Amazon.com
There was a time, for a handful of peppercorns, you could have someone killed. Throw in a nutmeg or two, you could probably watch. There was a time when grown men sat around and thought of nothing but black pepper. How to get it. How to get more. How to control the entire trade in pepper from point of origin to purchase. In Spice: The History of a Temptation, classics scholar Jack Turner opens up the whole story of pepper and its kind like a ripe melon. He brings the exotic scents of the East deep into the history of Western culture.
Everyone knows a little bit of the story, how the desire to control the spice trade drove Western nations deep into the heart of the Age of Discovery, the Portuguese sponsoring Da Gama's push to India; the Spanish underwriting the many attempts of Columbus to get to India another way. The Western madness for spice was just about peaking in this time, and spice would all too soon become--gasp--common, much like the afterthought condiment it is for so many today. Who thinks twice about pepper any longer?
And yet, the history is long and glorious, and the window spice throws open on Western culture yields a glorious view. Jack Turner is a skilled tour guide and story teller. He starts his narrative with the 16th century quest for spice, then loops back into three mains sections of text: Palate, Body, and Spirit. Turner has mined classic and Medieval literature for any and every possible mention of spice and demonstrates how fixated the West became from the time of Augustus in Rome through to relatively modern times. He winds his narrative through the way spice was used in the foods of the wealthy (and puts to sleep the nostrum about rotting food), as a medicine, a sex aid, and as an aromatic channel to the gods of the time and place. He ably demonstrates the constant underlying tension surrounding spice--that it was both attractive and repellent, that it represented fabulous wealth and power for some and, for others, an abhorrence of the exotic East that exists to this day.
This is not an easy story to tell. But Turner makes it appear effortless. Pull a chair close to the fire, pour a draught of spiced wine, crack open Jack Turner's Spice and you'll read your way into the wee hours of the night. --Schuyler Ingle
Book Description
A brilliant, original history of the spice trade—and the appetites that fueled it.
It was in search of the fabled Spice Islands and their cloves that Magellan charted the first circumnavigation of the globe. Vasco da Gama sailed the dangerous waters around Africa to India on a quest for Christians—and spices. Columbus sought gold and pepper but found the New World. By the time these fifteenth- and sixteenth-century explorers set sail, the aromas of these savory, seductive seeds and powders had tempted the palates and imaginations of Europe for centuries.
Spice: The History of a Temptation is a history of the spice trade told not in the conventional narrative of politics and economics, nor of conquest and colonization, but through the intimate human impulses that inspired and drove it. Here is an exploration of the centuries-old desire for spice in food, in medicine, in magic, in religion, and in sex—and of the allure of forbidden fruit lingering in the scents of cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and clove.
We follow spices back through time, through history, myth, archaeology, and literature. We see spices in all their diversity, lauded as love potions and aphrodisiacs, as panaceas and defenses against the plague. We journey from religious rituals in which spices were employed to dispel demons and summon gods to prodigies of gluttony both fantastical and real. We see spices as a luxury for a medieval king’s ostentation, as a mummy’s deodorant, as the last word in haute cuisine.
Through examining the temptations of spice we follow in the trails of the spice seekers leading from the deserts of ancient Syria to thrill-seekers on the Internet. We discover how spice became one of the first and most enduring links between Asia and Europe. We see in the pepper we use so casually the relic of a tradition linking us to the appetites of Rome, Elizabethan England, and the pharaohs. And we capture the pleasure of spice not only at the table but in every part of life.
Spice is a delight to be savored.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Good, but could be better.......2007-09-11
This is a good intro book, but it could certainly be better. The main problems with this book is that it is completely and totally Euro-centric. We have absolutely no idea what people outside of Europe did with spices or with the goods we traded them for the spices. Spices were, however, a major engine of world trade and economic growth in the 'Age of Exploration', something the author uses as a justification to study spices in general. But then the study narrows into the uses of spices in Europe, and leaves the 'big picture' of world history, except to mention the trade being responsible for the Black Death.
Towards the end, the book also becomes a little repetitive. For example, first we learn that the Romans used spices to embalm the dead, then we learn that medieval Europeans also used spices to embalm the dead. This covers two chapters, which could easily be covered in one. There are other examples of this. So, in general, it's a good book, but it could be shorter and better.
Frankincense and Myrrh .......2007-07-08
Spice: The History of a Temptation
By Jack Turner
The Spice Trade
Since the cultures of the Egyptians and Greeks, men have hunted spices. The quest for spices brought Columbus to the New World (by accident); fueled the Dutch and British East Indies Corporations and created a demand that spread to other commodities like sugar, tobacco and cotton.
In his excellent book "Spice: The History of a Temptation", Jack Turner examines the rise of the spice trade and the players in the story with generous and intensively- researched literary allusions from Pliny and Plato to Dryden and Donne. Turner doesn't sacrifice historical accuracy for accessibility, a frequent flaw in popular history.
