When Najmieh Batmanglij’s Food of Life was first published back in the mid-1980s, it was probably ahead of its time. American cooks were still concentrating on the cooking of France and Italy, and even Indian cooking was somewhat on the fringe. Let’s face it, we probably were not ready politically for an Iranian cookbook in those days, either. The book got a few really good reviews, but remained something of an obscurity. Times have changed, though, and thankfully because Batmanglij has just republished the book in a gorgeous expanded edition. If you’ve ever been curious about Persian cooking — and that means just about anyone who has ever tasted it — this is the perfect introduction.

So many splendid small dishes that are made with healthy ingredients; much simpler and quicker than most Persian cuisine lots of light fresh fare it's more of a Persian culinary influence on whatever one happens to bring back from a visit to the farmer's market as many recipes lend themselves for a change up of ingredients depending on what's on hand or your particular taste and most are vegetarian or come with instructions to make it vegetarian bought this book for many friends and family it's also a GREAT first book for newbees in the kitchen.. a confidence builder for new cooks that's' for sure Nooshe' Jahn!

The new cookbook from Najmieh Batmanglij, exemplifies the joy to be found in tradition. In 2015 Ms. Batmanglij was able to return to Iran and, over the next three years, she traveled tens of thousands of miles throughout the country searching out unique local dishes. The result is the encyclopedic “Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets”. Recipes are only part of the experience. The essays on cultural history, tales of personal encounters and 450 photos provide as deep an understanding of this ancient, intriguing and wonderfully diverse country as you are likely to find anywhere. To me, this is what the ideal food gift book should be—beautiful, extravagant in every way, thought-provoking and delicious.

It is ideal for those who like to read cookbooks as much as cook from them. The author, Najmieh Batmanglij, who was born and raised in Iran and lectures at cooking schools, begins by describing the ancient network of trading routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean. As Ms. Batmanglij explains, along with the trade in silk, ivory and other goods came cooking techniques and ingredients that enriched and transformed local cuisines. Beautifully illustrated with photographs of food, people and places from along the Silk Road, the recipes include notes about their origins and ingredients.

Contrary to popular belief, wine has been featured in Persian literature and history for thousands of years. Shiraz, which many people associate with the wines of Australia and France, was an ancient Persian wine-producing city. This work will interest a wider audience than a general cookery book owing to its introduction carefully tracing the history of wine as it relates to Persian culture; there is a thoughtful chapter on wine in Persian poetry. The recipes, ranging from appetizers to desserts, specify both the preparation and the cooking time, a useful inclusion for the home cook.