The Science of Spice

Super helpful for people like me who love to cook and like to understand why thing work the way they do. The methodology presented for creating complimentary spice blends is super helpful! I also love how it describes spice palettes from around the world and why food from different regions tastes the way it does.I'm super happy with how this book has helped me explore new spices and flavors!It covers quite a few different spices, but if it was a little more comprehensive and maybe also covered herbs, it might be an S-teir book for me. But then it may be twice as long and feel a bit overwhelming to navigate. Perhaps The Science of Herbs could be a future book in this series?

Very very informative 👍🏽👍🏽

I never bother to write reviews but this book has honestly brought me so much enjoyment, I felt compelled. It is everything I hoped and more. I have the book on my kitchen table, and at least once a day I open it and read a different page, inspired by what I am eating or cooking or wondering about cooking. It never disappoints, and each page gives me so much to think about that it's not possible to read it faster. Since getting the book, it's become a bit of a weekly tradition for me to buy a new spice and then experiment with different ways of using it. Such a lovely, guilt-free pleasure for my life. I've spent so much time smelling and savoring flavours with a new appreciation that I'm practically meditating. Very good for stress :)The book could have taken many different angles, and it took all of them, organised beautifully. It includes:An explanation of what spices are and how they're producedWhich countries favour which spices and a bit of the history behind itDozens of spice blends you can make and what you can use it forA range of exciting recipes from around the world which showcase each spice blendA reference guide where you can conveniently look up each spice to understand how to use itVarious color coded charts to help you learn the chemical compound that make up the flavours, so you can understand which spices have what in common, and how they go together - as well as written detail, if you want to look it upInstructions on how to design your own spice blendsBeautiful photographs of spices and foodNo poncy photos of the author being all sophisticatedLiterally my only concern is that this book doesn't include herbs, but it will be a while before that becomes an issue, as I still have so much to get through.P.s. I did another book called The Spice Companion but I only opened it once...

I gave this to my grand niece, who is an enthusiastic amateur cook who loves to cook from scratch. She got lost in it immediately (on Christmas Day!).I bought two spice/herb books. This one was more "user friendly," and contained recipes as well as primer information. Perfect for her stageof cookery right now. I kept the other book because I wanted its more advanced approach.

The book landed for me in an interesting place. The first 79 pages were almost worthless for me, especially in a book titled "the science of spice", I didn't really need the cultural histories of the countries where spices come from. Some of this information is later covered in the actually important part, for me, of the book..The layout, for me, was quite chaotic. There's no hard structure so it doesn't read very well because there's so much on the page to digest. It's like a magazine, infographic, book and that's just too chaotic for me. And, I completely understand the important of this opening section, describing the spice palette of different regions but that's not how I'm crafting my dishes at home, I'm not exactly aiming to emulate a spice blend from Iraq, or Thailand, or Africa specifically, I want to apply the spices on my own into my own cooking.However, starting at page 80 is when the individual spices are broken down to explain their properties, a bit of history, and the spice's different forms. Here, the infographic layout actually serves purpose and is legible.So, if you're like me and trying to just learn more about the spices you use, the book is completely worth it if you ignore the first 79 pages.

The utilization of spices and seasonings has always been a bit of a mystery for myself. Outside of salt, pepper, and the liberal application of garlic and onion powders I’ve always felt overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of options with no real basis of where to even begin. This book has quelled any apprehension I’ve felt by applying a pragmatic approach to how spices work in conjunction with one another while still embracing the idea of being adventurous with this new knowledge. The scientific approach to how different spices react to different applications of physics and how their individual chemical releases can accentuate the same properties in other spices has been a true game-changer for myself. The author also goes into great detail on the different regions from where spices originated and how different regions utilize those spices into blends that are specific to that part of the world. I’ve recommended this book to several people and they’ve all been blown away with the knowledge held within the pages. If you were intrigued by the “periodic table of spices” example in the preview pages then let me just tell you that there is an AMAZING chart at the end of the book that is even more stunning in regards to information. I will certainly be reading other books Dr. Farrimond has released and greatly look forward to future works in this field. HIGHLY recommend!

I absolutely love this book! It’s so informative, it is beautiful with the pictures, drawings and layouts! I love that it explains why certain spices go together and the pages have little spice blends and recipes throughout! I am not new to cooking, but I am still very amateur. I have become more open to new spices and flavors and this book has helped to get that confidence! It’s a nice book to add to my collection as a reference!

What a great book, I wasn't disappointed with this one. Farrimond has done it. Not only does he offer advice on how to extract flavor from more spices than you can remember... he also discusses complementary spices, as well as giving a bit of geography and cultural information with neat maps to make this book a really interesting read.

É tutto in inglese é l'ho dovuto rendere indietro

The book begins by showcasing the various continents and their unique spices, offering a journey through the diverse flavors of the world. It then provides detailed fact sheets for each spice, covering their origins, tastes, and culinary uses. The book is beautifully illustrated with pleasant-colored graphics, making it not only informative but visually appealing. It's an excellent resource for identifying spices and their origins, perfect for sharing with friends at the dinner table when they ask about the spices you've used in your dishes. Lovely, simply lovely!

This is the best, well organised, well written book in my kitchen library.It shows which spices go together best. Also the regions they are from. If, like me you enjoy reading cookery books as well as recipes from them, this will be your favourite book. It’s not like the tv cooks attempt at cookery. It’s written by an expert. A true scientific study.

Super livre, des excellentes idées et plein d'infos utiles

Muy buen libro, es lo que esperaba y llegó en óptimas condiciones.