Turner divides his work into three major sections: Palate, Body and Spirit. The role of spices (Frankincense and Myrrh) in religious ceremony; the supposed aphrodisiac power of some spices; and of course their effect on food are examined:
"Yet if the aphrodisiac reputation of spices long had the status of medical fact," he writes, "it is equally true that their appeal also relied on a heavy dose of pure superstition. For a magical reputation an outré quality is often recommendation enough, and like other aphrodisiac staples such as rhino horn and tiger penis, spices long carried the freight of Eastern mystery, rarity and a high price." (Spice: P. 198)
It's interesting to note how popular belief changed over the years. From an almost mystical obsession in the middle Ages, spices became synonymous with wealth and excess, and fell out of favor in more recent years.
Jack Turner has taken the history of the spice trade and incorporated it into the cultural history of those involved in it, which is the best kind of history.
******
Fascinating.......2007-02-18
The author offers a lively and detailed account of the role spices have played throughout history, with particular focus on medieval times. I find myself picking it up and reading whole chapters or sections at a time, as it does not require one to sit down and read straight through. Highly recommended.
This Book Tastes Good.......2006-04-07
I found this book while writing a term paper on the impact of spices. Spice: THoaT stands out among both popular and academic style books on spices with its colourful diction, its intense focus and most of all with its exhaustive research. Turner's bibliography was just as helpful as his other content. For the majority of readers, those who aren't doing research, I still recommend it heartily. Spices are absolutely fascinating, and Turner chows down on their history without using phrases like I have in the title of this review. Another strong work in the same vein is Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton. Unlike THoaT, NN has a central story and a narrow focus, but it covers similar ground and is also a good read. I got an A on my paper, and Spice: The History of a Temptation gets an A+. Turner is thorough in his research, and deft in his presentation.
Peppered (ahem) with interesting information.......2006-02-01
This is a well written, fascinating book. Encounter figures from history, learn about cuisine and, in general, be entertained as you learn new insights. I recommend this.
Book Description
Drawing inspiration from the rich curry traditions around the world, Nancie McDermott provides more than 100 intriguing recipes from Thailand, India, Malaysia, Jamaica, Africa, and the United States. Every recipe can be as easy or complexly flavored as you want, for each can be made with convenient store-bought curry powder or with authentic homemade herb and spice blends. Includes: Cheddar Curry Bites - Spicy Peanut Chicken Soup West African Style - Thai Grilled Chicken with Sweet and Spicy Garlic Sauce - Singapore Curry Noodles with Green Peppers and Shrimp - Green Pea Curry with Fresh Paneer Cheese - Indonesian-Style Rice Pilaf - Ginger Pear Chutney
Customer Reviews:
Good recipes for indian and thai.......2007-01-10
This is a reasonably good recipe book for Indian and Thai cuisine. It is easy to follow. It has a nice variety of choices to cook. It was a step up from what I had worked with before. I am just starting to cook Indian and Thai food.
A great easy-to-use cookbook.......2005-10-18
I have tried 5 recipes from this book, and they all turned out great. I don't know very much about cooking this type of food, so it's because it's a great, easy to follow cookbook, rather than any skill on my part. I basically followed the recipes to the letter. There's a great guide to all the more exotic ingredients (some of which aren't even used in this book), that suggests substitutions and tells you when you can use them. You do need to obtain some rather exotic ingredients for some of the recipes (lemongrass leaves?), but many don't require anything more exotic than curry powder. If you do want to make everything in the book, there's a list of mail order places in the back. I actually like the recipe selection in this cookbook a lot better than True Thai from the same author.
Easy and authentic.......2002-03-21
This book should be subtitled "Authentic curries made easy as spaghetti and meatballs." I spent two years living and traveling in Asia, and am a longtime curry aficionado. Of all the homemade curry recipes I have tried, the ones in this book are the closest to the authentic dishes I had in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. And they're almost all quick and easy enough to serve as low-fuss weeknight dinners! The secret to the wonderful flavors is in the traditional ingredients. We have found that by simply adding a supply of curry paste, keffir lime leaves, and a few other formerly-esoteric ingredients to our list of staples, we can whip up a quick and delicious curry with ingredients we keep on hand and no extra trip to the store. The author tells you where to mail-order these items if they are not available locally. In addition, there is a great glossary of ingredients, and the recipes are easy to follow, with good tips from the author's own experience. I'm already looking forward to Volume Two!
Intro and Tour Book to the World of Currys.......2002-01-04
Remembering my intro to the curry world, the tears and gasping didn't keep me away from exploring this rather Asian specialty more. This book is great aid.
There are sections to meet your needs and tastes: from standard dinner fare designation (Appetizer, Soup, Main Course, etc.)
Neat feature of this particular book is the upfront section I've found so useful: Suggested Menus for Curry Aficionados. The Elegant Dinner with Curried Scallopsin Parchment with accompaniments was perfectly matched and easy to prepare and scrumptuous.
Suggest too as fellow reviewer that you experiment with varying amounts of powder mixutures before following recipe amounts, matching with diners' curry abilities.
Mail Order Sources and even drink ideas are included in this fine, inexpensive goldmine for Thai and Indian cookery.
