Fresh-pressed carrot juice, vivid orange and naturally sweet, sometimes brightened with a squeeze of citrus or a faint warmth of cinnamon. It is a staple of Iran's street-corner juice bars, drunk on its own as a refreshing, vitamin-rich glass or used as the base for the popular carrot-juice-and-ice-cream float. Served cold, simple and unsweetened beyond the carrots' own sugar.
Carrot juice is a mainstay of the aab-mive-foroushi, the fresh-juice shops that line busy streets in Iranian cities and press fruit and vegetable juices to order. The carrot has been cultivated across the Iranian plateau for centuries, and the orange variety familiar today is itself thought to have been bred from earlier purple and yellow Persian and Central Asian stock. Drunk plain or built into the carrot-juice float with a scoop of saffron ice cream, it is everyday street fare rather than a dish with a fixed origin.
Thick, smooth and intensely sweet, with the clean earthy-bright flavor of raw carrot and none of the cooked dullness. A squeeze of lime or orange sharpens it; a pinch of cinnamon rounds it warm. It drinks heavier than a thin fruit juice — almost a snack — and leaves the lips faintly orange. Best ice-cold straight from the press.
Pressing raw carrots releases their juice while the pulp and fiber are left behind, concentrating the natural sugars and the orange beta-carotene into a dense, sweet liquid. Because it is never heated, the fresh flavor and the heat-sensitive vitamins stay intact, but the juice oxidizes and dulls within minutes, which is why juice bars press it to order and serve it at once. A touch of acid from citrus slows browning and lifts the flavor.
Variations
Often served entirely plain; common additions are a squeeze of lime or sweet orange, a pinch of cinnamon, or a little honey for those who want it sweeter. Blended with milk it becomes a creamy carrot smoothie, and floated with a scoop of bastani ice cream it becomes the beloved ab-havij bastani. Some shops mix it half-and-half with orange or melon juice.
On the Palate
Where Aab-e Havij sits in the Persian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 2How it's made
6 steps · 10 min
- 13 min
Wash fresh carrots and peel them, trimming off the tops.
- 22 min
Cut the carrots into pieces that fit the juicer feed.
- 33 min
Press the carrots through a juicer to extract the juice.
Watch outPress to order and serve at once — never heated, the fresh flavor and vitamins stay intact but the juice oxidizes and dulls within minutes.
- 41 min
Strain through a fine sieve if a smoother juice is preferred.
- 51 min
Stir in a squeeze of lime or a pinch of cinnamon if using.
- 60 min
Pour over ice or chill, and serve cold at once.
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