Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life

Yogurt and Whey immediately strikes you with its bold and distinct personality. The charismatic voice is that of Homa Dashtaki, founder of The White Moustache yogurt company based in Brooklyn, New York.

Dashtaki was born to a Zoroastrian family in Iran during the Revolution and emigrated to the US as a child.  Religion, culture, and politics are woven into the memoir-like portions of the book—anchors for an immigrant who, in youth, strove for conformity in her adopted country, but, in later years, recognized a personal obligation to preserve the traditions of her forebears in order to pass them on to her own children.

Equally as humorous as deeply earnest, this is a book you‘ll want to read.  

But that is not to say that the recipes are secondary.  In fact, we find a tantalizing array of potential for two humble ingredients—yogurt, made with ancient techniques, and its byproduct, whey. Though Persian dishes are a strong presence here, other adaptations for the ingredients’ uses, rather than detracting from the focus, accentuate the versatility and the multiculturalism of immigrant life in the US.  

These drew our attention:

• Whey-cured ceviche

• Pulled pork topped with a whey and chipotle caramel barbecue sauce

• Fesejān—a celebratory Persian stew of beef and walnut meatballs, glazed in pomegranate molasses, and served with basmati rice and feta cheese

• Yogurt and aleppo pepper-marinated fried chicken, drizzled with saffron infused honey

• Yogurt and berry paletas—fellow Brooklyn business owner Fany Gerson’s contribution

Fresh and exciting.

Hardcover.  Black and white illustrations and color photography inserts.