Pomegranates and Artichokes: A Food Journey from Iran to Italy

 Pomegranates and Artichokes: A Food Journey from Iran to Italy

by  Saghar Setareh (Author)

From photographer and food writer Saghar Setareh comes a cookbook full of rich new recipes that show how ingredients and recipes–unconstrained by borders–are shared and transformed through the immigrant experience.

When Iranian writer and food photographer Saghar Setareh moved to Italy at the age of 22, she was enchanted by the rich food culture of her adopted country, and this inspired a curiosity in the cuisine of her homeland and the surrounding countries of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. Pomegranates and Artichokes is the story of Saghar’s own culinary journey from Iran to Italy, in which she describes the many parallels that link Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food cultures, and shows how ingredients and recipes–unconstrained by borders–are shared and transformed through the immigrant experience.

Divided into three sections representing stops on Saghar’s culinary “road trip”­–Iran, In Between, and Italy–this book features more than 80 recipes celebrating the foods of these regions. Among the highlights are a simple Iranian breakfast platter, a celebratory Persian feast, Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes, guinea hen braised with pomegranate, sweet–sour meatballs from Aleppo, a Roman ricotta and wild cherry pie, and a velvety Middle Eastern milk pudding.

Illustrated with Saghar's own beautiful photography and peppered with personal insights and experiences, Pomegranates and Artichokes tells the story of two food cultures, and the delicious space in between.

About the Author

Saghar Setareh was born in Tehran and moved to Rome in 2007 to study at the Fine Art Academy. She has a popular food and photography blog, Lab Noon and has contributed to Food52, Conde Nast Traveller, and National Geographic. Alongside working as a professional photographer, Saghar runs Persian and Italian cooking classes in cities across Italy. She was among Corriere della Sera’s selection of “50 Women of Food” in 2020.

Review

“Pomegranates and Artichokes is a cookbook, a travelogue, and a master’s class in foodways … A delight for the senses, Pomegranates and Artichokes‘s photographs are jewel-toned images of abundant tables, finished dishes, and phenomenal cultural backdrops. Setareh also uses space, as with the recipes’ headnotes, as a place to muse on personal identity—a territory that transcends concepts of singularity or nationality. Whether she’s discussing the origin of an ingredient or the invisible lives of migrants, her intellectual curiosity chips away at the idea of rigid barriers and borders.” -- Foreward, starred review

“[A] fascinating and deeply personal debut recipe collection, which evinces warm feelings about both locales while also training a clear eye on the experience of being foreign in Italy … Setareh elegantly spins a web of connections … Gorgeous photography throughout enhances the experience. Setareh’s thoughtful tone and generosity of spirit make this well worth a look.” -- Publishers Weekly

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Interlink Books (2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1-62371-740-7