Sea and what lives inside it have a remarkable presence in all cultural aspects of society in coastal and port lands. The spectacular Qeshm Island is not an exception. In addition to the economy of the region in which the maritime trade plays a pivotal role, different kinds of handicrafts and local foods are also produced here using various fish, shrimp, seashell, coral, etc.
Ziboon is one of the local cuisines of Qeshm which is also popular and famous in other cities of the province, Hormozgan. The main combination in this food is made of fish and rice to which some other materials and additives are added. The closest food to Ziboon, in terms of cooking way, is Tahchin, because both of them are made through putting different layers of materials together.
The first step in cooking Ziboon in cutting fish into small or large pieces and then, flavoring them with additives. The next step is preparing a mixture of fried sliced potato, onion, tomato and additives and draining rice inside another pot. In order to cook the food, a little oil is poured at the bottom of the pot to fry local Tomoshi bread which is then spread inside the hot oil. Tomoshi is a famous local bread in Qeshm with added cheese and egg to its paste which is finally covered by a sauce named Mahyaveh.
Three layers of the food which are now prepared include rice, materials, and fish pieces. They are put on each other in order. For flavoring this delicious cuisine of Qeshm Island, some local aromatic vegetables are used beside the ordinary additives. The vegetables are also used in mixture of the rice. Ziboon is a formal and trendy food which is commonly served in religious events and mourning days. In addition, people in this region tend to serve Ziboon in very special events of Qeshm well-known as Nowruz Sayyad Ceremony, Qibla Prayer Ritual and zār cult to host others.
Another way of cooking Ziboon is by putting large pieces of fish at the bottom of pot and pouring the rest of materials over the fish. Since the fish is placed at the bottom and consequently fried and flavored separately, the taste of fish is not felt in the whole food and this way, even those who do not like fish can enjoy the food.
What is amazing about cooking this traditional cuisine is that one of its specific additives is made of red soil! Ziboon along with Havari are two main formal and reputed cuisines is the region of Hormozgan which must be tasted.