El libro de las especias: Del anís al zumaque

by John O'Connell

Un exquisito recorrido por las especias y una fascinante historia que recopila los usos y tradiciones de los sabores más emblemáticos del mundo.

Las especias son algo extraordinario, a su vez familiares y exóticas, nos complace encontrarlas en nuestros platillos favoritos, evocando sabores de países lejanos, zocos árabes, vientos alisios, conquistas coloniales o extensas fortunas.

El libro de las especias es una introducción a los usos y costumbres de cada una de ellas, desde sus usos alimenticios, medicinales y mágicos, y las fascinantes historias que se encuentran tras los productos culinarios básicos y los lujos más esotéricos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, History, Cookbooks, Food and Drink, Foodie

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2015

About the author

John O'Connell is a former books editor at Time Out magazine and writes regularly for the Guardian and The Times. He is the co-author of I Told You I Was Ill and The Midlife Manual.

Reviews

[Tina Haigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I remember vividly the first time I tasted spicy food."

This should be titled A Random History of Spices and Two or Three Herbs from A to Z because that would be a lot more accurate about the contents therein.

Full review to come :)

"It is typically served in pitta with falafel or shawarma."

[PorshaJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite the interesting book concept. If you are into cooking and want to learn about spices, then this is the perfect book. There is quite a bit of detail on various spices such as history, cultivation, use, and more. There is an interesting write-up in the beginning by the author. Overall, I liked this book, but not one that I would use often. I find this more of reference type book.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley for a fair and truthful review.

[roxi Net · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun going through this books (as I mentally changed the recipe I was going to cook that night literally with every page flipped!). First, I appreciated the history and the author's personal attachment to spices. I can't remember the first time I had spicy food and it really changed how I view/define "spicy". It's a great reference book that I'll go back to time and time again (by poor brain can't retain new wrinkles). I'd recommend it for one's own kitchen and/or as a gift for food lovers. If only I can retain the info!

[Ericka ☾⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting listen. For some reason while browsing hoopla, I felt drawn to read/listen about spices 😂 Not sure why I was expecting something more engaging since the book is exactly what it says it is. It was very interesting at times, but I also caught myself a lot of the time not paying attention and having to check my phone to see what spice we were on. I think this would have been more interesting if it were also part travel memoir, where the author goes to different areas of origin for these spices so we can learn with him. I think it would have felt less info-dumpy.
Also, random side note, I could not find any information on this author. In the book, I think it alludes to them having a restaurant, but I'm not sure. I was just curious as to where/how they got their personal expertise on the topic besides the obviously cited/ well researched bits.

[Amanda Rogozinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like angora wool or silk garments, the word “spice” rings with associations of extravagance and sensation. Choice additions can transform a merely practical dish to one of delectable glamour and possibility, hinting at a God who overflows with creativity, delighting in diversity and abundance–those extra, unnecessary tidbits that shoot fireworks of life for the pure joy of it. The Book of Spice celebrates this bit of glory in your kitchen.

Speaking of abundance, I thought I had variety in my spice cabinet. Surprisingly, despite regularly cooking with culturally diverse flavors, close to half of the book’s sixty listings are new to me. For example, Avens (most similar to Cloves), was popular in Tudor kitchens, while Galangal, which is mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, is still used in Asian and Chinese cuisine.

Continued at TheWillowNook.com You are welcome to join us!

*Review copy courtesy of Pegasus Books*

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book overall! I found the information to be very different from what I'd encountered in other places, often focusing more on the history and culinary or medicinal usage of the plant. I loved some of the stories I found in the text and enjoyed sharing them with my family (who knew that Charles Dickens carried around a personal nutmeg grater... I certainly didn't). All in all, I learned quite a lot and enjoyed doing so. I think my only complaint is that the last book on herbs that I read was broken down and well organized with beautiful pictures, so it has set my standards a little high. The book could possibly have benefited from some better graphics, but really the anecdotal nature of it probably did work better in this format. All in all I'd recommend picking it up if you're interested in learning more about spices.

[Becca Stachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine, I’ll admit it— I don’t know what I was expecting. Is it useful and informative? Yes. Should it be consumed as an audiobook? Definitely not. I also wish it spent a more even amount of time discussing the different spices in the index— it’s pretty easy to tell which historical angles the author favors.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have collected books and been to some of this countries best known herb farms. This book is a must have if you have any interest in herbs. Wonderful histories, background, facinating anecdotes, I truly enjoyed this authors work.

[Rajesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun little read, lots of vignettes on spices and two-dollar words for no particular benefit. I'm just a harsh grader, and grade on a curve. Learned a lot of spice trivia I guess. Nutmeg, from one island in Indonesia at first, who knew?

[Wdmoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this kind of book, in particular I enjoyed the chapter about cloves. But it desperately needs pictures.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains a good deal of history but not much useful information regarding cooking with spices

[David Dinaburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I even made it to the alphabetically first Ajowan I loved the introduction to The Book of Spice. The wood-press feel to the ink and already-slightly-foreign Britishness to the Tikka story gave me strong confidence that even if the whole book is basically a Wikipedia article for spices, it will be really a really fun Wikipedia article.

My guard went up, though, when I read a pre-emptive apology, or explanation, or whatever you want to call that moment of self-deprecation meant to deflect non-existent criticism. It is often self-fulfilling, existing solely in the creator’s own mind until they unleash it upon the world. I don’t like that. But it didn’t end up mattering, because that particular seed didn’t germinate. And what I do like were the ways in which the book has given me ways to promulgate some cool weird facts in a (hopefully) less obnoxious than as a “Well, Actually…” pendant. You’ll have to ask my coworkers.

Most of my work revolves around food. And if not food, then clients with some very particular dietary requests that remind me of the apocryphal “No brown M&M’s” urban legend turned Contracts seminar lesson. ”Only red skittles” or “No brown M&M’s” or similar tetchy details all serve the same function, as a cute way to chide lazy attorneys. In the real world they function as a moral—well, professional—corrective. Within the metes of the fable, they are the proverbial canaries in the coalmine; baby lawyers are taught that various rock bands make absurdly specific requests in their contract riders. So, if production can’t get those bits right, then they didn’t read the contract and so will do a shoddy job with everything else. Which means it is time to flee the venue—i.e. break your end of the contract—or at least check the expiration date on the fire extinguishers or the weight-limit on your trapeze bar. Safety first.

So when, soon after finishing Spice Book, I was informed that someone couldn’t eat garlic or onion, I couldn’t help myself:

In certain devout Hindu castes in which onions and garlic are deemed impure and so not eaten, asafoetida makes an effective substitute

First, I didn’t know devout Hindus didn’t eat garlic or onion. Second, I didn’t know that asafoetida existed. Third, I certainly didn’t know asafoetida was an effective substitute for onions and garlic. Finally, I did not know I’d get a chance to bring these facts to bear so quickly after learning them. In everyone else’s defense, the common-sense option of, “Maybe she simply doesn’t like garlic so I should allow the chef make things that lack onions and garlic without meddling,” was an option but not quite as satisfying as the brown-M&M-level silly, “Hey let me get you some asafoetida to incorporate this week.” No regrets.

I am not the only one that can’t help but tell his own stories about spices:

Questions about cinnamon’s origins sorely taxed the usual authorities. ‘In what country it grows is quite unknown,’ observes Herodotus, who then repeats a bizarre, obfuscatory story spread by Arab merchants:

Herodotus launches into a fanciful tale of how cinnamon is found, which is then juxtaposed with Theophrastus’ equally nonsensical account, then Pliny, and now me: They say that cinnamon blossoms come out dried after the plant itself has already died; the sticks come in bundles of three and any interaction with a still-living cinnamon blossom results in death for the offending creature.” They’re cool stories—well, except for mine—and they are the kind of folklore that, again harkening back to the M&M’s, weave the fabric of our a specific subculture. If you want to know what Herodotus said about cinnamon and birds—which has a fascinating overlap with the myth of the Phoenix—The Book of Spice is available to you. So is the internet, I guess. And nevermind the fact that I self-deprecatingly referred to my own cinnamon tale as "not as good as Herodotus." That is not the same thing because that criticism is not non-existent. And drawing even more attention to it now certainly didn't complete the ouroboros of self-fulfilling prophesy, no sir.

Anyway, there are so many fascinating facts and thrilling pieces of writing that I would like to extract and present to the reader about fifteen different excerpts over the next six thousand words. That is how I write these reviews, after all, and I do very much enjoy it. But lately these have become lessons in self-editing, and besides, we all know I know it can get a little self-indulgent at times. If you’re anything like me, it is the excerpts that you’ll skip or skim, much to your own detriment; they are the most important parts of a book review.

