The Savor of Memory
February 25, 2021 5:38 PM Subscribe
When I left Iran for good in 1985, I carried two books in my massive suitcase. The first was a boxy little hardcover bound in black cloth: the collected ghazals of Hafez (which apparently every Iranian must own). The version was edited by the great modernist poet Ahmad Shamlu, and it was notorious for his controversial editorial choices, unadorned presentation on the page and blasphemous punctuation. The second book was also bound in black cloth. Roza Montazemi’s venerable cookbook, Honar-e-Ashpazi (The Art of Cooking) was bigger in size but lighter, because its paper was what we called kahi, or lower-quality straw paper, lightweight and liable to yellowing.
Historian Laleh Khalili, author of Heroes and martyrs of Palestine: The Politics of National Commemoration (2007), Time in the Shadows: Confinement in Counterinsurgencies (2013), and, most recently, Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula (2020) on the intricacies and joys of "cooking in the diaspora".
Books she reviews in this nuanced, pensive, intertwined essay written for the Middle East Research and Information Project:
Najmieh Batmanglij, Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets (Chevy Chase: Mage Publishers, 2018).
Najmieh Batmanglij, New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies (Chevy Chase: Mage Publishers, 2004 (1992)).
Najaf Daryabandari with Fahimeh Rastkar, Ketab-e-Mostatab-e-Ashpazi: Az Sir ta Piyaz (The Excellent Book of Cookery: From Garlic to Onion; 2 volumes) (Tehran: Mehregan, 2005).
Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories (New York: Flat Iron Books, 2018).
Sabrina Ghayour, Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East and Beyond (London: Mitchell Beazley, 2014).
M.R. Ghanoonparvar, Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional and Modern Foods (Costa Mesa: Mazda Publishers 2015 (1982)).
Yasmin Khan, The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen (London: Bloomsbury, 2016).
Roza Montazemi, Honar-e-Ashpazi: Majmou’-eye-Ghaza ha ye Irani va Farangi (The Art of Cooking: A Collection of Iranian and Foreign Cuisines) (Tehran: Katibeh, 1985 tenth edition).
Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2017).
Louisa Shafia, The New Persian Kitchen (Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2013).
Margaret Shaida, The Legendary Cuisine of Persia (London: Grub Street, 2000 (1992)).
Historian Laleh Khalili, author of Heroes and martyrs of Palestine: The Politics of National Commemoration (2007), Time in the Shadows: Confinement in Counterinsurgencies (2013), and, most recently, Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula (2020) on the intricacies and joys of "cooking in the diaspora".
Books she reviews in this nuanced, pensive, intertwined essay written for the Middle East Research and Information Project:
Najmieh Batmanglij, Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets (Chevy Chase: Mage Publishers, 2018).
Najmieh Batmanglij, New Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies (Chevy Chase: Mage Publishers, 2004 (1992)).
Najaf Daryabandari with Fahimeh Rastkar, Ketab-e-Mostatab-e-Ashpazi: Az Sir ta Piyaz (The Excellent Book of Cookery: From Garlic to Onion; 2 volumes) (Tehran: Mehregan, 2005).
Naz Deravian, Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories (New York: Flat Iron Books, 2018).
Sabrina Ghayour, Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East and Beyond (London: Mitchell Beazley, 2014).
M.R. Ghanoonparvar, Persian Cuisine: Traditional, Regional and Modern Foods (Costa Mesa: Mazda Publishers 2015 (1982)).
Yasmin Khan, The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen (London: Bloomsbury, 2016).
Roza Montazemi, Honar-e-Ashpazi: Majmou’-eye-Ghaza ha ye Irani va Farangi (The Art of Cooking: A Collection of Iranian and Foreign Cuisines) (Tehran: Katibeh, 1985 tenth edition).
Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2017).
Louisa Shafia, The New Persian Kitchen (Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2013).
Margaret Shaida, The Legendary Cuisine of Persia (London: Grub Street, 2000 (1992)).
What counts as blasphemous punctuation?
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:08 PM on February 25, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:08 PM on February 25, 2021 [6 favorites]
The mention of the Persian poet Hafez reminded me of this lovely moment in a Joanna Lumley travelogue, where she visits the tomb of the poet in Shiraz and talks to locals about their favorite Hafez poems. Googling Hafez’s poetry, I found out that the venerable poet had also fallen victim to the same kind of well-meaning but rage-inducing appropriation that was covered in an earlier MeFi post.
“[Daniel] Ladinsky is not translating from the Persian original of Hafez. And unlike some ‘versioners’ who translate Rumi by taking the Victorian literal translations and rendering them into American free verse, Ladinsky’s relationship with the text of Hafez’s poetry is nonexistent. Ladinsky claims that Hafez appeared to him in a dream and handed him the English ‘translations’ he is publishing.”
