A Little Philosophy

The food of medieval Iran—descended from ancient styles, enriched and diversified by trade—was the parent of Iranian cooking today. We know something about it from literature of the period and from a few rare early cookbooks. The herbs and spices are the same as many of those that we use today: coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mint, cumin, and saffron. The sweet and sour or sweet and savory combinations of the medieval period, favored in Iran since ancient times, are the forebears of those you will find in this book. Sourness may come from pomegranates, limes, sour orange/narenj, or vinegar; sweetness comes from sugar, honey, and date or grape molasses. Sauces are thickened with ground almonds, pistachios, or walnuts.