Persia in Peckham: Recipes from Persepolis [Paperback]

This comes across as a cookbook intended for people who are new to Iranian cookery and culture. While generally I liked this book, it could have done with a touch more sharp editing to prune down the writing style. The information about Iranian everyday life sets the dishes nicely into context. Despite the gorgeousness of the cover, there are only a few line drawings inside and no pictures of typical presentations of finished dishes. The ingredient lists are, annoyingly, printed in red which will cause difficulty to a minority of readers. Some of the ingredients, such as barberries, aloo Bokhara, sour cherries and Iranian roasted chickpea flour, will be impossible to obtain outside London and a few large cities, although there are plenty of dishes which require less exotic ingredients. Mail order for these items is prohibitively expensive. While there are good explanations
There are some fascinating tastes like lettuce braised with sweet mint syrup. Bandari sausages as well as the various vegetable and salad dishes also attract. I could have done with some more information about how Iranians shop. I am assuming the lack of information on baking breads is because everybody goes to a local baker - plenty of clips of this on Youtube. The sweetmeats chapters have some lovely calorific items like syrup-soaked elephant ears (deep fried phyllo) but the desserts section is a touch thin. I would also have liked some more kukoo recipes, which could have merited a chapter on their own. However, her aubergine and walnut egg dish is not to be missed. Also loved her takht e jamshid eggs which suggests alternatives for people unable to get the special Iranian sausage used for this dish and also suggests the use of halloumi for vegetarians. The walnut and pomegranate molasses sauce in another section can be a template for some wonderful flavours.
Overall this book is an excellent introduction for those many people who are new to Iranian food and is jam packed with information making it a fascinating read despite the slightly sloppy writing. Another review mentions some of the other books available to follow on an interest in the food and people of this remarkable country.

This book is a breath of fresh air. Insights into the Persian culture and psyche are funny because they are true - I can identify with much of what Sally says. Buy this book if you want to try food which is simple, good for you and most importantly tasty! I can't imagine life without food like this anymore. Try it.

I'm a bit ambivalent about this book. It's certainly a good introduction to Iranian food, but is lacking a bit in style. Firstly the lack of any photography of recipes is a big minus. Secondly the chummy, matey writing style; this will probably appeal to many, but not to me. Giving recipes names like "Oh my God how many relatives did we invite for dinner? pudding" just annoys. Giving rules on how customers should behave in the author's shop "Persepolis" in Peckham is probably meant to be jokey but simply grates; well I don't know how Ms Butcher manages to get through the day, being forced to let the riff-raff actually come into her shop.

I don't regret getting this book, indeed it's a useful addition to my collection of Iranian cookbooks. But if you are new to this food and want an introduction to Iranian cuisine, I suggest instead taking a look at one of:

A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cuisine

New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies (more comprehensive book by the same author as the above)

The Legendary Cuisine of Persia