Michelin-award winning chef Paul Merrett's collection of recipes is united by a bold and inventive use of spice. Including such dishes as Zanzibar Fish Curry, 25-Minute Veggie Tagine and Coconut and Lemongrass Panna Cotta, this beautiful book is also interspersed with amusing stories of Paul's travels to African spice markets and Asian spice gardens. Including a wealth of tips on storage, buying, grinding, dry-frying, rubs and marinades, as well as fascinating facts on the history of spices, the subtle aromas and fiery flavors in this gorgeous cookbook will inspire you to cook something new.

Gary Paul Nabhan takes the reader on a vivid and far-ranging journey across time and space in this fascinating look at the relationship between the spice trade and culinary imperialism. Drawing on his own family’s history as spice traders, as well as travel narratives, historical accounts, and his expertise as an ethnobotanist, Nabhan describes the critical roles that Semitic peoples and desert floras had in setting the stage for globalized spice trade. Traveling along four prominent trade routes—the Silk Road, the Frankincense Trail, the Spice Route, and the Camino Real (for chiles and chocolate)—Nabhan follows the caravans of itinerant spice merchants from the frankincense-gathering grounds and ancient harbors of the Arabian Peninsula to the port of Zayton on the China Sea to Santa Fe in the southwest United States. His stories, recipes, and linguistic analyses of cultural diffusion routes reveal the extent to which aromatics such as cumin, cinnamon, saffron, and peppers became adopted worldwide as signature ingredients of diverse cuisines. Cumin, Camels, and Caravans demonstrates that two particular desert cultures often depicted in constant conflict—Arabs and Jews—have spent much of their history collaborating in the spice trade and suggests how a more virtuous multicultural globalized society may be achieved in the future.

From the author and chef of Cooking for my father in My Cape Malay Kitchen, comes a cookbook that chronicles her adulation and reverence for spices. Cariema Isaacs’s affinity for spices emanates from her Cape Malay heritage and time spent cooking and baking in her grandmother’s kitchen in Bo-Kaap, the Cape Malay Quarter in Cape Town. Thus, at a very early age she understood the tastes derived from cumin and coriander, the pungency of fennel, cloves and star anise, and the piquancy of chilli powder, cayenne pepper and masala blends. Spice Odyssey showcases a multitude of beautifully written recipes with some familiar spices from her Cape Malay heritage and fresh aromatics from her travels to India, Turkey, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Middle East.

A revealing look at the history and production of spices, with modern, no-nonsense advice on using them at home. Every home cook has thoughts on the right and wrong ways to use spices. These beliefs are passed down in family recipes and pronounced by television chefs, but where do such ideas come from? Many are little better than superstition, and most serve only to reinforce a cook’s sense of superiority or cover for their insecurities. It doesn’t have to be this way. These notes On Spice come from three generations of a family in the spice trade, and dozens upon dozens of their collected spice guides and stories. Inside, you’ll learn where spices come from: historically, geographically, botanically, and in the modern market. You’ll see snapshots of life in a spice shop, how the flavors and stories can infuse not just meals but life and relationships. And you’ll get straightforward advice delivered with wry wit. Discover why: Salt grinders are useless Saffron is worth its weight in gold (as long as it’s pure) That jar of cinnamon almost certainly isn’t Vanilla is far more risqué than you think Learn to stop worrying and love your spice rack.

Foreword by Gordon Ramsay This compilation of 110 recipes from a Hell's Kitchen winner and award-winning chef takes a healthier approach to cuisines that are often underrepresented in cookbooks. Chef Ariel Fox introduces you to both classic recipes as well as innovative new dishes in Spice Kitchen: Healthy Latin and Caribbean Cuisine in a way that works for all lifestyles. This book has something for everyone, including information on how to maximize your pantry, simple recipes, and useful suggestions for adapting the dishes to any diet. Ariel made the decision to change her lifestyle, learn about nutrition, and get in the greatest shape of her life while still maintaining a connection to the foods she grew up eating. Now she's here to share her decades of experience and knowledge with you. This cookbook will be a fantastic addition to your kitchen, whether you are looking for healthier alternatives to the nostalgic flavors of your childhood or are new to Latin and Caribbean foods.