Persian Love Cake (Photo credit: Michelle Skipper)

Once upon a time, my brother married a beautiful young woman, an exile from Iran. And at their wedding feast, which she and her mother and sister cooked, I ate Persian food for the first time. Such intricate flavors and ingredient combinations, each mouthful a celebration of life and love.

And when she, her mother,  and my brother visited us in Morocco,  her mother brought me a copy of New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies by Najmieh Batmanglij (1992). (Other books by the same author include A Taste of Persia: Introduction to Persian Cooking and From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table.

With its long history, Persia (modern Iran) naturally developed a cuisine on par with the other great cuisines of the world (and that is a subject for another, longer, more scholarly post in the future).

Today, in acknowledgment of the current situation in Iran, I simply offer you the opportunity to find out for yourself something about the sophisticated and haunting flavors of Iran by visiting these Websites: Persian Cuisines, Recipes from Najmieh Batmanglij, and  Food in Iran. And please take a moment to contemplate this gallery of photos from many different photographers:

Dugh (Yogurt Drink)

Appetizer Plate (Photo credit: Foodista)

Baghala Polo

Zereshk Polo (Photo credit: Omid Tavallai)

Rice with Kebab and Pita

Chicken Kebab (Photo credit: Kim Cofino)

Kebab Plate

Eggplant and Other Delicacies

Rice with Potatoes (Tah-Dig) and More

Tah-Dig (Rice with Potatoes)

Fesenjen (Photo credit: Chris Chen)

Bademjoon

Persian Desserts (Photo credit: Cyrus Farivar)

Persian Sweets

© 2009 C. Bertelsen