Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference
By Jill Norman

Shopping at most regular markets you'd think fresh herbs are limited to basil, sage, parsley, cilantro, mint and their green kin. But what about savory, tarragon, Vietnamese balm and woodruff?

Did you know that Pandan and its extracted essence, a favorite of the Moghul emperors of India, adds a light fragrance to cooked rice or that it adds a special twist to homemade lemonade? Did you know that rose geranium can subtly accentuate your cakes or that marigold can be used as an inexpensive substitute to color your rice a rich saffron yellow or that mint marigold feels very at home with many indigenous American foods such as avocado, squash and anything that combines well with Tarragon?

And what about spices? There are poppy seeds for strudel and pastries but also eggplant, cauliflower breads. There is tamarind for curries, tom yom soup and sweet, delightful drinks. There is cardamom, mastic, cubeb, grains of paradise and asafetida. These names are full of promise for culinary adventures, herbal back roads yet untraveled and colorful bazaars of mounds of spices, gold, green, red and black.

We have vowed to keep Jill Norman's "Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference" close at hand and to learn the over 120 herbs and spices taste by taste. We will learn how to crush barberry and rub it on lamb kebabs, how to toss a Lebanese fattoush salad and how to grind, crush, mix and dry. It is a delightful guide to discovering the flavors of multicultural cuisines.

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