Review of three books
Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & beyond
by: Sabrina Ghayour, photography by Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton
Interlink Books, an imprint of Interlink Publishing Group, Inc.
Named “Best New Cookbook of 2014” by Observer Food Monthly Awards (UK) and a Best Cookbook of 2014 by Library Journal.
Iranian-born chef Sabrina Ghayour is being called the new Ottolenghi and the “Golden Girl” of the British food scene. Her fabulous new cookbook shows why:
Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & beyond is a lively celebration of the vibrant foods and flavors of the regions near the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, with over 100 mouth-watering recipes using minimal effort for maximum results bursting with flavor-mezze, breads, soups, stews, tagines, grills, salads, and sweet treats-all accompanied by stunning full-color photographs. Her recipesare essentially Persian, but with influences from Turkish, Arab, and Armenian cuisine, including Lamb & Pistachio Patties; Chicken, Preserved Lemon & Olive Tagine; Scallops & Shaved Fennel with Saffron, Honey & Citrus Vinaigrette, Blood Orange & Radicchio Salad; Persian Flatbread; Spiced Carrot, Pistachio & Almond Cake with Rosewater Cream, and much more.
Selected by London’s The Observer as their rising food star for 2014, the ebullient Sabrina Ghayour is rapidly becoming one of the most in-demand voices on Middle Eastern food today. This chef, food writer, and cooking teacher is the charismatic Persian-born host of popular London supper clubs specializing in Persian and Middle Eastern flavors. With regular appearances on the BBC Good Food Show, Taste London, and more, her work has been featured in numerous publications, including The Times, the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Delicious Magazine, and BBC Good Food magazine.
Empires of the Silk Road:
A History of Central Asia from the Bronze Age to the Present
Author: Christopher I. Beckwith
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Christopher I. Beckwith’s text provides a comprehensive history of Central Eurasia from antiquity to the current era. This is an excellent text that provides a critical analysis of the Empires of the Silk Road by analyzing the true origins and history of this critical region of Eurasia.
Beckwith examines the history of the great and forgotten Central Eurasian empires, notably those of the Iranic peoples such as the Scythians, the Hsiang-Nou peoples (e.g. Attila the Hun, Turks, Mongols, etc.) and their interaction with China, Tibet and Persia.
Beckwith outlines the scientific, artistic and economic impacts of Central Asia upon world civilization. Beckwith also tabulates the history of the Indo-European migrations out of Central Eurasia, and their admixture with several settled peoples, resulting in the great (Indo-European) civilizations of India, Persia, Greece and Rome. The impact of these peoples upon China is also examined.
This is a book that has been long overdue: Empires of the Silk Road places Central Eurasia within the major framework of world history and civilization. It is perhaps this quote by Beckwith, which demonstrates his acumen on the subject:
“The dynamic, restless Proto-Indo-Europeans whose culture was born there [Eurasia] migrated across and “discovered” the Old World, mixing with the local peoples and founding the Classical civilizations of the Greeks and Romans, Iranians, Indians, and Chinese…Central Eurasians – not the Egyptians, Sumerians, and so on- are our ancestors. Central Eurasia is our homeland, the place where our civilization started” (2009, p.319).
SHADOWS IN THE DESERT
Kaveh Farrokh
(translated by: Taghe Bostan Publishers)
Kaveh Farrokh’s second text, Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War (April 2007; 320 pages; Osprey Publishing) is the first text to specifically outline the military history of ancient Iran from the bronze age to the end of the Sassanian era. This book was recently translated for the second time into Persian by Taghe Bostan publishing which is affiliated with The University of Kermanshah:
The second translation of the book into Persian cited above is independent of the first Persian translation by Shahrbanu Saremi which appeared through Qoqnoos Publishers in 2011.
The Tehran Times on July 4, 2011 as well as The Times of Iran (July 4, 2011) announced the first translation of Farrokh’s book into Persian by Qoqnoos Publishers with the final report on this made by the official Mehr News Agency of Iran on September, 24, 2011. This has also been reported in Press TV, Khabar Farsi, Balatarin and the official Iran Book News Association on September 28, 2011.
