Research Purposes Only: I also not recommend this book for cooking, but rather time travel reference book into the Safavid Era Persia (1501–1736). The translator is a Persian scholar and expert at University of Texas—Mohammad Reza Ghanoonparvar, PhD.
- Nurollah. Dining at the Safavid Court: Madatolhayat [The Substance of Life], 16th Century Royal Persian Recipes. Translated by Mohammad Reza Ghanoonparvar. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, Inc, 2017.
The author is Nurollah, chef to Shah Abbas I (1 October 1587 – 19 January 1629). The full original working title in Persian is Maddat ol-Hayat: Resaleh dar Elm-e Tabbakhi [The Substance of Life].
I took some pictures of excerpts from this book in case they intrigue someone to explore it further. The only reason this book didn’t make it into my personal collection is that I prefer to maintain a focused approach. I am already deeply immersed in learning and exploring regional Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi culinary traditions, including culinary arts from the Mughal-era Hindustan. Expanding beyond this scope would dilute the depth of my engagement with these cuisines.
The recipes highlighted in yellow text boxes are modernized versions. When I reached out to Dr. Ghanoonparvar, he responded via email on May 21, 2024:
QuoteMost pre-modern cookbooks do not provide precise measurements, and in the case of a book written by the chef of a royal place, when he provides measurements they are in very large amounts. The Persian measurement unit, “man,” for instance, which is the equivalent of 6 kilograms (in some Turkish provinces 3 kilograms) is occasionally mentioned. He was after all cooking for probably hundreds of courtiers. I have, as I state in the book, “modernized” the recipes and used my own knowledge to add measurements. By the way, before I learned how to write cookbooks, I never thought of measurements. I just poured ingredients in the pots and when my wife would ask how much, I just would tell her as much I just did. Even now, I still do not measure anything when I cook. I also don’t like to follow recipes in cookbooks. I hope all this makes sense to you.
Based on Dr. Ghanoonparvar's reply, I hope you can understand my hesitation in cooking the modernized recipes. Regardless, a fascinating read and culinary time travel to 16th century royal Persian court.
