Published: August 1, 2017
Publisher: Lorena Jones Books
Genre: Cooking
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
A beautiful culinary and ethnobotanical survey of the punch-packing ingredient central to today’s multi-cultural palate, with more than 40 pan-Latin recipes from a three-time James Beard Award-winning author and chef-restaurateur.
From piquillos and shishitos to padrons and poblanos, the popularity of culinary peppers (and pepper-based condiments, such as Sriracha and the Korean condiment gochujang) continue to grow as more consumers try new varieties and discover the known health benefits of Capsicum, the genus to which all peppers belong. This stunning visual reference to peppers now seen on menus, in markets, and beyond, showcases nearly 200 varieties (with physical description, tasting notes, uses for cooks, and beautiful botanical portraits for each). Following the cook’s gallery of varieties, more than 40 on-trend Latin recipes for spice blends, salsas, sauces, salads, vegetables, soups, and main dishes highlight the big flavors and taste-enhancing capabilities of peppers.
This is a book that I requested from Blogging for Books because they sometimes have really awesome food/cooking books. I like to cook and am always on the lookout for books that can help me understand the science of cooking, ingredients from around the world, and definitely new recipes. This book was an interesting read discussing the origins of various peppers and it had good pictures. I can’t say it was all that useful to me in a cooking capacity though it does contain some recipes, especially as I think most of these peppers would be difficult to obtain. If you’re interested in learning more about native edibles (specifically peppers) you may be interested in this one. I haven’t read it from cover to cover, but rather read decent sized portions from throughout the book as this isn’t something you can easily sit down and read straight through. It’s certainly no fantasy book! :p
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