Reference, Restaurant or Family Table? The Best Persian Cookbook

A Mexican kitchen and a Persian kitchen have some things in common. Both build dishes slowly, both prize rice or corn done properly, and both have stews and sauces that take an afternoon and taste better the next day. Good Persian cooking also depends on technique a recipe can only partly explain, which is why the choice of book matters.

Here are seven books from named authors and established publishers, including Mage, a specialist press. Each entry tells you what stands behind it, so you can see which picks rest on a named review and which rest on the publisher’s details.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in a cookbook, the Amazon listing, publisher and author information and published reviews, which we name where we use them.

Quick verdict: the best Persian cookbook to start with

The other four cover family celebrations, regional Iran, yogurt and the wider Persian world.

Five Persian cookbooks side by side

Five of the seven, one for each kind of cook. All seven are described in full below.

Cover images from Amazon. Page counts and formats are from the Amazon listings for the editions linked. Recipe counts are from the publisher’s copy.

Our picks for the best Persian cookbook, book by book

All seven were in stock, new and sold by Amazon when we checked. We have not cooked from these books; where we describe a strength, we say whose view it is.

How to choose an Iranian home cooking book

These four points will narrow the list quickly.

• Do you want one book or a shelf? Buy Food of Life if you only want one. Add Cooking in Iran or Sofreh later if the cuisine takes hold.
• Can you buy the ingredients? Barberries, dried limes and good saffron are not at every grocery. Find a Middle Eastern market before you plan a big meal. We cannot tell you how much each book relies on them.
• How will you handle the rice? Rice with a crisp bottom is central to this cooking. Our rice cooker guide covers the equipment if you do not want to use a pot.
• Are you cooking for a crowd? Persian Feasts gives celebratory menus. The Saffron Tales is the smaller, quieter book.

How we picked these Persian cookbooks

We searched Amazon’s book listings first and kept print editions from named authors at established publishers, plain in stock with a new lead offer. We left out titles already on our other book pages, so Naz Deravian’s Bottom of the Pot, which is on our Middle Eastern cookbook page, is not here. Author, year, format and page count come from the Amazon listing. Recipe counts and descriptions come from the publisher, in some cases as carried by booksellers.

Here is what stands behind each pick. Sofreh and Yogurt & Whey have Publishers Weekly reviews that we read ourselves. Food of Life, The Saffron Tales, Persian Feasts and Taste of Persia have outside praise that we read only as quoted by the publisher. Cooking in Iran rests on its title, its listing and the author’s record, because we could not read the publisher’s description.

Stock ruled out some familiar titles. Sabrina Ghayour’s original Persiana, Louisa Shafia’s The New Persian Kitchen and Batmanglij’s Persian Cooking For Dummies were low in stock when we checked. Khan’s newer Sabzi was in stock, but the publisher describes it as Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and South Asian, so it does not belong on a Persian list.

Persian cookbook questions, answered

What is the best Iranian home cooking book for a beginner?

Booklist, as quoted by the publisher, calls Sofreh a warm guide for cooks new to the cuisine. The Saffron Tales is the shorter alternative.

Is Persian food the same as Iranian food?

In cookbook terms, mostly yes, and these authors use both words. Taste of Persia stretches further, into Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kurdistan.

Which book has the most recipes?

Food of Life, with more than 400 by Mage’s count. We could not confirm a count for Cooking in Iran.

Do I need special equipment?

A heavy pot with a good lid goes a long way, and a mortar and pestle helps with saffron. We have not cooked from these books, so check the recipes you plan to make.

Are there vegetarian dishes in these books?

The publisher says The Saffron Tales includes vegetarian dishes. We have not counted them, so look through a copy if you cook without meat.

Which Persian cookbook should you buy first?

Buy Food of Life if you want one book for good. Choose Sofreh for a modern chef’s approach, The Saffron Tales for home cooking with stories and Persian Feasts for gatherings. Cooking in Iran, Yogurt & Whey and Taste of Persia each suit a narrower interest. For the neighbors, go to our best Middle Eastern cookbook guide or our Mediterranean cookbook page.

And if you would rather let someone else cook tonight, see the menu or call to order.