BATMANGLIJ - A taste of Persia: an introduction to Persian cooking

PREFACE

ALTHOUGH I HAVE SIMPLIFIED the steps for the recipes in this book, they nonetheless represent thousands of years of development, reflecting the skills and passions of countless generations of Iranian cooks.

In all eras, Iranians have known that the secret to good food is the quality of the seasonal ingredients you begin with. The ideal is to proceed straight from the garden to the kitchen, but, since that is not usually possible, go to the next best thing: local farmers' markets selling produce that was not picked weeks or months ago. After that, there is one other essential ingredient: the feeling that you bring to cooking. For a meal to really taste good and to be nourishing in the deepest sense, it must be made with love.

Years ago when I left Iran to study abroad, I longed for a meal with Persian flavors and the aromas of fresh ingredients such as autumn-perfumed dill, baby garlic and fava beans combined with long-grained rice. The ingredients were not easy to find then, but today they are widely available not only in Persian and ethnic grocery stores but also in local supermarkets. I am also delighted by the sight of all the leafy greens, aromatic herbs, and luscious, ripe fruit at the many exciting fresh farm markets around the country where farmers are selling organic vegetables, eggs and even meats. Often these farmers are adventurous in their tastes and willing to experiment. For example, Mark, a young farmer at my local market, was inspired by one of my books to grow the tiny, crunchy, exquisite, bright-green, seedless Persian cucumbers as well as the sweet and tender, lemony-tasting Persian basil, and the fresh perfumed fenugreek that gives the unique flavor and aroma in the renowned Iranian fresh herb braise Qormeh Sabzi.

A Taste of Persia is intended as an introduction to Persian cooking. For the present edition, I have updated some of the recipes and also added a number of new photographs showing what the finished dishes might look like. The recipes contain many shortcuts so that they are quicker to make and more compatible with our contemporary, fast-paced lifestyle. I remember how, as a young mother and wife living in exile with ambitions of a career, I could not afford to spend more than an hour in the kitchen every day to prepare a meal for the family. Most of the recipes in this book take less than an hour to make, but they remain faithful to the authenticity and the Persianness of the flavors; I hope you will be inspired to try many of them. Nush-e Jan!