The Spicy Food Lover's Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Growing, Storing, and Using the Key Ingredients That Give Food Spice with More Than 250 Recipes from Around the World (Hardcover)

~ Dave DeWitt (Author), Nancy Gerlach (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few foodies are more devoted than those who belong to the fiery food cult. These are the people who keep a bottle of Tabasco in their purses for emergencies, whose palates are never blistered, whose tastebuds never timid. This volume, which catalogs every pepper, chile, curry and mustard known to man, is for them. Beginning with a guided tour through the spice regions of the world and a brief history of the spice trade, it shifts gears about a third of the way through and becomes a cookbook, offering up an eccentric collection of recipes. First come the spice rubs, pastes and blends, from the Moroccan Ras El Hanout, which is "used to flavor tagines, couscous, lamb, and game," to the Southwest Seasoning Rub, which the authors advise sprinkling in a pot of pinto beans. Next up are appetizers and snacks, and then several varieties of main courses, including meat-based selections like Korean Chap Chee and vegetarian mains like Egg Fritters in Chile Sauce. There are even recipes for cool down dishes like the deliciously flan-like Queso Napolitano and an old-fashioned Cucumber Slaw. While these recipes are rather loosely linked-one gets the feeling that the authors included any dish that requires a twist of pepper-they are easy to make, fun to eat and guaranteed to please the most ardent fans of piquant foods.
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Product 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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584794119
• ISBN-13: 978-1584794110
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #332,975 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For spicy food lovers, September 12, 2006

By	Wendy Schroeder (Englewood, Co United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to give spicy food a try, November 13, 2006

By	R. Attorri (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!