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.