a very personal meaning:
“When I was a child and got to choose a dish,” Houryar writes, “this was always it. I loved the smell, the dedication my mother put into preparing it. It could easily take half a day.”
“Ghormeh Sabzi has always given me a very distinct feeling. As the child of parents from Iran, and the only one in my family born in Germany, it was above all in my mother’s kitchen that I found a sense of home, of Heimat. For my parents and my sister, it was also a connection to their roots. But for all of us, it was simply good, nourishing food. Sharing it with guests and friends was at the core of our cultural identity, and always a moment in which I felt a kind of intangible wealth that is hard to describe. It would be a precious gift if the journey of this dish – from Iran to Germany, from my mother’s hands to mine, and now to the Nobelhart team – could be seen, tasted, and felt. Thinking about that, and being part of it, fills me with deep gratitude.”
As a very special addition to the experience, each guest will receive a small booklet containing four poems by Houryar himself. In his own way, he connects them to this dish – and who knows, perhaps they open up another layer of what Heimat is, or might be.
What:
Heimat #4: Ghormeh Sabzi (Houryar Esmaeili, Iran/Germany)
When:
Tuesday to Thursday from June 2, 2026 until Thursday, July 9, 2026.
6:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
9:00 p.m. – end
Price:
€ 59.00 per person for a plate of Ghormeh Sabzi with rice (with an extra helping if you like) plus our parting provision and Brita-filtered water (still or sparkling) and the booklet of poems.
You’re more than welcome to order bread and butter or additional dishes from our current menu.
Booking:
Via the link.
If you’re bringing veggie friends along, we’ll be happy to offer an alternative from the menu. The Ghormeh Sabzi itself is not available in a vegetarian version. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do without the following allergens: legumes, dairy.
Drinks:
Drink whatever suits you – our drinks menu is extensive, our cellars well stocked, and we’re always happy to recommend something. We have a selection of exciting bottles and wines by the glass ready to go. There are also alcohol-free options available, such as our quince / hay juice by Stefan Vetter from Franconia, Germany.
Heimat #4: Ghormeh Sabzi (Houryar Esmaeili, Iran/Germany) starting in June
Each month, we cook a classic that tastes like one kind of Heimat – across different kitchens and biographies – inspired by the people we live and work with in Berlin, grounded in the produce of our region.
Heimat #4: Ghormeh Sabzi (Houryar Esmaeili, Iran/Germany)
So far, our Heimat series has largely drawn from the extended Nobelhart cultural sphere. With the fourth instalment, we’re finally making good on our promise to look beyond what you might call “potato Europe.” From Tuesday to Thursday starting on the 2nd of June until the 9th of July, we’ll be serving Ghormeh Sabzi, a classic Persian braise of lamb and herbs, for which Berlin-based artist Houryar Esmaeili – born to Iranian parents, raised in the Saarland – acts as our patron.
Calling Ghormeh Sabzi a “stew” may be technically correct, but it also doesn’t quite seem to do it justice. Because one thing became clear very quickly during our trial runs in the Nobelhart kitchen: what develops over the course of the nearly four hours that a good Ghormeh Sabzi needs is a stunning depth as well as an unusually fragrant, evocative aroma that stays with you.
That is mostly thanks to the sheer volume of fresh herbs that form the basis of the dish: parsley, field leek, coriander, mint, dill, and, above all, fenugreek greens, which, one might argue, are something of a character-defining note in the dish’s complex flavour profile. This intensely green base meets lamb – from Jakob Hermühlen of Schäferei Hullerbusch – along with beans and dried limes that add a subtle, gently sour note. We’ll be serving it with its traditional accompaniment of toasted rice.
© Ann-Sophie Raemisch
For Houryar, this dish carries a very personal meaning:
“When I was a child and got to choose a dish,” Houryar writes, “this was always it. I loved the smell, the dedication my mother put into preparing it. It could easily take half a day.”
“Ghormeh Sabzi has always given me a very distinct feeling. As the child of parents from Iran, and the only one in my family born in Germany, it was above all in my mother’s kitchen that I found a sense of home, of Heimat. For my parents and my sister, it was also a connection to their roots. But for all of us, it was simply good, nourishing food. Sharing it with guests and friends was at the core of our cultural identity, and always a moment in which I felt a kind of intangible wealth that is hard to describe. It would be a precious gift if the journey of this dish – from Iran to Germany, from my mother’s hands to mine, and now to the Nobelhart team – could be seen, tasted, and felt. Thinking about that, and being part of it, fills me with deep gratitude.”
As a very special addition to the experience, each guest will receive a small booklet containing four poems by Houryar himself. In his own way, he connects them to this dish – and who knows, perhaps they open up another layer of what Heimat is, or might be.
What:
Heimat #4: Ghormeh Sabzi (Houryar Esmaeili, Iran/Germany)
When:
Tuesday to Thursday from June 2, 2026 until Thursday, July 9, 2026.
6:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
9:00 p.m. – end
Price:
€ 59.00 per person for a plate of Ghormeh Sabzi with rice (with an extra helping if you like) plus our parting provision and Brita-filtered water (still or sparkling) and the booklet of poems.
You’re more than welcome to order bread and butter or additional dishes from our current menu.
Booking:
Via the link.
If you’re bringing veggie friends along, we’ll be happy to offer an alternative from the menu. The Ghormeh Sabzi itself is not available in a vegetarian version. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do without the following allergens: legumes, dairy.
Drinks:
Drink whatever suits you – our drinks menu is extensive, our cellars well stocked, and we’re always happy to recommend something. We have a selection of exciting bottles and wines by the glass ready to go. There are also alcohol-free options available, such as our quince / hay juice by Stefan Vetter from Franconia, Germany.