Naomi Duguid

I like this book so much more than Naomi Duguid's "Taste of Persia" which I reviewed a few years ago. Ms. Duguid dives deep into the chemistry of salt as a preservative and a flavoring. I wish she had delved more into the history of the salt trade but I'm not sure how many readers beyond me would care about it.

The book has several themes that are nicely interwoven in the text: Where salt comes from, how it is harvested, how location and harvesting methods affect the character of different show more salts, and how salt is used in the cuisines of the world with a strong lean toward Asia. (Too bad.) The recipes are of different kinds too. How to flavor salt. How to use salt to preserve food. How to use preserved foods and flavored salts in cooking.

This is a cookbook I will buy in hardback. show less

Ms Duguid's starting point for this book is the Persian kingdom of Darius the Great and his father Cyrus 486 BCE. She contends that the 5 countries of the book's focus (and Kurdisan isn't a country yet, BTW) are tied together not by any cultural or linguistic features but by Persian influenced food. Well, I am writing this today from Erbil (Arbil, Irbil,Hewler), capital of the devolved Kurdish Region of Iraq that may someday become Kurdistan, and I think that Ms Duguid is reaching too far, show more in particular by downplaying the eastward and westward sweeps of culture as Persia was subsequently conquered by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, the rise of the Armenian Empire that reached its peak in 69 BCE, the more recent Ottoman Empire that reached its peak in 1683, and the Soviet Union that absorbed Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in the 20th century. I have worked and eaten my way across this region (and studied a couple of the languages) and I do not see the Persian link she sees. As a matter of fact, I am astonished sometimes by the differences in everyday foods across some of these borders – for example, the dumpling line, which seems to stretch along western Iran. East of the line steamed or boiled veg and non-veg dumplings (manti, vereniki, pelmeni) are common, here in Kurdistan and onward west to ravioli country they are not to be found. Certainly the people of the region do not see a Persian link in their foodways. Climate, topography, agriculture, and trade have been far more important.

The resulting book is a hodgepodge of recipes (some of which are quite important within their cultural context) and quite a lot of descriptive text that tries to forge a coherent story of really quite disparate cuisines.

I received a review copy of "Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan" by Naomi Duguid (Artisan) through NetGalley.com. show less

A beautiful book that is as much a travelogue as it is a cookbook. I love Burmese food to death and after relocating from the Bay Area to a small town, I can't get it anymore! (No more Burma Superstar for me.) I thought I'd be able to replicate some of these dishes at home, but I don't really want to use a ton of dried shrimp or fish sauce (not really available organic, right?) so I might not be making it. I do want to try the Shan "tofu," though, which is made from the show more super-good-for-you-gluten-free chickpea flour, and add that to some rice noodle soups. YUM! show less

Bread-making turned into an exciting adventure, geographically and culturally. Whole grains and flour types explained; fairly good directions but be ready to improvise and adjust the ratio of wet and dry ingredients. The recipes lead you to learn about being adaptable in making grain-based yeast products, and above all, how basic it is to enjoying a meal. The recipes are delightfully augmented with directions for spreads, dips and stews. I find inspiration every time I open the book.