Spices Online

Description

Spice Basics contains one tin each of organic coriander, organic cumin, organic fennel seed, organic ginger, organic mild chili pepper and organic turmeric. Each spice tin contains 12 one-teaspoon packets of spice.

Features

• contains one can each of Bird in Hand, Cookie Jar, Game Day Chili, Mull Over This, Peace of Pie and Roast to Toast tins
• Each tin contains 12 one-teaspoon packets of spice
• Made according to the standards of USDA certification

Reviews

Nice Variety, Tasteful Presentation, Great Idea!

by Margaret Durbin from Minnesota on 2010-04-03
Got these for my sister for her housewarming... for individuals with small households these are ideal - spices are so expensive and to make most recipes you need a reasonable selection but they go bad so quickly (relative to how much is left) that it can be very discouraging.The presentation is beautiful... my sister couldn't decide whether to put them away or display the tins on the counter!The selection in this collection is fairly wide ranging and useful... she was very excited to get the more fragrant spices that you need to be fresher for them to do their job.This is not really "cheaper" or more economical than buying jars of the included spices... but the difference is that in six months or two years when you need ginger again you won't be forced to choose between old ginger with little flavor left or springing for a new jar... the next packet will be as fragrant and intense as the first packet was. So while not a lower cost in the short run, in the longer run it's more convenient and flavorful and, ultimately, a reasonable balance between flavor and cost.

Amazing!

by Top Chef from New York on 2008-05-23
This is such a clever idea- Tsp sells spices in tins that contain individualy sealed teaspoon sized packets of spice. Only the spice you are using gets opened and the rest stays fresh and flavorful! The spices are beautifully packaged, organic, and so delicious. I fully reccomend this product.

Description

Welcome to MARSHALLS CREEK SPICES, a division of Pure And Natural Spices, where we pack and sell a large selection of spices, herbs and blends, in attractive, clear, almost quart size, wide mouth jars, with tamper proof seals. Marshalls Creek Spices stock over 150 different varieties. All packed weekly, unlike what you buy in the store. The stores carry spices that are packed somewhere, then shipped and stored somewhere else, and then months later, end up on your stores shelf. Where it may sit for another few weeks. For freshness, quality and economy, Marshalls Creek Spices can't be beat.

Features

• Quality Spices
• In Large Jars
• Packed Fresh Weekly

Reviews

Great Value

by Casey P. from Houston, TX on 2010-03-14
Purchased this because it was cheaper than the small jars in the supermarket.The bottle is HUGE!!!! So much so that I have given baggies of these herbs to several friends and still have plenty left for myself.If I were to try to keep it and use it all myself, it would go stale before I had used 1/4 of this container.Great quality, very fragrant and fresh.

Description

The first illustrated guide to cover the whole spectrum of herbs and spices for culinary use. Herbs & Spices is an indispensable reference that shows how to prepare fresh and dried herbs, how to use herbs and spices in cooking, and details everything that other books on the subject leave out. Containing a unique collection of recipes, from herb and spice mixes to rubs, pastes, salsas, and marinades, these authentic formulas will encourage cooks to think creatively and experiment on their own. Grouped by aroma and taste, with step-by-step preparation techniques and beautiful full-color photography, this book describes 60 herbs and the benefits of using them fresh or dried, and focuses on 60 spices from around the world, with a look at the early spice trade and how cross-cultural fusion has impacted on contemporary cooking.

Features

• ISBN13: 9780789489395
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Reviews

I like to cook with good spices

by Best Cook around from on 2010-08-06
I'm very happy with this book, and more importantly the main cook in the house likes this too. I think it would be a great book for anyone who likes gourmet cooking even it is just occasionally. It seems an excellent resource. I bought this book for my friend, who is something of a food critic, and it was well received. We have not yet found a spice that isnt in this book. Just the other day I found some spice I was looking for and said it saved me lots of time. I am really enjoying reading through the book and finding out about everything that is worth, and I really like the photos of the spices as well. Really good pictures.

