Marsha Mehran: Pomegranate Soup

A funny and heart-warming debut about three sisters, an old box of recipes and a new, exotic cafe in a small Irish town, reminiscent of Joanne Harris' Chocolat For Marjan, Bahar and Layla, the small Irish town of Ballinacroagh is a welcome oasis of tranquillity and freedom. Having spent most of their lives having to cook for a large Persian family, the three sisters have safely escaped the horrors of the Islamic Revolution and are now determined to share the magic of their kitchen with the friendly Ballinacroagh locals. Opening the Babylon Cafe, right in the heart of town, they begin serving up traditional Persian dishes and soon enough, the townsfolk is lured to the new premises by the tantalizing fragances of such delicacies as fresh herb kuku, lamb abgusht and elephant ear fritters, washed down with gallons of jasmine tea from the old samovar. Well, most of the townsfolk. Not everyone welcomes the three women with open arms -- some of the older battle axes fear for the sanity of their husbands; the mayor has his eye on their property to open the disco he's been dreaming of for years, and his foul-mouthed son has his eyes on Layla...