A World of Exciting Flavors.......2000-01-23
Although I've often enjoyed curries in restaurants, this is my first attempt at cooking them myself. I've found the recipes fairly simple and easy to follow. I ordinarily enjoy spicy foods, and my husband loves his extra hot. So without a warning from a cooking instructor, I would have put the entire three tablespoons of Thai Green Curry Paste (from a jar) into the Thai Green Curry with Snow Peas and Shrimp. It would have been inedible. One and a half TEASPOONS made a wonderful, moderately spicy curry that we enjoyed immensely. Even if you love spicy food, I suggest that you reduce the amounts of curry paste suggested by McDermott. That said, the recipes are otherwise wonderful!
Product Description
If you are one of those spicy-food lovers who constantly strives to test your heat capacity -- or if you're just one of those people who really appreciates the nuances of piquant cuisines, this fun and feisty collection of recipes is for you. Author Cliff Wright has followed the equator in search of authentically spicy dishes, and he recreates them here with Meat-Stuffed Chiles from Peru, Chile Verde from New Mexico, "Tablecloth Stainer" from Oaxaca, Egusi Soup from Nigeria, "Sauce that Dances" from Algeria, Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup from Thailand, "Ants Climbing a Tree" from China, and about 300 more deliciously fiery foods. Each recipe has a heat index, so you know what's going to be subtly spicy and what's truly incendiary. If you are looking for that next "hot" thing, this is where you'll find it.
Customer Reviews:
Piquant Passion.......2006-07-30
Simply put this book is our house Bible. We're Anglos with a hunger for hot & spicy food. We have our local library to thank for showing us this tremendous guide. Originally borrowed, it soon became apparent that we must own the book to truly benefit from it. It's both a pleasure to read about the history and science behind these spicy foods and to learn how to prepare them.
Once you get the ingredients from your supermarket's ethnic section, local ethnic markets, or online most dishes can be made in about 1/2 - 1 hour. Some are even easier than that and all pack a colossal flavor.
One of the books best features is the 1 - 5 spice rating scale, cleverly noted above each recipe. Don't be afraid to try a recipe rated 5. This is usually given because it calls for some ridiculous amount of peppers, which can be halved or quartered. If you find you like the dish and can handle more spice, you can up the (pic-)ante the next time you make it.
There are a few recipes that I find daunting (i.e. Dora Wat). I want to make them but am turned off by the fact that I have to make specialty spice combinations (i.e. niter kebbeh or berbere) in advance. While the author gives suggestions for substitutions I'd prefer the real thing or nothing at all. One of these days, I'll get around to doing the pre-work and have a reserve of the stuff on hand.
Note: Fans of Sichuan must have this book. It makes Sichuan cooking easy and the creative cook can make it healthy by minimizing the amount of oil used.
WARNING!
If you are new to cooking with chilies, take extra CARE. I always wear gloves when handling chilies. Perhaps a real chef with chew me out for this but there's nothing worse than discovering you have pepper juice on your finger and rub your eye.
Finally, I just can't say enough great things about this book. It's a jewel for cooks the world over!
My 'book of the month'.......period!.......2005-12-16
It might even be my book of the year. This is the book for spice lovers and 'chile-heads' who want a truly GLOBAL appreciation of their passion. The recipes I've tried are superb and easy to follow. More importantly, the anecdotes, sidebars, historical notes, and especially the internet listings are indispensible to fully appreciating the beauty of spiced cuisine. I never dreamed I would be making my own HARISA (it's fairly easy) and applying it to homemade Algerian dishes.
Thankyou Clifford! BTW this is my first book review hence the handle :)
Great Read and Hot Recipes. Buy It!.......2005-10-19
`Some Like It Hot' by noted culinary writer, Clifford A. Wright is a real gem. I was surprised to find such a book written by Wright, who is one of the leading scholarly experts on food of the Mediterranean, and, as he so elegantly illustrates himself, the Mediterranean is hot a hotbed of spicy foods.
Therefore, Wright's primary focus is on the various world spicy cuisines. He identifies the following centers of spicy food culture:
Western South America, primarily Peru and Bolivia.
Mexico and Southwestern U.S.
Cajun Cuisine
Jamaica
Western coast of Africa, primarily Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria
North Africa (the Madgreb) of Algeria and Tunesia
Eastern Africa, especially Ethopia
Yemen
India and Pakistan
Thailand
Sichuan and Hunan provinces in China
Korea
These cuisines are discussed in detail in sidebars scattered throughout the recipe chapters.
The very odd thing about this list is how widely separate these regions are, especially since the single plant genus, the chile, grows so easily in all sorts of tropical, subtropical, and temperate climates. I am quite happy to see Wright confirm a hunch I had about capsicum genus (composed of five different species from the very mild bell pepper to the thermonuclear Habanero) that it's arrival in Europe and Asia simply blew away all piquant competion by its being so much stronger and so cheap to grow.
