Field Guide to Herbs & Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use Virtually Every Seasoning at the Market (Field Guide To...) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Herbs are the leaves of plants used as flavorings..." (more)
Key Phrases: aniseed myrtle, kewra water, river mint, Other Names, United States, Serving Add (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This handy pocket-sized reference, a virtual dictionary of herbs and spices, is small enough to tote along to the farmer's market, grocery or specialty spice store, and might just contain everything you ever wanted to know about seasonings. Each alphabetically listed entry includes alternate names in different languages and cuisines; explanations of the herb or spice's history, origins, aroma, flavor, physical appearance or other facts; information on storage; and a valuable section on "Food Affinities," which will help cooks understand what flavors go well together (for instance, horseradish goes nicely with "apple, beet, corned beef, cream, cream cheese, ham, lemon, potato, pumpernickel bread, raw seafood, roast beef, salmon, sour cream [and] vinegar"). Each entry also contains serving suggestions or recipes; the cannabis listing, for example, explains that fresh green marijuana leaves may be dipped into melted butter, sprinkled with salt and eaten. Other unusual profiles include those of MSG, a flavor enhancer; pink pepper; and asafetida, a "strong-smelling, even stinking, dried brownish resin" that can be unpleasant to the uninitiated. Recipes are indexed separately, which means that this great tool also doubles as a cookbook. An extensive photo insert will help shoppers identify ingredients. (Apr.)
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Product Description

Herbs and spices make everything taste better but can you tell your thyme from your sage? Do you know the difference between dill and rosemary? Where can you find hyssop or rose geranium?

Field Guide to Herbs & Spices is here to help. With color photographs of more than 200 different international seasonings, you'll soon be flavoring your dishes like a pro. Award-winning chef Aliza Green shows the basic history of these spices (saffron used to be worth more than gold!), its season (if applicable), names in other languages, a recipe featuring the seasoning, and much more. This handy field guide will make all of your meals complete!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (February 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594740828
• ISBN-13: 978-1594740824
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,060 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Herbs, Spices & Condiments
  #36 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Botany

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with information - and recipes too!, May 10, 2006

By	Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Part of a series which also includes guides to Produce, Meat, Cocktails and Stains, this useful and attractive little book contains a wealth of information on herbs from Angelica to Wild Lime Leaf and spices from Ajwain to Wasabi.

Set up like a field guide - with color plates in the center, along with the guide to the icons - each entry includes Other Names, General Description, Season, Purchase and Avoid, Storage, and Recipe.

Anyone who glances at this will find a place for it on the kitchen shelf. The recipes alone are likely to win you over, from Creole Mustard Sauce (mustard seed), Carrot Currant Salad (rosemary) and Veal with Myrtle. For those who want to try Shrimp with Calamint, say, or Indian Naan with Negella Seeds, online sources are listed at the back of the book.

The entries themselves are packed with information from origins and history to special preparations and seasonal considerations. A truly terrific little book.

--Portsmouth Herald

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Flavor Affinities" a huge help, July 16, 2006

By	redslam (Florida) - See all my reviews

My favorite feature of this guide is the flavor affinities list for each item. The affinities list helps with menu planning and gives you more options for the spice or herb's use. The fact that this book has actual recipes rather than serving suggestions is a bonus. I have a couple of other herb/spice guides, but am most taken with this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Herbs, August 30, 2009

By	Douglas F. Williams (GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book on herbs is very well written and complete. It makes good reading as it is entertaining as well as informative. I highly recommend this book, even if you have others on the same subject.............DFW