The influence of spices is often overlooked when it comes to their place in the modern kitchen. They bring the whole world into our homes and have been transforming bland meals into feasts for our palates for centuries. This richly illustrated book is a must have for those who like to add zest to their cooking. Concise introductory chapters provide an insight into the history of spices, with basic facts to help you with regard to where to buy and, how to store, your seasonings. An additional short description is given to make sure you know when the different spices should be added to your culinary concertos.

The spices themselves are sorted by their different flavor notes into five separate sections. "Powerful and Dynamic: Earthy Spices". This section deals with such household names as coriander, cumin and cinnamon. "Fragrant and Delicate: Floral Spices" is next to come. The focus here is on delicate spices such as lavender, saffron and lemongrass. "Spices with Staying Power: Balsamic flavors" is the next chapter to inspire. Subtle favorites such as basil, rosemary and sage are presented. Penultimately we run into "Spices with Spirit and Sass: The Hot Ones". Chilli, garlic and ginger are just a few examples of the hot herbs and spices which provide great backing vocals for any dish. The final chapter deals with the "Exquisite, Finely Tuned Mixtures: The Big Hitters". These spice blends, such as five-spice powder, Ras el Hanout and curry powder, succeed in bringing the big, wide, world direrctly into your kitchen. Each spice is presented in a concise profile, providing their origins and distribution, and most importantly how they can be best put to use, with more than one-hundred mouthwatering recipes for every taste and occasion.