Iranian (Persian) Cookbooks on Ashpazi-ye Irani (Persian Cuisine)

[Tan Can Cook]

I will start this topic with books on Ashpazi-ye Irani (Persian Cuisine) that are in my personal library. Then, in subsequent posts (where applicable), I'll mention the books that I've borrowed from my local library or returned purchases because the content(s) of the book(s) don't align with my cooking style, e.g. too "Americanized" or "overly simplified". Although those books might not fit for me—they might be what you're after and matches with your Persian cooking goals.

 

• Alikhani, Nasim, and Theresa Gambacorta. Sofreh: A Contemporary Approach to Classic Persian Cuisine. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2023.
• Batmanglij, Najmieh. Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies. 4th ed. Chevy Chase, MD: Mage Publishers, 2021.
• Batmanglij, Najmieh. Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes & Kitchen Secrets. 2nd Updated ed. Chevy Chase, MD: Mage Publishers, 2022.

 

Consider Najmieh Batmanglij to be the "Julia Child" of traditional Persian cooking. Her famous magnum opus Food of life debuted in 1986. From recent news, Najmieh Batmanglij opened restaurant alongside Michelin-starred chef Christopher Morgan called Joon based in Vienna, Virginia.

 

Nasim Alikhani is the chef and owner of the Persian restaurant of the same namesake—Sofreh—in Brooklyn, New York. In contrast to Najmieh's traditional Persian cooking, Chef Nasim's book is modernized and offers a contemporary interpretation of classic Persian foods.

[Smithy]

One of my best friends spent her teenaged years in Iran, and has been given this book recently:

 

Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

She hasn't cooked from it much, but so far we've liked what she's cooked from it. Have you tried its recipes?

[Tan Can Cook]

54 minutes ago, Smithy said:

One of my best friends spent her teenaged years in Iran, and has been given this book recently:

 

Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

She hasn't cooked from it much, but so far we've liked what she's cooked from it. Have you tried its recipes?

 

Hi Ms. Nancy. It's great to bump into you here.

 

I am aware of the book. I managed to check it out from my library about a year ago. For me, the recipes are more "Americanized fusion" and immensely friendly for beginners who started or wants to learn easy-to-cook Persian recipes. The author Naz Deravian communicates well with newcomers to Persian food.

 

Although I have not cooked any of Naz's recipes, what I did was compare the selective recipes from Bottom of the Pot to Food of Life. Naz's Joojeh Kabab recipe lacks further aromatic fragrances of rose water and lemon zest that appears in Food of Life. I am not trying to be too nitpicking—I prefer to smell perfumes. As it is what Iranian food is known for. The Iranians love saffron and put that spice into almost everything as well as rose water.

 

Even though Bottom of the Pot is not for me, it is a highly recommended book for beginners and budget friendly for ingredients wise. It's actually on my list to mention in a future post here in this thread. One time, months ago, I drove 76 miles round trip to another city, because the recipes in Food of Life and Cooking in Iran calls for: pomegranate molasses, grape molasses, and limoo amani (Persian dried limes), and golpar (a uniquely Persian spice).

Edited 6 hours ago by Tan Can Cook
Edited to include another compulsory Persian ingredient called limoo amani (Persian dried lime). (log)