The most important `academic' study Wright covers is why some groups of people like hot food. He reviews and dismisses fourteen different common and not so common hypotheses, reaching the one that simply says people like the way they taste. What Wright does not do is explain why these particular regions embraced hot food and so many other regions did not. Why, for example, is Spanish cuisine so in love with the sweet bell pepper (capsicum annuum) which came from Mexico (note all those red pimentos, which are pickled sweet peppers) yet they do not embrace the chiles with high heat. It is easy to understand South America, Mexico, and Jamaica, as genus capsicum is native to these lands. It is also easy to understand India and Pakistan and Sichuan and Hunan, as both cuisines have a history of creating spicy dishes based on the pre-chile spices of black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, galangal, and tamarind. But what about the west coast of Africa, Ethopia, and Yemen? Wright never gets around to answering this question, but we quickly loose interest in the academic questions when the Professor gets down to the recipes.
While Wright claims to not be a chile head, he cannot escape the fact that the capsicum chile is by far the strongest source of culinary heat. Therefore, virtually all recipes include one or more varieties of chile in the ingredients.
The recipes are all organized by type of dish, with chapters on:
Startling Starters
Sexy Salads
Searing Soups
Electrifying Eggs
Hot Chicks, Wicked Ducks, and One Killer Rabbit (with apologies to Monty Python)
Blazing Beef and Indendiary Lamb
Piquant Pork
Sassy Seafoof
Volatile Vegetables
Pizzazz Pasta, Napalm Noodles, and Fiery Rice
Hot Accompaniments
Cool Accompaniments
Basic Sauces, Pastes, and Seasonings
Within each chapter, recipes are organized by location, following the same geographical order laid out above, always beginning with the New World source of chiles. And, not all cuisines are represented in all chapters.
In these recipes, Wright has done some adaptation to American kitchens and markets, but not much. That means that like just about any good survey of a regional cuisine (other than one native to North America), you will have to do a little culinary spelunking to locate some of the more important ingredients. And, since the books covers many cuisines from around the world, this means you will be stocking up on a LOT of esoteric ingredients to do these recipes. This is not only various kinds of chile, but also special sausages, fats, pastes, and sauces. Wright suggests some substitutions, but also confesses that most substitutions simply cannot give you the flavor of the original. It also means you will be doing a lot of cooking with animal fats such as lard and duck fat.In addition to being very close to authentic, all recipes are described with exceptional care.
To handle this problem, Wright provides two very important tools. The first is his last chapter of recipes for `Basic Sauces, Pastes, and Seasonings'. The second is one of the longest listings of Internet sources I have yet seen, including the great section in Paula Wolfert's exceptional book on the cooking or southwestern France.
Like Wolfert's book, this book is worth it even if you do nothing more than read it and pick out just those few recipes for which you can find ingredients easily. But, if you love your heat, you will really want to explore some of the more esoteric dishes, simply to get the different flavors from the many different varieties of chiles and the sauces and pastes into which they are made.
If you like hot food, this book is a must. If you are simply a foodie, this book is a must read, as Wright rarely missteps in his analysis of culinary matters.
Book Description
This collection of spicy vegetarian recipes features great dishes from the world's cuisines, including the U.S., South America, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, making it an exciting and flavorful journey for the palate. Each recipe is completely accessible and easily adapted to anyone's kitchen, containing only ingredients that are widely available. And dozens of these recipes can be made in a snap. Organized by region, each chapter includes recipes for appetizers, soups and stews, salads, side dishes, main courses, and dressings and condiments. Robertson provides a basic introduction to the spices and techniques common to each cuisine, along with delicious classic vegetarian dishes, adaptations of meat-based dishes, and her own creative recipes, including: *
Spicy Okra Gumbo *
Mexican Rice and Bean Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette *
Pasta alla Putanesca *
Braised Cabbage with Cardamom *
Spicy Ginger Dumplings Using chilies as the main source of heat, these recipes range from mildly spicy to nearly incendiary, so there's something here for everyone! With creative yet simple recipes and nutritional analyses for each, Some Like It Hot is sure to inspire even the most devoted meat lover to eat vegetarian.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent international spiciness!.......2002-08-22
Some Like it Hot offers a creative and very diverse array of international vegetarian fare. From what I can tell it's actually a vegan cookbook as the recipes do not use dairy or eggs in addition to going meatless. Even though the emphasis is on spiciness, not all the recipes need be really hot; in many recipes the heat comes from not-so-hot items like garlic and ginger.
The author shows a great deal of knowledge about foods from many cultures worldwide and thus has brought together her knowledge to present a well-organized and fun variety of recipes. Some of the preparations can be a bit time consuming, but it's a well-spent effort as the end results are so delicious and unique. The recipes covered include places such as: China, Thailand, India, various African countries, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the Caribbean as well as others. Some Like it Hot also includes an informative and useful introduction explaining the different types of ingredients and spices. It's too bad this book is out of print currently, because it is fantastic.
