The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D Coe - Published: Thames and Hudson Ltd - 07-02-2019 - 280 pages.
Lifestyle - Food & Drink - Chocolate – ‘the food of the Gods’ – has had a long and eventful history. Its story is expertly told here by the doyen of Maya studies, Michael Coe, and his late wife, Sophie. The book begins 3,000 years ago in the Mexican jungles and goes on to draw on aspects of archaeology, botany and socio-economics. Used as currency and traded by the Aztecs, chocolate arrived in Europe via the conquistadors, and was soon a favourite drink with aristocrats. By the 19th century and industrialization, chocolate became a food for the masses – until its revival in our own time as a luxury item. Chocolate has also been giving up some of its secrets to modern neuroscientists, who have been investigating how flavour perception is mediated by the human brain. And, finally, the book closes with two contemporary accounts of how chocolate manufacturers have (or have not) been dealing with the ethical side of the industry.
Herbarium: One Hundred Herbs · Grow · Cook · Heal by Caz Hildebrand - Published: Thames and Hudson Ltd - 09-03-2023 - 224 pages.
Lifestyle - Food & Drink - A stylishly illustrated compendium of 100 herbs, designed to enrich our understanding of all their uses.
This isn’t just a book for the kitchen – it’s for the greenhouse, the medicine cabinet, the coffee table...
Award-winning designer Caz Hildebrand’s Herbarium is a 21st-century reboot of the traditional herbal compendium. The visual genius behind the international bestseller The Geometry of Pasta, she has created abstract forms and vibrant colours to illustrate 100 essential herbs and to reveal their hidden properties.
From bergamot, comfrey and dill to sassafras, vervain and wasabi, all types of herbs are covered; each is explained through the fascinating history of their uses and symbolism. There are tips on how to use them as seasonings and how to create healing potions, as well as advice on when and how to grow them.
Herbarium celebrates all facets of herbs and all their life-enhancing properties.
The Grammar of Spice by Caz Hildebrand - Published: Thames and Hudson Ltd - 14-09-2017 - 224 pages.
Lifestyle - Food & Drink - Spices have played an intrinsic part in the human story, running through history, geography, anthropology, politics, religion, culture, art and design. From alligator pepper seeds which, in the Yoruba culture, are given to newborn babies to taste a few minutes after birth, to charoli seeds, which are used in traditional Indian sweets eaten during the festival of Holi, and caraway seeds, which were added to medieval love potions, each spice has its own significance in the lives of the people who use it. The story of spice is really the stories of human relationships, from growers and traders to cooks and explorers, all starting with a tiny seed.
The Grammar of Spice is one of the world’s missing books. It will change the way we understand spices and the role they play in defining not only our food but also our place in the world. The essence of each spice is explored in a brief history peppered with interesting anecdotes and tips, and accompanied by reproductions of surface decoration from Owen Jones’s original book, The Grammar of Ornament. The book is beautiful to look at and hold, packed with well-researched material, and will change the way a generation appreciates the incredible world of flavours and tastes that spices open up to us.
An Anarchy of Chillies by Caz Hildebrand - Published: Thames and Hudson Ltd - 06-09-2018 - 224 pages.
Lifestyle - Food & Drink - Each chilli demands and deserves to be known in its own right. With hundreds of varieties, and a dizzying array of flavours, shapes, sizes and colours, chillies are a key ingredient in everything from our favourite curries to drinks and desserts. But even the most experienced chilli fanatic needs a guide to which variety to choose and how hot to go on the infamous Scoville scale.
This essential kitchen companion profiles 100 versatile chilli varieties, chosen to showcase their impressive range of shape, colour, flavour and heat, ranging from milder everyday favourites such as the jalapeño, ancho and bell pepper to exotic new superhots including the Dorset Naga and Carolina Reaper.
Organized by heat level on the infamous Scoville scale, An Anarchy of Chillies tells the story of each variety and offers advice on how to identify, grow and prepare them. The striking illustrations, in a vivid graphic style inspired by the CMYK process, make this not only a go-to reference but also a beautiful art piece.
Written and illustrated by Caz Hildebrand, author of the successful Herbarium and The Grammar of Spice, this is a wonderful gift book for any cook, gardener or chilli lover.
Wild Kitchen: Nature-Loving Chefs at Home by Claire Bingham - Published: Thames and Hudson Ltd - 27-08-2020 - 224 pages.
Lifestyle - Interiors & Gardens - Green is the new black. With environmental concerns at an all-time high, many of us are looking to promote sustainability in everyday ways, especially at home. It is more important than ever that our kitchen and dining spaces allow us to live in harmony with nature. This glimpse into the home kitchens and dining areas of twenty of the world’s top chefs, food bloggers and restaurateurs reveals inspiring ways that the food-obsessed are embracing the 'wild' at home in their everyday cooking and dining.
From a chef who experiments with herbs in a city apartment to a blogger who forages with her family in a local forest, each personality’s featured kitchen story offers a behind-the-scenes view of their unique cooking philosophy along with their insider tips for creating a unique kitchen space. Each chef – from Julia Sherman and David Tanis to Judy Williams (of Via Carota) and Rita Sodi – provides a simple recipe that uses their favourite natural ingredients. Offering advice on essential utensils, entertaining and bringing the outside in, the book also features a directory of websites and restaurants for those interested in finding out more.
The desire to know where our food comes from and to minimize our carbon footprints is ever-growing. Wild Kitchen offers fresh insights into kitchen design and styling from those who understand the sustainable lifestyle best, and will inform, delight and inspire all food lovers looking to get back to nature.