Taking notes so I can cobble together a dozen quotes to present to you has made me a better reader; re-presenting them to bolster my own thoughts has made me a better writer; removing most of them before I put them on Goodreads have made me a better editor. Most importantly, it is fun and the author’s defense of excerpting and supplementing made me smile:

To do this I have drawn on a variety of disciplines and the works of hundreds of writers…[t]here are, quite deliberately, many voices in the book apart from my own….The sixteenth-century botanist William Turner attempted something similar in his herbal…[and] his defence of this method made me smile:

...if the honey that the bees gather out of many flowers may be called the bees’ honey, so may I call that which I have learned and gathered from many good authors my book.

There was simply no reason for the author to declaim any portion of this text; it was wonderful from start to finish. Zhug, or Zhoug, the last entry in the spice mix section—which at my favorite local falafel place labels as s’rug—was in fact the last thing I ate before writing this. It is nice to learn, after years of consumption, its basic components:

Containing hot green chillies alongside garlic, cloves, cardamom, cumin, coriander (the herb) and flat-leaf parsley, is is reputed to boost the immune system.

From morning poppy seed pedantry to nighttime nutmeg indulgences, there is always a time where something—fact or matter—from The Book of Spice has been on the tip of my tongue.

[Allie Lumpkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway and in return, I am giving an honest review. I want to start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was not sure what to expect before I started. Nonfiction is not my usual cup of tea. When I began reading the introduction I was initially a bit turned off by the authors scattered nonlinear writing style. To me, the introduction felt a bit disjointed and left me unsure of what I was going to see when I started reading the book itself. However, once I started on the individual entries (sections for each spice arranged in alphabetical order ranging in size from a few sentences, to several pages.) I really began to enjoy the anecdotal nature of the book. It felt like a conversation with a friend - telling me stories about any spice I could name. I also really appreciate the thoroughness of the research and citations. One note is that the anecdotes did tend to be frequently centered on the particular use of a spice in England. While this was really interesting to me as an American who has not traveled internationally, I felt like it would have been nice to be represented a little more. Overall this was a really fun book. I loved sharing clever and engaging snippets to my friends and family, and would definitely recommend to anyone.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though some of the factual asides — those little bits of irresistibly mentionable research that don't quite fit the brief — could maybe have been narrowed, this was still an informative, interesting read. Some of the spices, I'd never heard of, and discussion of others made me want to cook. (I have a bit of a problem when it comes to buying all sorts of herbs and spices.) If a person wanted to do further research, there is also a fairly comprehensive notes section, as well as a small section on different spice blends.

[Juan Cacho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las especias tienen un origen remoto, exótico y un comercio de largo recorrido, así como un aroma inimitable. Tienen una historia que data desde al menos el 2,000 A.C. Y siempre me ha parecido interesante tanto el impacto social y cultural como su influencia en la gastronomía.

Este libro contiene una buena revisión sobre la historia, usos, datos curiosos (afrodisíacos, enervantes y hasta de muertes por sobredosis). Al final, las recetas de mezclas de especias solo faltaría en varias poner las cantidades para lograr proporciones adecuadas. En general, entretenido y ameno.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for those who like micro-histories and are interested in the diverse history of spices- including medicinal, spiritual, monetary, and of course cooking. I recommend this for those who enjoyed Salt by Kurlansky

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of information and history of spices but no recipes or how to use the spices, nor what dishes to use them in.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading to the various spices and learning about their origins and recipes.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat meandering, by no means exhaustive, but by all accounts interesting.

[Debbie Ginsberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always weird listening to an encyclopedia as an audiobook, but I learned a lot.

[Homer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love cooking and history, this is your book!

[Patti Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting Encyclopedia about spices. Not a cookbook. I loved all the random information about spices: history, uses through time, botanical information, cultural uses, etc.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I could never find this book in print so I listened to it and I feel like I missed out on being able to flip back and forth to compare.

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great starting point for anyone who has ever wondered where spices come from, and where they have gone throughout history. John O'Connell does a wonderful job of giving each spice its special little biography, if you will.

