The Legendary Cuisine of Persia [Paperback]

Margaret Shaida (Author), Gregory Lima (Introduction), Alan Davidson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Persian cooking is one of the oldest and greatest cuisines of the world. It is justly famous for its fragrance, sophistication, elegance, and subtlety. In this highly acclaimed cookbook, Margaret Shaida traces the origins of this alluringly exotic cuisine and weaves her research through a coloful tapestry of lively anecdotes and quotations to provide the most complete collection of authentic recipes available.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Although Persian/Iranian recipes are included in general cookbooks on the Middle East, few other books focus on Iran, and none is as comprehensive as this one. This thoroughly researched work by Shaida, an English journalist who is married to an Iranian and lived in Iran for 25 years, serves as an excellent guide to a cuisine with a 3000-year-old history and far-reaching influences that have helped shape a variety of cuisines. Shaida provides dozens of recipes, many of them learned from her mother-in-law or given to her by friends and other Iranian home cooks; detailed headnotes provide culinary and cultural context, including many fascinating historical tidbits. Recommended for all Middle Eastern cookery collections and other larger libraries.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Because of its central position between Europe and the Far East, Iran has been a crossroads for civilizations and has always enjoyed exceptional cuisine. Nevertheless, the cooking of Iran is nearly unknown in the U.S. except in a few major cities. Margaret Shaida has produced a comprehensive guide to Iranian cooking that is part cookbook, part scholarly inquiry. Using the more ancient name for this storied land, The Legendary Cuisine of Persia microscopically examines the country's best dishes. In addition to loads of background text covering history and geography, each recipe has its own introduction that places it in cultural and culinary context. Recipes are clear and generally reproducible in the hands of a moderately experienced cook. One showstopper recipe sure to be a hit at a dinner party, the giant meatball from Tabriz hides as a surprise within it a whole chicken. This hefty lamb, rice, and split pea meatball simmers in a turmeric and tomato-flavored stock. Elsewhere, lamb, onions, parsley, and mint combine with rhubarb for a tasty stew. Bracing syrup from pomegranates plays an important role throughout the cuisine. Not every dish is easily prepared. Shaida has four pages of instructions to make proper Persian rice with its crisped bottom layer of grains. This is an important volume in any international cookery collection. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Books (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566564131
• ISBN-13: 978-1566564137
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars deserves a place in the kitchen, February 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Legendary Cuisine of Persia (Paperback)

i really like this book. i was introduced to persian cooking by iranian friends and have been cooking it for more than ten years. persian cooking is incredibly delicious, with inspired parings of ingredients.

the history in this book is fascinating, and, since i do a lot of indian cooking, too, the links of persian cuisine to indian are especially interesting to me. the author's style is delightful--i don't have many cookbooks that make me laugh out loud! the only reason i give this book four stars instead of five is that the recipes, while very good, really can't compare to the recipes in the persian cookbook, _food of life_. however, since _food of life_ is very expensive, anyone wanting to begin to explore the delicious world of persian cooking can do so enjoyably and successfully with this book, which is far better than any of the other persian cookbooks i have with the above exception.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easiest way to learn!!!, May 23, 2007

By 

Mrs. N. Alikhani "nina-a" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Legendary Cuisine of Persia (Paperback)

I am Iranian myself and only learned how to cook Perisan food once I got married 7 years ago. And of course, having an Iranian husband means your cooking better be good! I have tried New Food of Life and although it is a good cookbook, Margaret Shaida's is BETTER! It is so much simpler and so much easier to follow. Recipes are straight forward and I promise you you will learn how to cook wonderful delicious Persian meals fast! The only thing I wish she had were more pictures of the food.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary Cuisine of Persia, February 1, 2009

By 

Kate Runyan "katethecook" (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Legendary Cuisine of Persia (Paperback)

Margaret Shaida has created a very special, wonderful cookbook with the Legendary Cuisine of Persia, it's really worth owning this fantastic book!