Spices of Life and Herbs, Too!

Book excerpt: Spices & Herbs: what’s the difference? Spices are hot and spicy, and herbs are, well, ‘herby,’ right? Not exactly. Spices come from the seeds of a plant, but herbs come from the leaves or roots. So, juniper, vanilla, coffee, and chocolate, are spices, but not spicy, whereas curry leaves and ginger, though quite spicy, are herbs. A good reason for abandoning the distinction, as I have done in this cookbook. Spices of Life and Herbs, Too! contains 87 recipes, each featuring a different herb or spice (or several), and each with ‘locked-in tastes.’ The book also contains my ‘alphabet’ of spices and herbs, from A to Z, which answers questions such as: Which is the most expensive spice on the planet? Answer: Saffron, which comes from crocuses. And how many crocuses do you need to make a kilo of saffron? Answer: 77,000! Which is the real Spice of Life? Answer: ‘Spice of Life’ is the nickname of Sumac, ground from the fruits of the Rhus tree, sometimes known as the Tree of Heaven. Which is the most popular spice in the world? Answer: Pepper, which comes in many varieties: black, white, pink, red and green. Which spice was considered as valuable as Manhattan? Answer: Nutmeg. The only source of Nutmeg used to be the Banda Islands, now part of Indonesia, Once controlled by the British but coveted by the Dutch, these islands were swapped for Manhattan, which Henry Hudson had already claimed for the Dutch Trading Company. The 1647 treaty gave the British control of the whole Hudson River area, whilst the Dutch gained a monopoly supply of their beloved nutmeg.