Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life

This standout meditation on yogurt, its byproduct whey, community, memory, and the power of food is designed with focused intent, largely illustrated with pencil sketches and a restrained color palette (although there are also two color insert sections). The result is akin to a sonnet. Dashtaki, who runs the White Moustache Yogurt company, begins with an introduction to her immigrant experience and Zoroastrianism, as her family is from a Zoroastrian village in Iran. Reading these initial pages feels akin to being welcomed to an intimate yet lively feast in Dashtaki’s home, one where she offers stories and instructions, shares what she can in English, and highlights what is not translatable. The feast begins with instructions on how to make yogurt over three days and harvest its whey, before turning these into labneh, kashk, and gharagooroot. After that, Dashtaki demonstrates the many ways these products can be used as ingredients. The delicious possibilities are expansive, from cauliflower whey soup to sweet beet preserves. Chapters are arranged by category, and each is introduced by a headnote, as are the recipes themselves.