“With her debut cookbook Pomegranates and Artichokes: Recipes and Memories of a Journey From Iran to Italy, Saghar Setareh guides us on a spirited and soulful culinary journey. Setareh’s stunning photography casts a warm light on the true essence of the people and cuisine of each region. This is not a cookbook lost in the nostalgia of a bygone era, but an invitation to Setareh’s table firmly planted in the here and now. And what a delicious table it is. I can’t wait to get cooking from this beautiful cookbook!” —Naz Deravian author of Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories

“Quite possibly the most beautiful cookbook I have ever seen.” —Caroline Eden

“Pomegranates and Artichokes is a cookbook, a travelogue, and a master’s class in foodways. As seen through Saghar Setareh’s transition from her childhood in Iran to her adulthood in Italy, three distinct regions—Iran, the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean, and Italy—form a Venn diagram that transforms the monolith of food culture into a gradient of discoveries and felicitous reinterpretations, tracing the movements and mingling of people into a common language: deliciousness. Setareh’s experiences give her the ability to perceive this world that’s hiding in plain sight: one where people ebb and flow across borders, and cultural distinctions are merely ingredients in a recipe that spans time and place. One of the book’s best examples of regional cross-pollination is the eggplant. Setareh notes that it is a prized ingredient in all three cultures—introduced to Italy by Arabs in the Middle Ages and initially disliked. Today, it’s the base of eggplant parmigiana, a recipe that bears more than a passing resemblance to Turkish Imam bayildi. By way of the Levant’s baba ghanoush, it becomes a cousin of the Iranian dish mirza ghasemi. Although technically very different dishes, ‘what brings them together … are the ingredients and cooking methods that have migrated through these territories over centuries, appearing in different forms and with different condiments.’ 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.”—Foreword Reviews, starred rewiew

“[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