Spicy is Gooood!.......2002-08-11
This is a great cookbook - and you can make the recipes as hot or as tame as you like. I actually had expected them to be hotter. I really like how this book is organized according to what part ofthe world they're from. It touches every continent which makes it interesting. Ingedients are pretty mainstream but paired in ways to make them very tasty. And....for the vegans out there.....this is almost a vegan cookbook. Instead of dairy cheese, soy cheeses are used which is neat. In some cases yogurt is an ingredient (but you can find soy yogurt now which is tasty) and silken tofu is provided as an alternative to yogurt too. Some of the recipes I've tried (just to give an idea of what's in here) are: spicy indian green beans, tunisian couscous, rice with lentils and onions, sweet and sour onions and zucchini, red beans and rice, etc. Calories, protien, fat, fiber etc are all provided for each recipe too. I've enjoyed this cookbook so far and look forward to cooking more from it
excellent.......1999-03-17
Robin Robertson has converted me into a spicy-foods lover! Her recipes are clear, easy-to-follow, and imaginative. Best of all is the variety! Plenty of emphasis on soy products, too. This book would be ideal for anyone who is vegan--or anyone who wants to have adventures in cooking and eating. She inspired me so much, I cleaned out all my kitchen cabinets and reorganized them!
Average customer rating:
- Great recipes once past the basics
- A Great Cookbook for Garlic Lovers
- Great recipes and fun garlic trivia
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Garlic, Garlic, Garlic: More than 200 Exceptional Recipes for the World's Most Indispensable Ingredient
Linda Griffith , and
Fred Griffith
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Herbs, Spices & Condiments
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Vegetables
| Vegetables & Vegetarian
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
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The Totally Garlic Cookbook (Totally Cookbooks)
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Onions, Onions, Onions: Delicious Recipes for the World's Favorite Secret Ingredient
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Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers
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ASIN: 0395892546 |
Amazon.com
Inspired by the success of their James Beard Award-winning work, Onions, Onions, Onions, authors Fred and Linda Griffith now take on another stinky favorite: garlic. Shunned for centuries even in France and Italy because of its strong flavor and odor, garlic was considered a low-class seasoning, only winning wide acceptance in cooking outside working-class kitchens after World War II. Garlic, Garlic, Garlic provides detailed guidance for buying, storing, and preparing garlic, and explains the pros and cons of using a garlic press. There are also 200-plus recipes, many for ethnic dishes rich in garlic. There is Brandade, the creamy French dish made with salt cod, and Spanish Sopa de Ajo, a pungent peasant soup of garlic, bread, and oil with poached eggs. Even cozy macaroni and cheese is punctuated with three pressed, plump cloves of garlic. Dessert is not forgotten- -how about ice cream topped with golden, caramelized Honey-Poached Garlic Sauce for something really different? While only experienced cooks may want to attempt dishes like Veal Brisket Roasted with Garlic, Onions, and Plums, any garlic lover with modest skills can whip up the Special Marinara Sauce or grill the Flank Steak with Balsamic Vinegar Marinade.
The authors delve deep into garlic trivia, exposing quirky garlic lore and beliefs--including the revelation that six heads of this odoriferous cousin to the lily were discovered in King Tut's tomb. And for real garlic junkies, the dates and locations of every garlic festival in the U.S. and Canada are all here. --Dana Jacobi
Book Description
Cover-to-cover fun, jam-packed with recipes and garlic lore, this testimony to the power of garlic is perfect for all lovers of "the stinking rose." In the past decade, garlic consumption has doubled. Garlic is respected not only in gourmet circles but in medical circles as well, for scientific studies have found that it helps lower cholesterol and may ward off colds and even cancer. Garlic, Garlic, Garlic is handsomely illustrated, and sidebars throughout present garlic-powered recipes, profile growers and festivals, give results of taste tests of more than fifty varieties, and explore the role of garlic in movies, songs, and literature, offering every serious and zany fact about garlic that you'd ever want to know. It's the same lusty combination that made Onions, Onions, Onions a bestseller.
Customer Reviews:
Great recipes once past the basics.......2002-11-09
This and other Griffith books are for cooks who are past the neophyte stage and want to dine in style. If you know about Julia Child, I am sure you will approve of them. Their recipes have appeal that far transcends garlic (or onion or whatever) lovers--they are for those who appreciate imaginative food that brings delight to the dinner table.
A Great Cookbook for Garlic Lovers.......2001-12-29
Like many of my cookbooks, this was something I found on the shelf in a bookstore, looked through it, and immediately knew I had to have it.
Since then, it's received quite a bit of heavy use - there are a few certain recipes that the book falls right open to, they've been used so much. Others have yet to be tried, but they look just as delicious and appealing as others.
There is plenty of information on selecting and storing garlic, along with preparing it, and even a selection of trivia and stories, making it more than just a list of recipes using the wonderful ingredient. They also recommend some kitchen tools to make it easier to work with garlic - the garlic peeler they recommend is truly magnificent.
The recipes cover the entire range of foods, from simple appetizers and salads, to fancy main courses - to even a few desserts. I regularly hunt down new recipes I have yet to try, and have not been disappointed with any to date. And the Pork Chops with stuffing recipe in here has become my favorite method of cooking pork.
