In a Persian Kitchen: Favorite Recipes from the Near East

by M. Mazda

Much more than just a Middle Eastern cookbook, In a Persian Kitchen offers a look at a rich culinary culture in delightful detail.

"Notes on preparation and reflections on her experience of Persian food and eating customs growing up in a traditional Azerbijian household make this book "a pleasure to read" -- The New York Times.

With colorful notes that reflect her family's traditions, Maideh Mazda offers readers the possibility of creating the delicate flavors of Persian cuisine. Maideh prioritizes economy and availability of ingredients, while at the same time offering wholly authentic recipes for such delicacies as:

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Iran, Food, Culinary

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 1960

Reviews

[Mir]

Published in 1960, back when the presumed audience of an ethnic cook book was "the modern housewife" and Americans thought dill was a type of pickle.

Discover exotic pilaf for yourself!

[Stephen]

The modern political animosity between Iran and the United States ought not prevent an American appreciation of Persian food and cooking. Such an appreciation might even contribute to rapprochement. Mazda was born in Iran but immigrated to the United States. Her references to "American housewives" and the servants in her Iranian home arise from the text being written in 1950 and reprinted in 1989. This is a basic introduction to Persian cooking; the recipes are a bit more simplified than in other comparable cookbooks. Dried yellow peas (the kind Americans think of as being used in Canadian split-pea soup) are used as a starch and as a thickener throughout. Chicken is considered festive; beef and lamb are routine. Every Middle Eastern country claims to have invented baklava and Iran is no exception. Mazda calls it baglava, the Turks call it baklava, the Armenians call it paklava, the Azerbaijanis call it pakhlava but it is all pretty much the same sticky-sweet dessert. One of the great values in reading a book like this is in discovering the combination of flavours which might not otherwise occur to the American cook, e.g the addition of prunes to meatballs, rhubarb sauce for beef stew, rice cooked with pumpkin. The oddest of all was the suggestion that, once the reader has made sekanjabin (a syrup of sugar, water, vinegar and mint), it be combined with diced cucumbers and corn flakes; if you try this, be sure to let me know.

[Genine Franklin-Clark]

In 1968 Berkeley, we lived next door to a family consisting of a Persian man who had fled from the Shah, his French-Canadian wife, their two children and the man's Persian mother. The wife cooked wonderful Persian food and often invited my sons over for lunch. They raved about her food, and when I asked for recipes, she recommended this cookbook. It is a gem, one of my all-time favorites. Possibly my favorite recipe is for the beef, black-eyed pea, spinach (with cinnamon and lemon) khoresh.

[Barbara Osterdock]

Fantastic. This was written by an Iranian woman who moved to the states. She tells you in every detail how to create delicious PersiN cuisine with the products we have in US. Bonne Appétit.

[Sarah]

Persian cooking is highly underrated. I have been fortunate enough to watch two Persian women cook and eat the fruits of their labor. Delicious! This cookbook seems to closely resemble the way they cooked. However, I doubt I would have been able to replicate their efforts simply from reading this book as there is little precedence from which to measure my dishes. Nonetheless, if you are interested in experiencing something different in the culinary world I highly recommend noshing on some Persian cuisine. Eggplants, pomegranates, rice, saffron, yum!

[Jess Bae]

This book, written by a Persian woman who came to the States as a student, was published in 1960. Yet the adaptations she makes for American palates and supermarkets are still relevant and so inviting! Beautiful flavors, and charming stories of her mother and grandmother.

[Lynda]

Was a gift from my college roommate who was an exchange student from Iran, but she called herself Persian.