Naomi Duguid

Harvard Book Store welcomes award-winning writer, photographer, and cook NAOMI DUGUID, author of Burma: Rivers of Flavor, for a discussion of her upcoming book, Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan. Ms. Duguid will be joined in conversation by renowned food writer CORBY KUMMER—senior editor of The Atlantic and restaurant critic for Boston Magazine.

About Taste of Persia

Though the countries in the Persian culinary region are home to diverse religions, cultures, languages, and politics, they are linked by beguiling food traditions and a love for the fresh and the tart. Color and spark come from ripe red pomegranates, golden saffron threads, and the fresh herbs served at every meal. Grilled kebabs, barbari breads, pilafs, and brightly colored condiments are everyday fare, as are rich soup-stews called ash and alluring sweets like rose water pudding and date-nut halvah.

Our ambassador to this tasty world is the incomparable Naomi Duguid, who for more than 20 years has been bringing us exceptional recipes and mesmerizing tales from regions seemingly beyond our reach. Nearly 125 recipes, framed with stories and photographs of people and places, introduce us to a culinary paradise where ancient legends and ruins rub shoulders with new beginnings—where a wealth of history and culinary traditions makes it a compelling place to read about for cooks and travelers and for anyone hankering to experience the food of a wider world.

Praise

“A new book from Naomi Duguid is a reason to celebrate . . . a fascinating culinary excursion. . . . Taste of Persia opens with a map, which illustrates Ms. Duguid’s wise observation that regional cooking doesn’t respect borders. So the search for Persian cuisine includes stops in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Kurdistan. We are seduced from the start with the flavors of the region: saffron (most of the world’s supply comes from this part of the world), mint, dill, parsley, cilantro, dried rose petals, sumac, lime, pomegranate and honey. Cinnamon, cardamom and other sweet spices weave their way through savory and sweet dishes. Ms. Duguid’s discoveries on these intrepid travels are shared in stories and pictures, along with an abundance of recipes.” —The New York Times

“Though Persia spans many countries—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan—the cuisines of the region share much in common. Here, famed traveling cookbook author Naomi Duguid traces the throughlines of this region. The book’s 125 recipes cover the pilafs and breads and grilled meats of Persian cuisine, from feasts to simple meals. All this alongside history and cultural background, and photography.” —Epicurious, The 25 Most Exciting New Cookbooks

“A veteran of the cookbook-cum-travel memoir genre, author Naomi Duguid introduced food lovers to places like Tibet and Myanmar in earlier volumes. For her latest book, she traveled to the countries that once made up the Persian Empire, weaving recipes together with colorful firsthand accounts of her travels.” —The Wall Street Journal