Persian Cooking (Paperback)

by Nesta Ramazani (Author) "Because Iran is a Muslim country, and the religion forbids the drinking of alcoholic beverages, the cuisine does not have cocktail appetizers..." (more)
Key Phrases: cup fresh dill weed, dry broth, using lamb shanks, New Zealand, John Fryer, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
PERSIAN COOKING: A TABLE OF EXOTIC DELIGHTS is collection of 322 authentic recipes from the world's oldest cuisine. Clear and concise instructions make the dishes turn out exactly as they are supposed to.

Persian cooking is based on lamb, fruits, vegetables and grains, used in subtle and varied combinations. The food is neither highly spiced nor hot but seasoned with herbs. It is very nutritious. Many of the dishes are suitable for vegetarians and in many others, meat may be easily omitted. The dishes can be made from ingredients found in almost any market. A guide to speciality stores where hard-to-find ingredients, which are used in a few dishes, can be found is also included.

Rice preparation, which has often been observed defines the quality of the Persian chef, is covered in detail.

Half Persian and half English, Nesta Ramazani has lived in both countries, making her uniquely qualified to offer these recipes. During a one year return visit to Iran she picked the brains of both professional chef and housewife. She also consulted Rosa Montazemi's classical Persian language cookbook, Honar-e Ashpazi. Back in America, she tested and tried out the hundreds of dishes and rendered the recipes to exact American measurements and timing.

The author observes: "Here is a culinary art so highly developed that the most lowly vegetable can taste divine, every meal can be a gastronomic treat, every cook a creative artist."

Mrs. Ramazani also includes a historical and cultural introduction to the food of Persia. The background of many of the dishes are also explained through engaging anecdotes.

Included are: 322 recipes from all regions of Iran: soups, ashes, stews (khoresht and khorak), dolmehs, boranis, vegetables, salads, rice dishes (pollos and chelos), kababs, breads (nan), sweets, desserts, sharbats and pickles (torshis). Photographs of prepared dishes. A short dictionary of Persian culinary terms. A guide to grocery stores outside of Iran where hard-to-find ingredients may be obtained. A historical and cultural guide to Persian cuisine.

From the Inside Flap
If Scheherazade had to depend on her culinary imagination to persuade the King to spare her, she doubtless would have told him about recipes such as these. There is a succulent dish, she might have begun, called Shirin Pollo, wherein rice is enfolded with strips of chicken, sweetened orange peel, pistachios and almonds. . . . On nights to follow she might whet his appetite with Fessenjoon, chicken stewed in pomegranate syrup and walnuts, or Meat and Parsley Soup with Green Plums, Roast Partridges in Cream, Lamb Hearts with Cinnamon or Cranberry and October Bean Soup.

After she had delved into the kookoos (souffls), the kebabs, the dolemahs, the game birds, vegetables, salads, breads and pickles, she might turn to the sweetsElephants Ears, Persian Marzipan, Sweet Fingers, the sherbets and cold sweet drinks. She would soon have the King eating out of her hand, for Persian cuisine offers something for even the most sophisticated of gourmets in search of new epicurean delights.

The oldest cuisine known to man, Persian cooking is based on lamb, fruits, vegetables and grains, used in subtle and varied combinations. The food is neither highly spiced nor hot but seasoned with herbs. It is very nutritious and very economical requiring minimum amounts of meat. Many dishes are easy to prepare ahead of time and well suited to reheating-they make good leftovers.

As Mrs. Ramazani writes: Here is a culinary art so highly developed that the most lowly vegetable can taste divine, every meal can be a gastronomic treat, every cook a creative artist.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Ibex Publishers, Inc. (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936347775
• ISBN-13: 978-0936347776
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #232,321 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Persian Cookbook, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

I'm from Iran and have used various Persian cookbooks. This is the only one in English where the recipes turned out as they should have.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Persian Cooking, June 22, 2001

By	Mary Ann Nabhani (South Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I have a large selection of Persian cookbooks but this book is my favorite. Nesta is an excellant cook and the final results of her recipes are very delicious. I am American, but married to a Persian man, so when I cook Persian food I want to please his taste buds. I have cooked many of the recipes in this book and he has enjoyed every one of them. I would recommend this book to any one that is looking for authentic Persian cooking. Many Middle Eastern cookbooks include recipes other than what the people of Iran enjoy. When you cook from this book you can be sure that the recipe is from Iran. You won't be able to stop eating! Enjoy

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nutritious, economical, and delicious recipes, April 26, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Persian cuisine is among the oldest in recorded human history and principally based on subtle and varied combinations of lamb, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Nesta Ramazani's Persian Cooking: A Table Of Exotic Delights offers nutritious, economical, and delicious recipes for appetizers, soups, stuffed vegetables, Persian souffles, yogurt dishes, salads, stewed meats, game birds, brad, pastries, puddings, sherbets, pickles, and more. From Mint and Parsley Soup with Green Plums, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Tomato Rice with Lamb, and Duckling in Pomegranate-Walnut Sauce, to Yogurt with Eggplant and Meatballs, Liver and Kidney Casserole, Pheasant with Cream, Chick-Pea Flower Cookies, and Pickled Cherry Tomatoes, Persian Cooking is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to any ethnic and multicultural cookbook collection.