The recipes are also easy to read and follow - no confusing ingredient listings or unclear instructions.
Great recipes and fun garlic trivia.......1999-01-13
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the authors have real taste and are not merely garlic loving maniacs. Their food is very good (their Brandade was heavenly) and I really enjoyed reading the garlic trivia. This a fun, yet serious cookbook.
Book Description
Vanilla is the fascinating, kaleidoscopic story of one of the world's most exotic and sensual plants and how it transformed history. From the Aztec Indians to Martha Stewart, vanilla has been synonymous with sweetening foods. Yet it's also in chili, perfume, paint, desserts, car tires, and soda. In Tim Ecott's Vanilla, learn the fascinating history of the world's most sought-after flavoring. The story of vanilla is a botanical mystery, a plant that traveled the world but would not bear fruit outside Mexico until a twelve-year-old African slave on an island figured out how to cultivate it. Now endangered in the wild and the world's most labor-intensive agricultural crop, vanilla is more expensive to procure today than at any time in its history. Tim Ecott follows its journey from Mexico to Madagascar and back to America, meeting the farmers, the brokers, and the ice-cream makers who make vanilla a multimillion-dollar business. In the tradition of books like Tobacco, Tim Ecott's Vanilla is a whimsical journey that chronicles the incredible power of one velvety brown, long, and slender bean.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful travelogue and history.......2006-06-29
I'm ashamed to admit that the only reason I picked up this book was because of Ecott's last book, "Neutral Buoyancy," which I absolutely loved. This book is just as evocatively written and insightful, and provides a detailed and fascinating history of a small, delicate flower that influences humanity more than one would think. Ecott's descriptions of the flower and what it takes to raise it are techinical, yet completely compelling. Add to that his telling of his travels, such as his meal in Thailand, and I just couldn't put it down. A wonderfully written book - don't miss it!
Lively, revealing, and enthusiastically recommended .......2005-01-06
Vanilla is one of the most popular flavoring spices in the world and is even a major ingredient in perfumes, paint and tires, but the story of vanilla is a botanical mystery that only a twelve-year-old African slave solved. Vanilla would not bear fruit outside of its Mexican origins, until the slave developed a process for cultivating it and turned it into a labor-intensive agricultural crop. Lively, revealing, and enthusiastically recommended reading, Tim Ecott's Vanilla: Travels In Search Of The Ice Cream Orchid, should not be missed by any kitchen cook, gourmet diner, or botanist.
Vanilla is anything but plain!.......2004-10-14
You might think that you would have to be interested in vanilla, cooking, or maybe Madagascar, or Mexico, or some of the other exotic locations visited in this book in order to enjoy it. If so, you are wrong. Vanilla does give enticing glimpses into these places, but this book has merits beyong the great travelogue it is.
This book is many stories in one. It is a book of history; economy; theft; magic; and love. Mr. Ecott's writing is an exciting mixture of anecdote and explanation that has a pace more often found in well written fiction.
His description of his meal in Tahiti will leave your mouth watering, and you will see the inside of the traders shacks, with Ecott so skillfully recounting the detail you will have to remind yourself it is his memory, and not your own.
Add to that the fact that is a fascinating basic reference work for a subject horribly difficult to find information on, and you a have a real winner.
Book Description
It has seduced kings and comforted millions. Part culinary history, part cultural commentary, Vanilla tells the remarkable story of the world's most popular flavor and scent.
The Spanish considered vanilla the ultimate aphrodisiac, the Totonac Indians called it the fruit of the gods, and the Aztecs taxed the Mayans in vanilla beans, using the beans as currency. Today, vanilla is in our coffee, our perfume, tea, home products, body lotion, and just about anything imaginable.
Patricia Rain explores the incredibly diverse effect of vanilla on the worlds of food, medicine, psychology, and even politics. She intertwines the fields of cultural anthropology, botany, folklore, and economics, tracing the marvelous path of vanilla throughout world history. Vanilla shows how the impact and marketing of this ubiquitous little bean over the last eight hundred years saved the indigenous peoples of Mexico and Tahiti, put Madagascar on the map, drove the success of the great Parisian perfume houses and Europe's confection industry, and spurred trade routes across the Indian Ocean. Rain examines the rich history of vanilla with exacting detail and discusses its current role in our lives and the modern retail world, where the "vanilla boom" has caused the prices of many common consumer items to skyrocket.
Filled with fascinating insights, quirky characters, trivia, and even recipes, this beautifully written book is perfect for vanilla lovers, history buffs, and anyone interested in a real-life captivating story.
Customer Reviews:
A Vanilla Read.......2006-05-27
Vanilla is the only member of the orchid family, a family consisting of 90,000+ types, that has any edible properties. Vanilla is also used as an aphrodesiac to entice the opposite sex in the modern world, the same way it was back in the Aztec world. Of course it was also used to entice the Gods before a human sacrafice (reminds me of an ex I have *shudder*). Vanilla is also the cause for an unknown number of murders throughout history, flavoring your favorite foods, and is one of the most chemically complex compounds known to man! Vanilla, truly, is anything but vanilla.
