The Temporary Bride: A Memoir of Love and Food in Iran

'It is the pursuit of love that drives me to Iran. It is for love I am willing to sit night after night alone, eating in the empty women's dining rooms of the few restaurants that survived the revolution. Since I ate my first Persian stew, tearing fibres of lamb between a spoon and fork, breathing in the scent of dried black limes, I have chartered a course to this place.' Jennifer Klinec has always been drawn to travelling in pursuit of her love of food. Raised in Canada to Hungarian-Croatian parents, she made her way across the world before ending up in London. And for her, a visit to Iran means one thing - learning more about the food that Iranians eat. So she packs her suitcase, puts on a scarf and closes up the cookery school she hosts in her home before leaving for a land that has long fascinated her. She wants to eat the food of the people and try recipes that have changed little in five-hundred years: tahdig, the crisp, buttery golden crust of rice that Iranians covet; long simmered stews of chicken with golden plums and quince; lamb braised with pomegranate seeds. So when she is given the opportunity to cook with the mother of an Iranian family, Jennifer jumps at the chance. Soon she is learning to cook the Iranian way, while the son of the family, Vahid, takes her on a culinary tour of the land. But more than food is on the cards, and falling in love is not easy in a country that isn't your own. Moving, fascinating and full of the sights, smells and tastes of Iran, this is a heart-warming tale of love against the odds.

About the Author :
Born in Canada, Jennifer Klinec lives and works in London.

Review :
A moving meditation on love across cultures and the evocative power of food A cross-cultural romance with a backdrop of Middle Eastern cuisine. Conveys the fear and excitement experienced by a couple trying to get to know each other in a strictly controlled society The writing is vivid and sensual, the city of Yazd where she stays comes alive - the people, the streets, the scents, and her description of, among other things, a slaughterhouse is powerful. I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a film The Temporary Bride is a beautifully written window into a world few of us have ever entered: contemporary Iran in all its complexity. Its sprawling cities and street-side eateries come to life, but most vivid is the portrait of ordinary Iranians: cooking, sharing, living, in a world where Westerners are unwelcome. A book for travellers - of the world and the senses This is amour sans frontières. An adventure in a globalised world. Love laughs at rigorously controlled borders A moving memoir about love against the odds Jennifer Klinec went to Iran looking for food and found forbidden love. She writes about both with equal eloquence and panache. An absorbing, page-turning tale of one strong woman's curiosity and daring that ventures behind Iran's closed doors