Cookbooks

Persian cooking is a harmonious blend of flavors, aromas, and textures that reflect Iran’s rich cultural heritage. With its use of fragrant spices, fresh herbs, and diverse ingredients, Persian cuisine offers iconic dishes such as saffron-infused rice, delicate braises, and grilled kebabs. Known for its balance of sweet and savory flavors, Persian cooking invites food lovers to experience a culinary tradition that is both deeply rooted in history and universally beloved. Najmieh Batmanglij has spent the past 44 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 Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets, was selected as one of the best cookbooks of Fall 2018 by The New York Times. Her most recent book is Persian Cooking for Dummies. In a November 2021 review of Mayukh Sen’s Taste Makers, The New York Times declared that Najmieh is one of “Seven immigrant women who changed the way Americans eat.” Najmieh is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier and lives in the Washington, DC area, where she is the co-founder and executive chef of the Persian restaurant, Joon, which opened in May 2023 in Vienna, Virginia.