Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits [Paperback]

Amal Naj (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 1993

In this evocative book, Wall Street Journal columnist Naj pursues his subject from Bolivia to New Mexico, interviewing growers, botanists, chefs, and doctors, even chronicling a long and acrimonious lawsuit that has raged around the use of the term "Tabasco." Illus.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

That the taste of peppers on the tongue can be addictive is one of the revelations made in this exhaustive treatise. Illustrations.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Here's everything you'd ever want to know about peppers from someone who truly loves them. Naj, a journalist with The Wall Street Journal , enthusiastically chronicles his quest for information about chiles and the people who crave, cultivate, and classify them. Peppered throughout with many amusing anecdotes about this pungent fruit and its devotees, this well-researched book is as entertaining as it is informative. Unlike Mark Miller's The Great Chile Book (Ten Speed Pr., 1991), which merely describes and illustrates the more common varieties, Naj's title details the beneficial medicinal properties of peppers, the techniques designed to measure their hotness, the process of breeding exotic varieties, the great chile sauce war, and other little-known but intriguing facts. Essential for all libraries whose patrons enjoy hot, spicy food.
- Linda Chopra, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (July 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679744274
• ISBN-13: 978-0679744276
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Food Writing Is All About, July 7, 2004

By 

Elliot Essman (Larchmont, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits (Paperback)

Amal Naj's "Peppers" is now more than ten years old, but, if anything, these hot darlings are even more in favor with the American public than they used to be. I'm sure Naj would add a chapter or two if he were writing today, but the book is nevertheless delightful. I particularly enjoyed Naj's coverage of the attempts to find possible living ancestors of modern day "chilies" in South America, and the importance such research has to the protection of the modern agricultural crop. His extensive writing on the war for the "Tabasco" trade mark is first-class storytelling. Of course, as a New Mexican, I do enjoy reading many pages of lore about our state's most important crop. The most flavorful peppers are indeed New Mexican.

(...)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best in Peppers!, November 11, 2007

By 

KDMask (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits (Paperback)

Got a Hot-Head in your house? Someone that loves peppers and the hunt for the best hot sauce? This little gem is for you. Amal Naj writes everything you need to know about the pepper. Why it's hot, how the heat is contained and how it effects the food it's laid upon. This book is also a mini-travelog on the search for the great pepper. The Tabasco section is especially interesting. Your mouth will water just reading the first page. Makes a great gift book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great pepper lore for all chiliheads, February 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Odense, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits (Paperback)

Being born in India you should expect Amal Naj to have been raised on peppers. Funnily enough his love for hot pursuits originated in Northern Ireland after living on potatoes and other bland foods for a long time. He sets of on a journey around the world tracking down peppers, salsas, stories of old and people in the pepper business. And what an amazing bunch.

From the huge farms in New Mexico to the highlands of Bolivia and on to Yucatan for a hot encounter with the habanero. A word of warning: If you are japanese dont eat in restaurants with Mayans in the kitchen.

Altogether a very enjoyable book and a good read for everybody who likes to bite into the pungent pods - and to be bitten back.