I LOVED this book! I couldn't put it down! It reminded me a lot of the divine "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris mixed with the lovely tv show Ballykissangel.
The Aminpour sisters, Marjan, Bahar and Layla arrive in the little Irish village of Ballinacroagh. Having escaped Iran seven years previously, they hope that this will really be a new home for them. From the kitchen of an old pastry shop the sisters create a Persian oasis - The Babylon Cafe. Soon the aromas of cardamom, cinnamon and saffron are floating through the streets. However, some people in the village aren't fond of these "foreigners" - especially Thomas McGuire who had wanted the old pastry shop for himself so he could turn it into a disco!!! However the cafe is a success and the sisters start to settle in. Layla starts the local school and falls in love with Thomas McGuire's lovely son Malachy. Other characters include Father Mahoney, the first fan of the cafe, local gossip Dervla Quigley, actress turned hairdresser Fiona Athey and former pastry shop owner and lonely widow Estelle Delmonico.
Each chapter is headed with a Persian recipe which is woven into the chapter. I really want to try some of these recipes e.g dolmeh (stuffed grape leaves), baklava, lavash bread, a tribal migraine cure and ... pomegranate soup. Mehran has the gift of describing the taste and smell that you can almost picture the dish in front of you.
The story includes flashbacks to Revolutionary Iran and the sisters flight from their homeland. Again, Mehran really takes you there and you can feel the hell that the girls are living. Incidentally, Mehran herself escaped with her family from Iran and they moved to Argentina where they opened a restaurant!
A sequel has recently been published and I have already got it on hold at the library.
A wonderful read with strong characters, humour, recipes and ... you learn a bit of Persian history too.
3 comments:
This sounds like a book I must read!! Thanks for the review!! I will let you know what I think when I read it soon!! Love ya...Affectionately, Evie
Hi! Thank you for visiting my blog, and leaving such a nice note.
I am enjoyed your blog and getting to know your reading tastes as well. I was thrilled to see your review of Pomegrantate Soup which I'd never heard of until the other day when I came across a copy and bought it! I'm glad to know you enjoyed it.
I loved reading this book too...it felt so good and cozy to me. I love reading about food anyway, makes one hungry!
I just finished another foodie book last week which was in the same genre. Really loved it as well.
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