Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran

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Cooking Up a New Life in Ireland

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran is a tale that melds the flavors of Persian food and memories best left forgotten with a quaint and rainy Irish village. Three sisters move to a small Irish town and open the Babylon Café.  Town bully, Thomas McGuire, who owns half the village is not happy about the “darkies.”  They have settled in the building that he’s been trying to acquire for years. He wants to open a disco there—a boogie-woogie bully with a dream. Despite his best efforts the café begins to gain customers and the girls begin to develop friendships.  Majan is the oldest. There is something about her cooking that in some ways revives patrons’ past dreams and aspirations, and keeps them coming back for more.  Bahar is the petite, skittish middle sister, and Layla the beautiful young 15-year-old.  As they cook away, they stir up old, sometimes harrowing memories of the Iranian Revolution which they escaped in the late 1970s. 

The back stories of the three sisters are intriguing. Marsha Mehran brings the townsfolk to life so that you can easily picture each of the different characters.  Not only does each chapter begin with a Persian recipe, but her writing is plump with deliciously descriptive sentences.  I really liked this book.

I also liked the pomegranate soup, which I made from her recipe in the book. Very tasty! Next up, the elephant ears. Give the book and maybe some of recipes a try.

Happy Reading,
Annette


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