Many of the food customs are similar everywhere in the country. For example, in both northern and southern Iran, food is eaten with one’s hand and a piece of bread instead of using utensils. Rice is an important staple in Iran, and it is a part of almost every meal in both the north and the south. Another similarity between the north and south is eating fish, since both areas are near seas: the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south.