Najmieh Batmanglij has written eight cookbooks about the cooking of Iran (and its ancient predecessor, Persia), where she was born and lived until 1979. But Cooking in Iran, her magisterial new book, is the first for which she was able to return and travel freely around the country with notebook and camera. The result is an engrossing visual feast of modern Iran, its food and its people, from fish markets in the north piled with fresh Caspian salmon; through farmlands planted with pomegranates, pistachios and crocuses for saffron; to the Indian spices of the Persian Gulf region. With 400 accessible recipes, plus culinary history, ethnography and deep dives on ingredients like smoked rice and barberries, Cooking In Iran is an essential new book.--JULIA MOSKIN, The New York Times

"I made chelow with tah-dig for the first time ... the rice and its crust were spectacular. I also cooked eggs in pureed eggplant, a dish from the Caspian region, charring the eggplants directly on a gas burner, which turned this striking dish mildly smoky. You will learn about Iran and its people here, and you'll be stunned by their food. To read the book is to be immersed in another culture, region by region. It took Batmanglij five years to accomplish it all and every bit of labor shows." --Sheryl Julian. The Boston Globe

Najmieh Batmanglij is the grande dame of Iranian cooking. It’s time you knew her name. “Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes & Kitchen Secrets,” out now from Mage Publishers, is the culmination of tens of thousands of miles of travel through Iran she conducted in three stints each year since 2015. She gathered 250 recipes, mostly from women, along the way.--Mayukh Sen, The Washington Post

"... A massive and thorough guide to Persian cuisine. This is a terrific, reverential, and accessible cookbook." Best Books of 2018: In what just might be the definitive book on Persian cooking, Batmanglij has culled more than 250 recipes from her years exploring her native country. Batmanglij is intimate and inviting, filling this massive cookbook with enticing recipes, insightful history, and wonderful stories of her travels.--Publishers Weekly

“Najmieh Batmanglij exemplifies the joy to be found in tradition….The recipes will reward your effort with deep, intense flavors. but 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.“—John “Doc” Willoughby, The Wall Street Journal

“I found myself bookmarking every other page, drawn to dishes such as the aromatic rice, lamb, rose petals and barberries, or the tangy dish of tomato and lime broth with tiny meatballs. The journey Batmanglij took to research and write this book is truly astounding; my Persian pantry has grown tenfold with her guidance, exuberance, and recipes.”—Rachel Dolfi, Saveur

This immense volume, full of lush photographs of cities, restaurants, landscapes, and beautifully prepared food, offers a culinary tour of Iran….It is a study of a nation’s food, a reference text preserving ingredients, techniques, and traditions for future generations. — Maggie Taft, Booklist

"Najmieh is the goddess of Iranian cooking"--Yotam Ottolenghi -- The Guardian

"Chefs Across the country are at the forefront of Najmieh's fan base. They know what's good, and they are Inspired by the ingredients and techniques she brings to the table."--Bonnie S. Benwick --The Washington Post