The Persians of antiquity were renowned for their lavish cuisine and their never-ceasing fascination with the exotic. These traits still find expression in the cooking of India's rapidly dwindling Parsi population—descendants of Zoroastrians who fled Persia after the Sassanian empire fell to the invading Arabs. The first book published in the United States on Parsi food written by a Parsi, this beautiful volume includes 165 recipes and makes one of India's most remarkable regional cuisines accessible to Westerners. In an intimate narrative rich with personal experience, the author leads readers into a world of new ideas, tastes, ingredients, and techniques, with a range of easy and seductive menus that will reassure neophytes and challenge explorers.

CONTENTS:

foreword by alice waters / ix
acknowledgments / xiii


Kitchens, Equipment, and the Basics 27
Beginnings 49
Soups 73
Eggs 83
Fish and Seafood 93
Meat and Poultry 111
Rice and Dal 161
Vegetables 185
Salads 211
Chutneys, Pickles, and Relishes 221
Sweets and Desserts 241
Drinks 269
menus / 281

glossary / 289
sources / 315
further reading / 317
index / 323

AUTHOR:

Niloufer Ichaporia King is an independent scholar.