The Guru of Persian Cooking, and Iranian Culture and Ceremonies
Najmieh Batmanglij, called the Grande Dame of Iranian cooking by the Washington Post, has dedicated her life for the past 40 years, through her cookbooks and cooking classes, to Persian cooking, one of the oldest yet least known schools of cooking in the West. Yotam Ottolenghi called her Food of Life, “one of the most exciting cookbooks I’ve seen in a while.
Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies
Food of Life propels Persian cooking into the 21st Century, even as it honors venerable traditions and centuries of artistic expression.
Joon: Persian Cooking Made Simple
Najmieh has simplified 75 of her favorite dishes and shows how, with the right ingredients and a few basic tools and techniques, authentic Persian food can easily be prepared at home.
Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes & Kitchen Secrets
After five years of overcoming obstacles, meticulous planning, and ten thousand miles of traveling the length and breadth of Iran—cooking with local cooks, visiting workshops, and developing recipes—Najmieh’s dream has been realized with the creation of Cooking in Iran.
The Guru of Persian Cooking, and Iranian Culture and Ceremonies
Najmieh has spent the past 40 years cooking, traveling, and adapting authentic Persian recipes to tastes and techniques in the West. She has been hailed as “the guru of Persian cuisine” by The Washington Post. Her Food of Life was called “the definitive book on Iranian cooking” by the Los Angeles Times. Her Silk Road Cooking was selected as one of the 10 best vegetarian cookbooks of 2004 by The New York Times; and her book From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table won the Gourmand Cookbook Award for the best wine history book of 2007. Najmieh’s most recent book, Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets, was selected as one of the best cookbooks of Fall 2018 by The New York Times.
Books & eBooks
Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies
Books & eBooks
Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes & Kitchen Secrets
Books & eBooks
From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table
Food of Life
A classic cookbook made even better…Gorgeous expanded edition.
When Najmieh Batmanglij’s Food of Life was first published back in the mid-1980s, it was probably ahead of its time. American cooks were still concentrating on the cooking of France and Italy, and even Indian cooking was somewhat on the fringe. Let’s face it, we probably were not ready politically for an Iranian cookbook in those days, either. The book got a few really good reviews, but remained something of an obscurity. Times have changed, though, and thankfully because Batmanglij has just republished the book in a gorgeous expanded edition. If you’ve ever been curious about Persian cooking — and that means just about anyone who has ever tasted it — this is the perfect introduction.
Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times
When Najmieh Batmanglij’s Food of Life was first published back in the mid-1980s, it was probably ahead of its time. American cooks were still concentrating on the cooking of France and Italy, and even Indian cooking was somewhat on the fringe. Let’s face it, we probably were not ready politically for an Iranian cookbook in those days, either. The book got a few really good reviews, but remained something of an obscurity. Times have changed, though, and thankfully because Batmanglij has just republished the book in a gorgeous expanded edition. If you’ve ever been curious about Persian cooking — and that means just about anyone who has ever tasted it — this is the perfect introduction.
Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times
Joon
Splendid, Persian Influence on the Farm to Table Movement — great for beginners in the kitchen.
So many splendid small dishes that are made with healthy ingredients; much simpler and quicker than most Persian cuisine lots of light fresh fare it's more of a Persian culinary influence on whatever one happens to bring back from a visit to the farmer's market as many recipes lend themselves for a change up of ingredients depending on what's on hand or your particular taste and most are vegetarian or come with instructions to make it vegetarian bought this book for many friends and family it's also a GREAT first book for newbees in the kitchen.. a confidence builder for new cooks that's' for sure Nooshe' Jahn!
lesley ann, Amazon.com
So many splendid small dishes that are made with healthy ingredients; much simpler and quicker than most Persian cuisine lots of light fresh fare it's more of a Persian culinary influence on whatever one happens to bring back from a visit to the farmer's market as many recipes lend themselves for a change up of ingredients depending on what's on hand or your particular taste and most are vegetarian or come with instructions to make it vegetarian bought this book for many friends and family it's also a GREAT first book for newbees in the kitchen.. a confidence builder for new cooks that's' for sure Nooshe' Jahn!
lesley ann, Amazon.com
Cooking in Iran
What to Give: Books About Food, Books about Persian cooking.
The new cookbook from Najmieh Batmanglij, exemplifies the joy to be found in tradition. In 2015 Ms. Batmanglij was able to return to Iran and, over the next three years, she traveled tens of thousands of miles throughout the country searching out unique local dishes. The result is the encyclopedic “Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets”. 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
The new cookbook from Najmieh Batmanglij, exemplifies the joy to be found in tradition. In 2015 Ms. Batmanglij was able to return to Iran and, over the next three years, she traveled tens of thousands of miles throughout the country searching out unique local dishes. The result is the encyclopedic “Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets”. 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
Silk Road Cooking
Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey is like a good novel — once you start, it’s hard to put down.
It is ideal for those who like to read cookbooks as much as cook from them. The author, Najmieh Batmanglij, who was born and raised in Iran and lectures at cooking schools, begins by describing the ancient network of trading routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean. As Ms. Batmanglij explains, along with the trade in silk, ivory and other goods came cooking techniques and ingredients that enriched and transformed local cuisines. Beautifully illustrated with photographs of food, people and places from along the Silk Road, the recipes include notes about their origins and ingredients.
The New York Times
It is ideal for those who like to read cookbooks as much as cook from them. The author, Najmieh Batmanglij, who was born and raised in Iran and lectures at cooking schools, begins by describing the ancient network of trading routes stretching from China to the Mediterranean. As Ms. Batmanglij explains, along with the trade in silk, ivory and other goods came cooking techniques and ingredients that enriched and transformed local cuisines. Beautifully illustrated with photographs of food, people and places from along the Silk Road, the recipes include notes about their origins and ingredients.
The New York Times
From Persia to Napa
The popular author of well-respected cookbooks like New Food of Life and A Taste of Persia has turned her attention to the tradition of wine at the Persian table.
Contrary to popular belief, wine has been featured in Persian literature and history for thousands of years. Shiraz, which many people associate with the wines of Australia and France, was an ancient Persian wine-producing city. This work will interest a wider audience than a general cookery book owing to its introduction carefully tracing the history of wine as it relates to Persian culture; there is a thoughtful chapter on wine in Persian poetry. The recipes, ranging from appetizers to desserts, specify both the preparation and the cooking time, a useful inclusion for the home cook.
Shelley Brown, The Library Journal
Contrary to popular belief, wine has been featured in Persian literature and history for thousands of years. Shiraz, which many people associate with the wines of Australia and France, was an ancient Persian wine-producing city. This work will interest a wider audience than a general cookery book owing to its introduction carefully tracing the history of wine as it relates to Persian culture; there is a thoughtful chapter on wine in Persian poetry. The recipes, ranging from appetizers to desserts, specify both the preparation and the cooking time, a useful inclusion for the home cook.
Shelley Brown, The Library Journal
Najmieh Recommends
Najmieh’s Persian Spice Mix – Advieh
Najmieh Recommends
Pars Electric Rice Cooker
Najmieh Recommends
Basmati Rice
Consult with Najmieh
Najmieh consults with startups, restaurants, and private individuals about Persian cooking and culture. She is committed to presenting Persian cooking and culture to the contemporary world in a way that is both authentic and modern.