Given, my book club was hesitant to read Patricia Rain, the Vanilla Queen's, newest book Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Flavor and Fragrance. Food histories are rarely o the top of anyone's "Must Read" list, and why would it be when The Secret Life of... can condense it so much easier in a simple half hour serving? But I was able to convince them otherwise, and they for the most part, enjoyed it.
Patricia Rain is by no means a truly professional writer (pot calling the kettle black), as it is layed out much like a college thesis - chronologically, and by subject. Luckilly it doesn't read like one; most of the time that is. While some historical backgrounds of the sweet bean may drag a bit, the favorite flavors' fascinating and intriguing story always pulls you in and Rain's writing always catches you time and again.
Rain begins the book with a short rundown of how and where vanilla grows and subsequently the how and where vanilla is cured and processed. She then proceeds to take us through it use and history in Aztec culture such as the above mentioned people slaughters and seductions. The tale then weaves through it's migration to Europe where it is subsequently forgotten except as a component of hot chocolate. An interesting story here is one of a pastor baning the high society parishoners from having their servants bring them their hot cocoa and vanilla to church, consistently interrupting his services. He is soon dispatched of via poison. Fun, fun. It goes without saying that the next pastor is more than happy to allow steamy sweet drinks.
The book soon goes into vanilla's sudden boom in France and Spain. We also delve into it's explosion into America thanks to prohiobition, because bathtub vodka's flavor just demands to be covered up. Vanilla candy, and flavor was a popular choice much like orange juice (the birth of the Screwdriver) to create tasty boozy drinks, bringing on the phrase, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."
Luckilly she not only covers the social context and history of vanilla, but also it's significant standing in botany, religion, mythology, agriculture, and economics so the book in itself is quite complete. The pictures and "side bar factoids" are always welcome and help break up the sometimes monotonous vanilla musings.
Of course the book does have pitfalls. As I have mentioned before, the book does sometimes get itself in a rut. I think some of the European history chapters I just ended up skipping all together as it reminded me of dry cultural geography classes back in high school. The history section is also so long that I just started to randomly read the chapters in an order based on what sounded fascinating at the time. I think it just reads better that way.
The contemporary history is by far the most intriguing section where we see why Vanilla beans are so expensive with difficulty in cultivating them in addition to constant theft and murder over them being the main reasons (although the World Market has Tahitian beans for 2 bucks! I assume they somehow bypass the murder somehow...). Plus, it goes through the scientific experimentation as it is utilized as a perfume, aphrodesiac, and drug, each with quixotic, though not surprising, results.
Ms. Rain appropriately sprinkles in some vanilla recipes throughout the book, creating a mouthwatering read to say the least. I tested out a few of them and let me say they truly rock my socks. The Vanilla and Coconut Milk with Shrimp recipe is heavenly, though I suggest you add a bit of cayenne to give it some kick. Plus the Chipotle-Vanilla Salsa and Barbeque Sauce is a mind altering experience. It's really like nothing you have ever tried before! I lurvs me some vanilla and garlic, and this married the two together into a perfect spicy sweet union! The taste of this and all her recipes is a mix of ephemeral and exotic.
Overall I give this a 3 out of 5. People who like food literature like this will adore Rain's vanilloquy. The everyday reader... not so much. It is however a book that you can easily pick up at anytime and will make a gorgeous addition to your book or cookbook shelf!
Everything Anyone Would Ever Want To Know...And Then Some!.......2006-02-28
I read this book as it was a suggestion from my book group. I adore vanilla. Most likely more than the average person. However, the author of this book REALLY REALLY REALLY loves vanilla. More than I think it humanly possible. Patricia Rain's pacing is terrible, she opens the book with a list of incorrect facts in an effort to "trick" the reader and then show off her smarts. I think the person who would buy this book already knows such basics as "vanilla beans are green, not brown when they are growing" so her trickery just comes off odd. If you really want a book that is badly written, but tells you everything you could possibly ever need or want to know about vanilla, then this is the book for you! If you're looking for an interesting read about the cultural history of a spice, I'd skip this one.
Strangely put together.......2006-02-03
While I found a lot of the material in the book very interesting, it is put together in such a muddled way that it is very difficult enjoy reading it. The book seems to be composed of a number of previously written (and in many cases overlapping) articles joined together with fairly boring 'filler' to try and present a 'complete' view.
I would suggest buying the book if you're interested in reading about early colonial life in the vanilla industry in Papantla, Mexico. Most of the other information can be easily found on the internet.
informative, but painful to read.......2005-12-23
Though this seems to be an extensively researched book on a thoroughly fascinating subject, the author's language is so awkward, inconsistent in tone and fraught with error that Vanilla is frustrating to read.
Ironically, the author Patricia Rain states in her acknowledgements that her editors' English "is impeccable." I find it hard to believe that the text was even proofread.
Consider the following sentence, typical of the language in the book:
"Families pollinate with the stem off a leaf of the tutor tree, toothpicks, twigs, or long thumbnails."
