Product Description

Herbs and spice and all things nice - this is what fantastic dishes are made of! Add exciting and exotic new flavours to your cooking with flair and creativity with this classic reference guide. Provides essential tips on how to select, store, prepare and cook with herbs and spices, enabling you to enjoy them at their very best. Features recipes from culinary traditions renowned for their sensational use of flavours - from the Middle East to Mexico.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5813 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Jill Norman is the author of DK's 'Classic Herb Cookbook' and 'The Complete Book of Spices' and is the editor of Elizabeth David's books and the Literary Trustee of the David Estate. She recently updated all the herbs and spices entries in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Jill lives in London.

Customer Reviews

`How to select, store, prepare and cook with herbs and spices - and enjoy them at their best.
`Add exciting and exotic flavours to your cooking with flair and creativity......
Features recipes from culinary traditions renowned for their sensational use of flavours - from Thailand and India through the Middle East to Mexico.'

Jill Norman is a respected food writer in her own right and was also involved with the late Elizabeth David's writings. She has numerous small dedicated books on this subject, but this volume is an invaluable `bible' on the use of herbs and spices and worthy of a place on any kitchen bookshelf.
Even the most experienced cooks might need some help from time to time and this book is the one you need!
So if `Zedoary' is new to your cookery vocabulary, as it was to mine - this IS the book for you!

`The definition of what constitutes a herb or spice is not as straightforward as it might seem. Broadly, we think of herbs as plants used by cooks for their flavour and aroma.
The word herb derives from the Latin `herba' meaning grass or, by extension, green crop: it was originally applied to a wide range of leaf vegetables in addition to the plants we now call herbs.
Most of the culinary herbs we use grow in temperate climates. Spices, on the other hand, are products of tropical plants aromatic roots, bark, seeds, buds and fruits, usually used in dried form, whether whole or ground.
Again out word derives from Latin, where 'species' means specific kind but, in later use, goods or merchandise - spices certainly being an important commodity even at the time of the Romans.......'
336 high quality shiny pages, spilt over main chapters:-

Herbs, subdivided into sections:-

Introducing Herbs
Fresh and Mild Herbs
Sweet Herbs
Citrus of Tart Herbs
Liquorice or anise herbs
Minty Herbs
Oniony Herbs
Bitter or Astringent Herbs
Pungent and Spicy Herbs
Preparing Herbs

Spices, subdivided into sections:-

Introducing Spices
Nutty Spices
Sweet Spices
Acidic and Fruity Spices
Citrus Spices
Liquorice or Anise Spices
Warm and Earthy Spices
Bitter or Astringent Spices
Pungent Spices
Preparing Spices

Recipes, subdivided into sections:-

Blending Herbs and Spices:-
Herb Mixtures
Spice Mixtures
Sauces and Condiments
Marinades
Cooking with Herbs and Spices:-
Soups and Light Dishes
Fish
Meats
Vegetables
Pasta, Noodles and Grains
Desserts and Drinks

plus a bibliography, `Sources of Herbs and Spices' (n.b. book was written in 2002 so information may be out-of-date), and a full index.
Full colour photography throughout, although not of the recipes.

Each item has the following information:
Name/Botanical equivalent plus other types
Description
Tasting Notes
Parts Used
Buying and Storing
Grow your Own or Harvesting
Culinary Uses, inc `Essential to', `Good With' and `Combines Well With'.

A taste of the recipes:-

Tandoori Masala
Pickling Spice Blend
La Kama
Italian Spice Mixture
Cajun Seasoning
Steak Recado
Pesto
Osso Bucco
Thai Beef Curry
Béarnaise Sauce
Nam prik
Lime and Chilli Sauce
Bouquet Garnis
Herbes de Provence
Five Spice Powder
Red Curry Paste
Saffron Risotto
Jambalaya
Linguine with Herbs
Mushrooms with Bacon
Cinnamon Biscuits
Vanilla Ice Cream

The best book about herbs and spices
Ever wondered what to do with that unusual spice you 'accidentally' bought? Well, here's the answer. This book covers any herb and spice you canthink of - both the common ones and the more unfamiliar ones.
It is a reference book, but it also has some recipes, not least recipes on how to make your own spice-blends and -pastes.
Jamaican Jerk-seasoning, green masala, Cuban adobo, Chinese five-spice powder, various curry pastes and -powders, za'atar, dukka, ras el hanout.......
All beautifully presented with good-quality pictures - showing the herbs/spices both in their natural form and prepared for use.

An invaluable book if you love your herbs and spices.

Marvellous - I am so glad I bought this book
I love cooking with herbs and spices but felt that my lack of knowledge was limiting what I could do. I wanted to get an "idiot's guide" to herbs and spices to learn what complemented each other and the sorts of foods that went well with each flavour. This book was mentioned to me on a couple of occasions so I went for it. I am so glad I did - it is exactly what I am looking for. It's not an "idiot's guide" in that it doesn't go into much detail, but it doesn't assume any prior knowledge of the subject so starts at the very beginning. It covers hundreds of herbs and spices - not just the well-known ones.

The photos are beautiful and each page is clearly set out into the following categories:

History/background of the herb/spice
Tasting notes
Parts used
Buying and storing (this is useful as it says whether it's worth buying the herb ready-dried - something I've often wondered)
Grow your own
Culinary uses (including "good with.." and "combines well with [other herbs and spices]...".

The photos include the fresh herb/whole spice as well as the dried or ground product.

There are also recipe sections (including spices mixes such as garam masala and Chinese 5 spice) and tips on various preparation techniques.

I don't think it's just a reference book - I spent a happy hour reading this as a reading book yesterday!

A wonderful book - I can't recommend it highly enough, for both someone who is new to the subject of herbs and spices and a seasoned professional.