Written by Elaheh Yaghoubi · World Heritage Studies, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
Hello everyone, and welcome to SofrehNameh!
My name is Elaheh Yaghoubi but you can call me Ela. I was born and raised in Iran, and I studied World Heritage Studies at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg.
Cooking has always been one of my greatest passions. During my studies, I worked as a cook in several kitchens, and over time, I realized that I wanted to bring these two parts of my life together: my love for food and my interest and academic background in cultural heritage.
The research behind it
That idea eventually became the foundation of my master's thesis, Food as Cultural Heritage: Documenting and Preserving Iranian Traditional Recipes through the SofrehNameh Digital Archive, developed under the guidance of Ph.D. A. P. Obafemi.
Where that research comes to life
I created this digital archive as a place to document, preserve, and share traditional Iranian recipes, culinary knowledge, and food traditions, so that they can continue to be remembered and passed on to future generations. Food is much more than something we eat. It carries memories, stories, traditions, places, and a sense of belonging.
What a sofreh is
The name SofrehNameh reflects exactly what I hope this website can be.
In Iranian culture, a sofreh is much more than a surface where food is served. It is a place that brings people together. Around the sofreh, we not only share food, but also conversations, memories, emotions, traditions, and respect for one another.
That spirit is at the heart of SofrehNameh. I wanted this website to feel like a digital sofreh: a place where Iranian food brings people together, where recipes can carry stories, and where memories and knowledge can be shared and preserved.
Your voice is part of this archive
That is also why your voice is an important part of this archive. You will find a comment section throughout the website, and I read every comment with great interest. I would love to hear about your own memories connected to these foods, the way a dish was prepared in your family, stories you associate with a recipe, or simply anything you would like to add.
SofrehNameh is meant to be a living digital archive, and every memory, story, and piece of knowledge shared here can help make it richer. And of course, I couldn't resist adding some of my own recipes along the way! Alongside the traditional dishes documented through my research, you will also find recipes that are personal to me and that I simply love to cook and share.
Acknowledgments
A very special thank you goes to my beloved boyfriend, Eng. Hamed Vaheb, who brought this website to life with his coding and technical skills. Without his support, patience, and countless hours of work behind the scenes, SofrehNameh would not exist in the form you see today.
I would like to extend my gratitude to my supervisor and mentor, Ph.D. A. P. Obafemi, for his support, guidance, and feedback on this work.
For the people of Iran
I also dedicate this work to the brave people of Iran who continue to fight for freedom. Without them, there would be no Iran as we know it, no homeland whose memory we could carry with us, and no culture or heritage for future generations to preserve.
In their honor, and with faith in the bravery and resilience of our people, I hope this modest work can become part of a lasting effort to document, preserve, and pass on the rich culinary heritage of our homeland, so that even in times of loss and change, the traditions and memories that make us who we are may continue to live.
I hope you enjoy exploring SofrehNameh, discovering its stories and recipes, and perhaps even trying a few of them yourself. And if a dish brings back a memory, a story, or a feeling, I hope you will share it.
So please, take a seat at the sofreh and add your voice to the story. Everything here has been created with a lot of love.
Hope you enjoy and “Noosh-e-Jaan!”
Ela ❤️