Yasmin Khan’s Twitter bio reads: “Challenging stereotypes of the Middle East, one pomegranate at a time.” With her new cookbook, “The Saffron Tales,” Khan has not only delivered a beautifully written book about Persian food but has also challenged us to think about Persian food in entirely new ways.

Khan set out in 2013 to write her book because she was fed up with people in making assumptions that Iran equals bombs, nukes, and fanatics. She wanted to show the texture and the beauty she experienced during her own visits to the Iranian countryside. What she could not predict is that the antagonism between the “West” and Iran would only grow greater, especially with the US election of Donald Trump.

In this episode, Khan speaks about meeting artisanal chocolatiers in Iran, why London doesn’t have great regional Persian restaurants, and why she was denied a visa to the US during the Obama administration.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.