- Fake Hafez: How a supreme Persian poet of love was erased
posted by micketymoc at 1:22 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
“[Daniel] Ladinsky is not translating from the Persian original of Hafez. And unlike some ‘versioners’ who translate Rumi by taking the Victorian literal translations and rendering them into American free verse, Ladinsky’s relationship with the text of Hafez’s poetry is nonexistent. Ladinsky claims that Hafez appeared to him in a dream and handed him the English ‘translations’ he is publishing.”
- Fake Hafez: How a supreme Persian poet of love was erased
posted by micketymoc at 1:22 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
That was a wonderful, thoughtful read. One of my friends took a months-long leave where she traveled through Iran, and doing that is at the top of my bucket list for when the world opens back up and my health and economy permits. Iran is one of the nicest places I've ever been, I'd love to learn more, and the food is fabulous!
We don't have many Iranian refugees/immigrants in Denmark, so some ingredients are hard to get here, and there are less than a handful of restaurants. Still, my family loves it when I try to make the food, so I'm definitely going to order one or two of the books she has written about. The one in Farsi, with the calligraphy, looks amazing.
Authenticity is such a difficult issue, when it comes to food. Right now I'm reading Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food, and it is deeply fascinating on a personal level, because I can recognize some things and at the same time it makes me think of how diasporas evolve differently over time and continents. There is so much nuance!
Laleh Khalili describes this very well in her essay/review, I think.
posted by mumimor at 1:54 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
We don't have many Iranian refugees/immigrants in Denmark, so some ingredients are hard to get here, and there are less than a handful of restaurants. Still, my family loves it when I try to make the food, so I'm definitely going to order one or two of the books she has written about. The one in Farsi, with the calligraphy, looks amazing.
Authenticity is such a difficult issue, when it comes to food. Right now I'm reading Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food, and it is deeply fascinating on a personal level, because I can recognize some things and at the same time it makes me think of how diasporas evolve differently over time and continents. There is so much nuance!
Laleh Khalili describes this very well in her essay/review, I think.
posted by mumimor at 1:54 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
What counts as blasphemous punctuation?
A grocer’s apostrophe, perhaps?
posted by TedW at 6:14 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
A grocer’s apostrophe, perhaps?
posted by TedW at 6:14 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
What counts as blasphemous punctuation?
Gotta thank my parents, Ayn Rand and God?
More seriously, the versions I can see online don't have any punctuation, in which case adding it after the fact would be imposing the punctuator's interpretation on the original texts. Hopefully someone who knows the language and the originals will be able to comment.
posted by trig at 7:39 AM on February 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Gotta thank my parents, Ayn Rand and God?
More seriously, the versions I can see online don't have any punctuation, in which case adding it after the fact would be imposing the punctuator's interpretation on the original texts. Hopefully someone who knows the language and the originals will be able to comment.
posted by trig at 7:39 AM on February 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
From Encyclopædia Iranica:
... in his prefaces (which vary from edition to edition, and are omitted in some) Šāmlu did not identify the manuscripts used; and his long-standing promise to identify the variants in his notes in a later publication was never fulfilled (Matini, pp. 606-7). Moreover, Šāmlu declared that his most important task was to establish the “logical” order of verses in each ḡhazal (Matini, pp. 603, 607-8; Ḵorramšāhi, 1995, pp. 167-71)—this despite the fact that in the older manuscripts the order of verses is highly consistent (Matini, pp. 609-11). The texts of the ghazals themselves differ from edition to edition; verses are omitted, added or substituted (as are whole poems) in an arbitrary manner (Matini, pp. 627-29, 637-38). Šāmlu also introduced punctuation and bold type (for emphasis), often inappropriately (see Ḵorramšāhi, 1995, pp. 200-209; Matini, p. 603).posted by trig at 7:47 AM on February 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
persian poetry was mentioned which is all the opening i need to mention my favorite iranian-american poet, Kaveh Akbar. His stuff rules, do check it out. i have a physical copy of Calling A Wolf A Wolf and it is never very far from my side these days, especially since i quit drinking.
posted by lazaruslong at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by lazaruslong at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
That was super interesting - thank you for posting it, as I never would have seen it otherwise.
I grew up in a huge diasporic endpoint (Southern California). Iranian food, or as the author astutely notes, Persian food said by the speaker with a deliberate emphasis, is familiar to me from friends and local restaurants. I particularly appreciated the author's careful distinction between northern and southern Iranian food at the end of the essay and what it means that there is such a paucity of southern cuisine in Anglophone cookbooks.
posted by librarylis at 2:14 PM on March 7, 2021
I grew up in a huge diasporic endpoint (Southern California). Iranian food, or as the author astutely notes, Persian food said by the speaker with a deliberate emphasis, is familiar to me from friends and local restaurants. I particularly appreciated the author's careful distinction between northern and southern Iranian food at the end of the essay and what it means that there is such a paucity of southern cuisine in Anglophone cookbooks.
posted by librarylis at 2:14 PM on March 7, 2021
« Older Is It Time to Kill the Book Blurb? | Rumble in the Jungle Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by esoteric things at 7:26 PM on February 25, 2021 [1 favorite]