Synopses & Reviews
Spices and aromaticsand#151;the powerful, pleasurable, sensual ingredients used in foods, drinks, scented oils, perfumes, cosmetics, and drugsand#151;have long been some of the most sought-after substances in the course of human history. In various forms, spices have served as appetizers, digestives, antiseptics, therapeutics, tonics, and aphrodisiacs.
Dangerous Tastes explores the captivating history of spices and aromatics: the fascination that they have aroused in us, and the roads and seaways by which trade in spices has gradually grown. Andrew Dalby, who has gathered information from sources in many languages, explores each spice, interweaving its general history with the story of its discovery and various uses.
Dalby concentrates on traditional spices that are still part of world trade: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, saffron, and chili. He also discusses aromatics that are now little used in food but still belong to the spice trade and to traditional medicine: frankincense, myrrh, aloes-wood, balsam of Mecca. In addition, Dalby considers spices that were once important but that now are almost forgotten: long pepper, cubebs, grains of Paradise.
Dangerous Tastes relates how the Aztecs, who enjoyed drinking hot chocolate flavored with chili and vanilla, sometimes added annatto (a red dye) to the drink. This not only contributed to the flavor but colored the drinker's mouth red, a reminder that drinking cacao was, in Aztec thought, parallel with drinking blood. In the section on ambergris, Dalby tells how different cultures explained the origin of this substance: Arabs and Persians variously thought of it as solidified sea spray, a resin that sprung from the depths of the sea, or a fungus that grows on the sea bed as truffles grow on the roots of trees. Some Chinese believed it was the spittle of sleeping dragons. Dalby has assembled a wealth of absorbing information into a fertile human history that spreads outward with the expansion of human knowledge of spices worldwide.
Synopsis
"Delightful and complex. When Dalby blends the spices, the result is unique and irresistible."and#151;Alan Davidson, author of The Oxford Companion to Food
About the Author
Andrew Dalby is a historian and linguist and has written for numerous food history and classics journals. Among his books are Empire of Pleasures: Luxury and Indulgence in the Roman World (2000), The Classical Cookbook (with Sally Grainger, 1996), and Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece (1996).
Table of Contents
Preface
THE PHOENIX'S NEST
Silphium
EXPORTS FROM PARADISE
Ginger
Sugar
Sandalwood
Balsam of Mecca
Cinnamon
Tejpat
Musk
THE SPICE ISLANDS
Cloves
Nutmeg and mace
Cubebs
Camphor
Gum benzoin
THE AROMATIC SHORE
Ambergris
Aloeswood
THE CINNAMON MOUNTAINS
Chinese pepper
Galanga
Rhubarb and licorice
Ginseng and star anise
THE LAND OF PEPPER
Putchuk or costus
Spikenard
Long pepper
Black pepper
Turmeric
Red sanders
Zedoary and zerumbet
Amomum and cardamom
THE RAREST OF SPICES
Gum guggul
Asafoetida or hing
Frankincense
Myrrh
CARGOES OF COMPLACENCE
Coriander
Cumin, caraway, anise, ajowan and nigella
Mustard
Poppy
Mastic
Storax
Saffron
'I HAVE FOUND CINNAMON!'
Uchu, rocoto, and ulupica
Pink peppercorns
Coca
Chocolate
Vanilla
Chilli
Tabasco pepper and Scotch bonnet
Canella
Balsam of Peru
IN QUEST OF SPICERY
Notes
Source Texts
Further Reading
Glossary Of Spice Names
Index