Watermelon, Bread and Cheese

A favorite Persian dish

My father has died beyond the ages.

When my father died the sky was blue . . .

When my father died, the police were all poets.

The grocer asked me, “How many pounds of melons do you want?”

I asked him, “How much an ounce for a happy heart?”--Sohrab Sepehri

Along with daily gifts of pleasure, Persian cooking has figured intimately in numerous Iranian festivals and ceremonies. The menus and recipes associated with such events are described in Food of Life in detail, from the winter solstice celebration, Shab-e Yalda, or the “sun’s birthday eve,” to the rituals and symbolism involved in a modern Iranian marriage. Also woven through this book are many examples of how food has inspired artists, poets, and other luminaries of Persian culture. The book includes the miniatures of Mir Mosavvar and Aqa Mirak; excerpts from such classics as the fourth-century tale Khosrow and His Knight, the tenth-century Book of Kings, and the Thousand and One Nights; poems by Omar Khayyam, Rumi, and Sohrab Sepehri; and the humor of Mulla Nasruddin