The only reason I have given this book 4/5 stars and not 5 was because sometimes I became very confused with references or things mentioned in the book because it is written by an English man, with spices in relation to an English man's world view. I personally am an American, never been to Europe, so I had to do some background sometimes on his references to English food culture and the like.

That being said, a great book and one I would recommend to any foodies who want to learn more about where there food (spices) come from!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revelation can be sometimes a dish of tandoor.
The Book of Spice: From Anise to Zedoary written by John O' Connell and published by Pegasus Books, is a remarkable, colored, delicious i intense, persistent book as only a spice can be, and the product of a love started thanks to...Aunt Sheila.

Oh yes!

For O'Connell passion for spices started thanks to his Irish Aunt Sheila (not blood related but a close friend of his mom and children affectionate to her) some decades ago and yes, that tandoor dish he ate during a pic-nic at Hyde Park when he was still 8-9 years changed his life forever.

Aunt Sheila was incredibly intelligent. An Irish lady with great potentialities. Aunt Sheila was in grade to change the culinary destiny and...palate of this still little boy forever.

A new world as a revelation appeared in front of little John. An open door still hermetically closed abruptly opened and ready for him to be discovered. Indian food, spices, spicy food. What a colored experience, what a full immersion in history, customs, traditions, dishes of exotic, distant, sunny lands still unexplored.

O'Connell tells that the experience lived with aunt Sheila 30 years ago changed the way he would have lived food later, the way of cooking it, and what to eat.

The use of spices is old. Old enough to re-call the old Egyptians and the use they did of spices, or the Crusades, that brought to Italy, thanks also at the presence in Sicily and Spain of Arabs various spices.

But..what is a spice? A spice is not a herb although it's curative like a herb, but it's a part of a plant or bush. It can be the root, the seeds of a plant. A part of a whole able to give more taste to our dishes.

In the past also remarkable men fell in love for spices.

Spices meant intestine wars for trying to bring them to Europe at some point but the author is more than sure that maybe without these fights, and without this competition and without spices, Europe maybe would have never known any kind of Renaissance. At that time spices were truly expensive and they couldn't be used by common people.

Columbus, Magellan discovering the America and most of the world brought new spices in Europe as well.

Many book recommendations if you are a spicy-lover and tales and legends, propriety, history of many known and less known spices analyzed one-by-one. The most beautiful part because each spice has a peculiar story, recipes, remedies, legends and O'Connell is truly detailed in the reconstruction of each of them.

If you want to do a very good figure, present this book to someone you love. Thanksgiving, Christmas time the best moment of the year because cookies and dishes are pretty spicy and a good cooker or baker surely can appreciate this informative, interesting, amazing book.

Every time we use a spice in fact, we use History.

Every time we use a spice we are brought in a distant part of the world, in an exotic place.
Every spice means a long History, with its legends, traditions, curative properties, and a lot of culinary dishes.



Thanks to NetGalley.com!

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a fun book to own so you can look up any spice that you usually or hardly ever use and find out more about it's history. I may actually buy this one to keep it around.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book of Spice: From Anise to Zedoary by John O'Connell (Pegasus Books 2016) (641.3383). This is a truly comprehensive read on the topic of spices by (it appears) a veddy British author. Entries are arranged alphabetically; they are not as interestingly written as they could have been. Perhaps the author considers himself a “food scientist.” Plan for a brief skim through this title, and if it doesn't capture your interest either, try a different volume on the same topic. My rating: 7.5/10, finished 6/26/16.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives fairly brief descriptions of a number of spices which often include plant and place of origin, uses in food preparation or for physical maladies, and the history of human use. I was hoping for more detail on the importance of these spices especially from a historical perspective or more engaging detail on more of them. I found this book less interesting than expected although it does provide an adequate summary of many spices. It lacks specifics that would make the subject more engaging.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book for the history of spices, why some fell out of favor, the flavors of spices less known to westerners and more.

One big issue that guarantees it's not a five-star, though. The author's arbitrary definition of "spice" (that said, we'd all have one) includes herbs like cumin, fennel and fenugreek and excludes something that more people would call a spice — garlic.

[Nina Leung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, quick reference guide to spices and their origins and uses. Much of it is referenced from more detailed texts about spices, so this is sort of like a spark notes of all of those.

I enjoyed listening to this because it's a series of quick, short narratives/ essays on each spice so it's easy to get in and out of. Easy to interrupt.