Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional, And Modern Foods [Hardcover]

M. R. Ghanoonparvar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2006

Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional, and Modern Foods is a user-friendly cookbook that belongs in the kitchen, not on the coffee table! In keeping with this philosophy, the pictures in the volume for the most part come from the kitchens and tables of average users of these recipes, not from a professional studio using enhanced photography. That means that the user should be able to create the same end products seen in the photographs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Mazda Pub (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568591918
• ISBN-13: 978-1568591919
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yum!, November 12, 2006

By 

Elizabeth (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional, And Modern Foods (Hardcover)

A Persian food aficionado, I'm very pleased with the content and presentation of this book. Color photographs for many of the recipes allow me to flip through the book and narrow down recipes to choose without needing to read every one. For recipes which traditionally use ingredients that are hard to find in the U.S., appropriate substitutions are suggested, which is quite helpful.

Perhaps most importantly, the recipes are relatively easy to follow (even for me, who doesn't have tons of cooking experience) and are delicious! I've introduced friends to Persian cuisine using recipes in this book, with rave reviews! People unfamiliar with Persian food are often pleasantly surprised by the mouth-watering combinations of flavors found in these Persian dishes.

The index is helpful, with dish types, ingredients and names of dishes catalogued. Menu suggestions are also useful. I also enjoyed the section on foods served for special occasions, along with other explanations, photographs, and illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, which help give the dishes a cultural context.

In addition to the quality of the recipes, I'm also pleased with the quantity: this is the most comprehensive collection of recipes on Iranian cuisine that I have seen, combining traditional recipes along with regional and modern recipes. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Persian cuisine, whether it's something you're already lucky enough to enjoy, or it's something new for you to try! "Nush-e jan!"

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Persian Cuisine, March 24, 2009

By 

C. Younessian "night nurse" (San Diego) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional, And Modern Foods (Hardcover)

I was excited to find that the author M.R. Ghanoonparvar had published another Persian Cuisine Cookbook. I purchased my first Persian Cuisine cookbook published in 1982 as a newlywed in 1985. My husband is Persian and was surprised and delighted that I was able to make him delicious home cooked persian dishes. 25 years later the cookbooks (tradition and regional cooking) are so well used that I have been wanting to replace them. The recipes are simple compared to more traditional cookbook yet have repeatedly passed the taste test when I've cooked for my husband's family. Most importantly I have been able to include traditional Persian foods for my children to appreciate their heritage. I am excited to include this cookbook into my kitchen.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only Persian cookbook you need!, August 27, 2006

By 

Rose - See all my reviews

This review is from: Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional, And Modern Foods (Hardcover)

This is a big, wonderful book. The author teaches Persian cooking, and the book is written so that even the novice can make wonderful, authentic food. It covers everything, from the most basic dishes, to ones that will dazzle anyone who comes over for dinner. It is filled with photographs from the kitchens of many different people, not professional chefs, but just regular people who are using these well-written recipes.

Unlike earlier versions of this book, it is entirely in English. That was a bit disappointing, but due to the sheer size of the book, it's understandable.

The only thing I found a bit odd about this cookbook is an interesting, but not necessarily relevant, article about the history of wine drinking in Persian history. It's the kind of article that you'd read once, but doesn't necessarily belong in a book that will be so frequently-used as this cookbook. The article doesn't, as I would have expected, provide any advice for wine pairings, or really have much to do with cooking at all.

Other than that, this book is entirely useful. I expect it won't be long at all before many of the pages in my copy are covered in stains of saffron and cinnamon!