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Reviewer Comments
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Hill, owner of World Merchants, Spice, Herb and Tea House in Seattle, has traveled the globe in search of spices. In this book he generously shares the wealth of knowledge he's brought back. Information on 350 spices and herbs is included, with details on alternate and botanical names, plant family, countries of origin and cultivation, seasons of harvest, parts used, and colors to look for. There are also 75 different recipes and some 200 color photos. Hill's enthusiasm for his subject shines through, especially in the short essays covering historical and culinary details of individual herbs and spices. Jill Norman's superb Herbs and Spices: The Cook's Reference covers much of the same territory, but the alphabetic arrangement of Hill's book is perhaps easier to use than Norman's grouping by aroma and flavor. Hill's broader scope also means cooks will discover spices such as boldina leaf that are not included in Norman's book. On the other hand, the gorgeous visual design of Norman's book trumps the illustrations in Hill's.
Bottom Line Public libraries with limited budgets will definitely want Norman's book, but Hill's engaging and entertaining guide to herbs and spices would also be an excellent addition to any library's culinary collection. --John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ (Library Journal, January 15, 2005)
The Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices is intended to attract dustings of fenugreek and drippings of gumbo with sassafras. Tony Hill lards his book with recipes that make you want to measure out anise-hyssop and cardamom lavishly after reading one of his chapters on the origins, alternate names and significant uses for both exotic and predictable seasonings.
Hill, who did much of his research while traveling as proprietor of the World Merchants spice and tea house in Seattle, is way ahead of cookbook authors who cling to parsley in a cilantro world. With spices so widely available on the Internet, he encourages exploration, not only describing what nigella seeds are (not spawn of Lawson but an Indian flavoring) but how to use them (to bake surprisingly easy crackers for cheese). This is the book for anyone who has been lucky enough to find grains of paradise or Aleppo pepper and wonders where to go from there. (Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2004)
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