Book of Spice - From Anise to Zedoary

A tasty compendium of spices and a fascinating history and wide array of uses of the world’s favorite flavors—The Book of Spice reveals the amazing history of spices both familiar and esoteric. John O’Connell’s erudite chapters combine history with insights into art, religion, medicine, and science, and is richly seasoned with anecdotes and recipes.
Discover why Cleopatra bathed in saffron and mare’s milk, why wormwood-laced absinthe caused eighteenth-century drinkers to hallucinate and how cloves harvested in remote Indonesian islands found their way into a kitchen in ancient Syria. Almost every kitchen contains a bottle of cloves or a stick of cinnamon, almost every dish a pinch of something, whether chili or cumin. The Book of Spice is culinary history at its most appetizing.

Un compendiu gustos de condimente si o istorie fascinanta si o gama larga de utilizari ale aromelor preferate din lume - Cartea condimentelor dezvaluie istoria uimitoare a condimentelor atat familiare, cat si ezoterice. Capitolele erudite ale lui John O'Connell combina istoria cu cunostintele despre arta, religie, medicina si stiinta si sunt bogat asezonate cu anecdote si retete. Descoperiti de ce Cleopatra s-a scaldat in sofran si lapte de iapa, de ce absenta legata de pelin a cauzat bautorilor din secolul al XVIII-lea halucinatii si modul in care cuisoarele recoltate in insulele indoneziene indepartate si-au gasit drumul intr-o bucatarie din Siria antica.