Paperback release of a guide to culinary herbs and spices, first published 2000. Covers the history of the spice trade and cultures and cuisines of the spice world. Provides detailed information on the herbs and spices used in today's cooking and over 50 recipes. Includes bibliography and index. Author managed a spice company in Singapore, was a senior manager for a multinational food company in Australia and currently runs a specialty spice shop in Sydney.

Transform your dishes from bland and boring to punchy and flavorsome with this definitive guide to spices. It’s time to spice up your home cooking! Taking the periodic table of spices as a starting point, this adventurous recipe book explores the science behind the art of making incredible spice blends to help you release the flavor in your dishes. Discover a spice book like no other from TV personality, food scientist and bestselling author, Dr Stuart Farrimond. Sure to get your tastebuds tingling, you can explore: - 52 exciting recipes from around the world which showcase each spice blend - An explanation of what spices are and how they're produced - Which countries favor which spices and a bit of the history behind it - Dozens of spice blends you can make and what you can use it for - A reference guide where you can conveniently look up each spice to understand how to use it - Various color-coded charts to help you learn the chemical compound that make up the flavors - Instructions on how to design your own spice blends - Beautiful photographs of spices and food Great cooking goes beyond following a recipe - it's knowing how to use the right combination of spices and herbs to get the greatest possible flavor from your dishes. From learning how the flavor compounds within spices work together to exploring the world's top spices, this is the perfect cookbook for curious cooks and adventurous foodies. Whether you’re a fan of spice seeking to experiment with new flavor combinations, or simply a beginner-level home cook looking to advance your knowledge on all things spice related, this is a must-have volume also doubling up as a great coffee table book for the whole family to love. If you've ever wondered why some spices taste stronger than others or how to make your own personal garam masala, The Science of Spice has all the answers! Discover how to use spices for cooking to become more creative in the kitchen, and explore the multiple ways that spices can endlessly heighten your eating experience. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop there? This series from DK is designed to help you perfect your cooking with practical instruction - and the science behind it. There are more cookbooks to discover from The Science of... series giving you the essentials to cook up a storm! Find the answers to your everyday cooking questions and get more out of your recipes with The Science of Cooking, paired together they make the ideal cookery gifts for your food-loving friends too!

A stunning and definitive spice guide by the country’s most sought-after expert, with hundreds of fresh ideas and tips for using pantry spices, 102 never-before-published recipes for spice blends, gorgeous photography, and breathtaking botanical illustrations. Since founding his spice shop in 2006, Lior Lev Sercarz has become the go-to source for fresh and unusual spices as well as small-batch custom blends for renowned chefs around the world. The Spice Companion communicates his expertise in a way that will change how readers cook, inspiring them to try bold new flavor combinations and make custom spice blends. For each of the 102 curated spices, Lev Sercarz provides the history and origin, information on where to buy and how to store it, five traditional cuisine pairings, three quick suggestions for use (such as adding cardamom to flavor chicken broth), and a unique spice blend recipe to highlight it in the kitchen. Sumptuous photography and botanical illustrations of each spice make this must-have resource—which also features debossing on the front cover, an orange-stained book edge, and a silver ribbon marker—as beautiful as it is informative.

Spices are the fastest, easiest way to transform a dish from good to spectacular. In his new book, Lior Lev Sercarz, the country's most sought-after spice expert, shows you how to master flavor in 250 inspiring recipes, each counting on spices to elevate this collection of everyday and new favorites. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Spices are the magic ingredient in Lior Lev Sercarz's newest book, Mastering Spice, and all it takes is a pinch to bring your meatballs, roast chicken, or brownies to the next level. Owner of New York City spice shop La Boîte, and a professionally trained chef who has cooked at some of the world's most renown restaurants, Lior's simple and straightforward approach showcases how spices and spice blends can take a recipe for chicken soup, meatballs, or brownies into a whole new and exciting direction. Every section begins with a master recipe and technique--then Lior teaches readers how to change the spices or some of the ingredients to get a profoundly different dish than what you began with. By mastering the techniques and playing with the variations, you'll learn how to use spices to become a more creative and intuitive cook, and how spices can endlessly heighten your eating experience.

The scent of oregano immediately conjures the comforts of Italian food, curry is synonymous with Indian flavor, and the fire of chili peppers ignites the cuisine of Latin America. Spices are often the overlooked essentials that define our greatest eating experiences. In this global history of spices, Fred Czarra tracks the path of these fundamental ingredients from the trade routes of the ancient world to the McCormick’s brand’s contemporary domination of the global spice market. Focusing on the five premier spices—black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and chili pepper—while also relating the story of many others along the way, Czarra describes how spices have been used in cooking throughout history and how their spread has influenced regional cuisines around the world. Chili peppers, for example, migrated west from the Americas with European sailors and spread rapidly in the Philippines and then to India and the rest of Asia, where the spice quickly became essential to local cuisines. The chili pepper also traveled west from India to Hungary, where it eventually became the national spice—paprika. Mixing a wide range of spice fact with fascinating spice fable—such as giant birds building nests of cinnamon—Czarra details how the spice trade opened up the first age of globalization, prompting a cross-cultural exchange of culinary technique and tradition. This savory spice history will enliven any dinner table conversation—and give that meal an unforgettable dash of something extra.

A revealing look at the history and production of spices, with modern, no-nonsense advice on using them at home. Every home cook has thoughts on the right and wrong ways to use spices. These beliefs are passed down in family recipes and pronounced by television chefs, but where do such ideas come from? Many are little better than superstition, and most serve only to reinforce a cook’s sense of superiority or cover for their insecurities. It doesn’t have to be this way. These notes On Spice come from three generations of a family in the spice trade, and dozens upon dozens of their collected spice guides and stories. Inside, you’ll learn where spices come from: historically, geographically, botanically, and in the modern market. You’ll see snapshots of life in a spice shop, how the flavors and stories can infuse not just meals but life and relationships. And you’ll get straightforward advice delivered with wry wit. Discover why: Salt grinders are useless Saffron is worth its weight in gold (as long as it’s pure) That jar of cinnamon almost certainly isn’t Vanilla is far more risqué than you think Learn to stop worrying and love your spice rack.

Many plants have been used for centuries as sources of spices for culinary use. Recently there has been an upsurge of interest in diversifying the range of such spices and in their agronomy, as alternative crops, in both temperate and tropical countries. This book provides a scientific review and guide to the botany and agronomy of the major families of plants used for the production of spices. Contents include: world production and trade; and chapters on Cruciferae, Lauraceae, Leguminosae, Piperaceae, Solanaceae, Unbelliferae, Zingiberaceae, and Minor crops.