Naz Deravian lays out the multi-hued canvas of a Persian meal, with 100+ recipes adapted to an American home kitchen and interspersed with Naz's celebrated essays exploring the idea of home.
Naz Deravian is a writer and actor born in Iran, who grew up in Italy and Canada and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. She is the award-winning voice behind the food blog Bottom of the Pot, which won the 2015 IACP Award for best culinary blog. She has also been twice nominated in several categories for the Saveur Food Blog Awards. Naz has been profiled in The New York Times, Sunset magazine, and Condé Nast Traveler, among others.
"In her debut cookbook Bottom of the Pot, Naz Deravian brings us
right to her table, and to all the tables that have informed hers.
Every bit of writing and each recipe is a poem, each photograph so
tempting. I am so taken by this book and am reminded of what made
me fall in love with cookbooks in the first place: they teach us
about the world outside of our own walls, introduce us to people we
might not otherwise know, and invite us to make new memories and
traditions in our own kitchens. In this way, cookbooks are the most
hospitable political tool I know. They don't build walls, they
elongate tables. Thank you Naz for this beautiful book that I
already cherish." - Julia Turshen, author of Now & Again, Feed the
Resistance and Small Victories "Yes, Bottom of the Pot is a
beautiful, engaging book. Yes, its stories, recipes, and photos
will bring an entirely new generation of cooks into the
extraordinary, sophisticated Persian kitchen. But far more
importantly, Bottom of the Pot is a timely book. As a nation, we
stand at a crossroads: we can choose to turn our attention outward,
look out into the world with empathy, celebrate diversity, and
immerse ourselves in the sensual pleasures of cultures foreign to
us. Or, we can build walls, both figurative and literal. We can
close ourselves off to the infinite gifts of this wild and vibrant
world. This book will nudge us to choose the former path. Indeed,
by appealing to our senses and our hearts, Bottom of the Pot will
bring new meaning to Michael Pollan's idea that 'Eating is a
political act.'
Like Madhur Jaffrey and Marcella Hazan before her, Naz Deravian
will introduce the pleasures and secrets of her mother culture's
cooking to a broad audience that has no idea what it's been
missing. America will not only fall in love with Persian cooking,
it'll fall in love with Naz."
- Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: The Four Elements
of Good Cooking "This beautiful book tells the story of the Iranian
diaspora through recipes ranging from breathtaking feats of
culinary mastery, to humble, everyday family meals. What an
absolute pleasure to join Deravian on this sweet and tender
journey; her warmth and Persian hospitality shine through the page,
inviting you in like family to her dinner table."
- Louisa Shafia, author of The New Persian Kitchen and Lucid
Food
"From cover to cover of her beautiful book, Naz invites us into the
intoxicating embrace of Persian-American cooking. Her stories are
as charming and welcoming as her recipes, gently wafting into our
own kitchens with the promise of aromatic flavors we can't wait to
experience. The procession of ingredients--from saffron and fresh
herbs to rose petals and cool yogurt--is dazzling, and I feel
completely at ease under Naz's guiding hand to explore them all.
The bottom of my own pot will happily never be the same!"
- Maureen Abood, author of Rose Water & Orange Blossoms
"Colors, aromas, and stories seduce and transport the reader to a
world of food that is simply irresistible! Naz Deravian, a
passionate home-cook, created this brilliant collection of
easy-to-follow recipes from her native Persian cuisine --the mother
of urban Eastern Mediterranean cooking. The author's personality
permeates the book as she complements the recipes with family
narratives and traditional tales. She describes appetizers as
'Music and Poetry;' soups as 'Heart, ' and Khoresh --the
long-simmered, jam-like stews-- as 'the Soul.' Rice dishes, with
their crunchy tahdig are the 'Jewels' of Persian cooking, and the
ever-present naan (breads) are, of course, 'Life;' Kookoo --my
favorite frittata-like, egg-and-vegetable dishes-- are 'the Light.'
And we mustn't forget 'Love, ' the well-chosen, simple desserts.
With easy to find ingredients and wonderful spice and herb
combinations every dish becomes a new adventure: 'follow the recipe
for the first time, ' the author advises, 'then relax, throw it all
away, play, and, make it your own.' The book's beautiful pictures
and clear instructions on what to pre-cook and how to store -most
dishes are better the next day-- or freeze, inspire everybody to
get into the kitchen and recreate these tantalizing, age-old savory
and sweet dishes." - Aglaia Kremezi, author of Mediterranean
Vegetarian Feasts "An easy access to a sophisticated cuisine.
Delicious homemade gourmet food.
Just follow the instructions, uncork the wine,
and get ready for a royal feast."
- Shohreh Aghdashloo, Emmy Award winner "In Bottom of the Pot, Naz
Deravian has crafted a superb cookbook that combines cultural and
family history with mouth-watering recipes to create a full and
rich portrait of Persian cuisine. Personal memories weaved into
each made-from-scratch Persian dish evoke a strong sense of place
and bring alive the senses.This is a must-have cookbook that breaks
down barriers by introducing readers to a colorful and vibrant
cuisine and gives well-crafted advice to those already familiar
with this beautiful tapestry of dishes. More than just a cookbook,
its stories and recipes nourish and soothe, celebrate and unite. I
will be giving Bottom of the Pot to my friends and family for years
to come!"
- Marjan Kamali, author, TOGETHER TEA "With seductive
must-make-it-now! recipes and gorgeous lyrical prose Naz
beautifully captures the saffron-scented allure of Persian cooking,
creating a rich multi-layered evocation of an entire culture at
table. Whether you want to master the delicate fragrant Persian
pilafs or just savor the heartrending family stories of exile and
longing, every page of Bottom of the Pot is full of rewards. This
is one of those rare books that both captures the culinary
zeitgeist and transports you to an exotic world you don't want to
leave." - Anya von Bremzen "This book is written with love and
filled with beautiful recipes that will take you straight to the
heart of Naz's Persian kitchen." - Meera Sodha, author of FRESH
INDIA and MADE IN INDIA
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