Off the shelf: The essential Persian cooking staple you probably don´t have
(LA Times NBA)

Shuffle the pages of Najmieh Batmanglij´s massive cookbook `Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets` - a 700-plus-page compendium of the cuisine of Iran that she has mastered over the last three decades - and you´ll find certain ingredients dropped like trail markers. Her spice route...