It requires multiple passes from the reader before one realizes that there is a spelling error.
I consistently find myself deciding if I want to decipher what Rain is trying to say and continue with the abundant information she has gathered, or to give up and wait for another, better edition.
Sweet read.......2005-07-22
This book gives an ecological and cultural history of vanilla, one of the oldest "spices" known to man. The book itself is interesting to read, and can be finished in several hours. It covers many things of interest such as:
1. The book describes the plant vanilla comes from, where this fits within the botanical world. The book also goes into a little detail of the chemistry of vanilla, why it smells the way it does, what is the natural purpose(s) of this aroma, and what are similar plants like it.
2. The book describes how humans probably first learned about vanilla, how the use of vanilla slowly spread around the world, and how it is treated in different cultures throughout history (currency, aphrodisiac, status symbol, etc..).
3. The book shows with great detail how vanilla is used in fragrances and food dishes throughout the world. The book is replete with cooking recipes showing how vanilla can be used in salads, seafoods, soups, meat dishes, etc...
4. Last, the book explains the vanilla industry, from seed to final consumer, and shows how the various industries and countries take part in this truly global trade. The book also shows how modern agriculture and agro-science has affected the domestication of vanilla (not a lot), even though science has a fairly good grasp of where the smell comes from and how to extract it for non-edible uses; i.e. garbage bags.
Overall, this is an interesting book to read, and I recommend it.
Average customer rating:
|
World of Herbs
Lesley Bremness
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Herbs, Spices & Condiments
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
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Look Inside Cookbooks
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| Specialty Stores
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ASIN: 0517123460
Release Date: 1995-03-19 |
Book Description
Even the most creative cooks sometimes need to spice up their menus, and there's nothing like a fiery flavor to add a kick to ho-hum cuisine. From chiles and chipotle to wasabi and ginger, every culture has its own way of making food that sizzles with excitement. In The Spicy Food Lover's Bible renowned fiery foods experts Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach bring together more than 250 recipes for hot stuff from around the globe, along with a wealth of related food information.
The ultimate book on the subject, this authoritative guide begins by exploring the main ingredients that give the world's food its spice, with details on their history and horticulture, as well as how to use, purchase, and grow them. The recipes that follow-Moroccan Charmoula, Gravlax with Creamy Mustard Sauce, Kung Po Chicken, Tamarind Mint Shrimp Curry, and many more-display an astonishing range of tastes and preparations, from the mildly piquant to the red-hot. Also featured are guidelines for putting together spicy meals with the ideal combination of flavors, colors, and textures, including "cool-down dishes" and beverage pairings. The Spicy Food Lover's Bible is the only book home cooks will ever need to turn up the heat on their everyday cooking.He has written more than 30 cookbooks, including The Whole Chile Pepper Book, and has appeared as a spicy foods expert on numerous television programs and in major national magazines. Nancy Gerlach, a registered dietitian, is the food editor of Fiery-Foods & BBQ. She was the founding editor of Chile Pepper magazine and has written for Travel & Leisure, Eating Well, and the New York Daily News. Gerlach has developed recipes for several of DeWitt's previous books.
Customer Reviews:
A great way to give spicy food a try.......2006-11-14
Some people love it spicy, and others hate it. In fact, spicy food is not just about fire and heat. There is considerable flavor in those spicy ingredients, and introducing these flavors subtley is simply too frightening to many. The best part of this book is the heat rating (1 flame to 5 flame) for each recipe. If you don't think you like spicy food, try some of the 1 flame recipes and introduce yourself to some great cuisine. As your palate becomes more adventurous , you might try some of the hotter dishes. Start with Olive and Artichoke Tapenade, then serve Medallions of Pork with Flamed Cognac and Green Peppercorn Sauce. No one will pull the fire alarm, but they'll all wonder how you learned to cook with so much flavor. This book not only provides recipes from throughout the heat spectrum, but it also draws on the full expanse of international cuisines. You'll get all kinds of ideas that you might not come across in most cookbooks. Enjoy, this book is fun!
For spicy food lovers.......2006-09-12
Do you or someone you know love spicy foods? Ginger, horseradish, wasabi, chili peppers and mustard? This is the book for you. Lots of information including history of the foods. This is especially for people who are not afraid to try something different to cook and eat.
Another nice feature is a "recipe heat scale" using flames. One flame is mild, 2 is mild to medium, 3 is medium to hot, 4 is hot. Five is extremely hot for those who like to annihilate their taste buds (I call it the "scorched tongue policy").
My only complaint is there is no photos. I don't expect photos for all the recipes but some would be good to have. It's just a nice bonus.
Books:
- Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
- System-on-a-Chip Verification - Methodology and Techniques
- Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web
- The Biological Farmer: A Complete Guide to the Sustainable & Profitable Biological System of Farming
- The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat
- The French Quarter: An Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld
- The Fruit of Stone
- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
- The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Book in the World (Book 1) (Greatest Dot-To-Dot Book in the World)
- The Insect Viruses (The Viruses)
Books Index
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