Perfect Combination

by Katie M. Sandoe from NE, USA on 2010-06-10
I ordered this book after much consideration. I have recently been struck with an intense love of mixing herbs and spices in with my cooking. I live in rural Nebraska so the spice variety is a little less varied but wanted to learn all that I could about cooking with herbs and spices and how to grow them if I wanted to. This book is laid out beautifully and has great information. I love the "Culinary uses" section for each herb or spice and the information on how to select items from the store, how the taste rates, and the pictures are just fabulous. As a new person to the realm of spices and herbs I am delighted to see that this book meets my needs. I only wish that the book would tell of the medical uses of certain herbs and spices are. Guess we can't have it all however.

Great Book!

by Michael D. Williams from on 2010-05-18
I personally like recipe books and cook companion guides that are visually appealing, functional, and thoughtfully written. This guide does it all. Great for referencing while you cook or simply just sittig down to read. A great buy. Especially useful for discovering proper spice pairing.

Great book, good service

by Janet M. Davies from on 2010-05-06
This is an informative and great book. The service was good and I would buy from this seller again.

Descriptive , a useful kitchen tool

by J. Eades from on 2010-03-16
Very visual photos and descriptions of herbs and spices including how and why they are used.

Description

Perfect for steaks, ribs, chops, any side dish or that piece of meat that just needs a little massage. Includes House Seasoning, Steak Seasoning, Silly Salt, Seasoned Salt, & Butt Massage.

Features

• Assorted 4 pack
• Includes house seasoning, steak seasoning, silly salt, seasoned salt, & butt massage
• Perfect for steaks, ribs, chops, any side dish

Description

Zamouri Spices - Ras el Hanout - as featured in O, The Oprah Magazine.This is NOT a simple version of Ras el Hanout found in cookbooks; this is AUTHENTIC!In Moroccan language, Ras el Hanout literally means head of the store or the best spice mixture a merchant has to offer.(also known as ras al hanout or ras el hanouth, raz al hanout or Moroccan Seasoning)Ras el Hanout is a spice blend that Zamouri Spices is proud to present as its best and most unique mix that any adventurous palate would love to experience. The secret of this mix and its recipe is passed down through generations. Native to Morocco, every spice vendor in the region has its own recipe. Zamouri's, too, has its original blend used only in the remote region of Zamour (North Africa Atlas Mountains) for a thousand years.Ingredients from over 30 different herbs and spices include:Grains of Paradise, Lavender, turmeric, ajawan seeds, kalajeera, ginger, galangal, oris root, rose buds, monk's pepper, cinnamon and more!

Features

• Authentic, Traditional Seasoning from Morocco
• Unique Family Blend from Zamouri region of Morocco
• Perfect for Tagine and Couscous Recipes
• Over 35 herbs and spices - an aromatic bouquet of flavor
• A Must-Have for Moroccan Cuisine

Reviews

Nice exotic spices

by A. Thompson from Dallas, TX USA on 2010-09-04
These seasonings give our couscous a dark appearance, but it does not add a huge amount of flavor. It does taste good though. The pouch is small, but only a tablespoon of spice goes a long way.

Excellent ras-el-hanout

by Nazli Roth from Redmond, WA USA on 2010-08-19
About ten years ago a friend made amazing Algerian couscous for us in which she used a bottle of ras-el-hanout purchased in France under the Ducros brand name. It was fabulous and for years I tried finding the same spice/flavor/scent in hopes of duplicating our unforgettable feast - with repeated disappointments. I read the reviews for the Zamouri ras-el-hanout and decided to take a chance, even though I was about to give up hope. And what do you know, this IS the real thing - just incredible. Do yourself a favor and saute some crushed garlic and onion in olive oil, add some diced assorted vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant etc.), throw in some raisins, garbanzo beans, 1T cumin and 3T of this wonderful ras-el-hanout... serve over couscous and you're off to a very happy evening!

It's Great

by Raymond Morris from TEXAS on 2009-12-12
Bought this for my wife. Its a real change from the spices we use now. Will buy again!! Quick shipping and well packed!.

Ras El Hanout - more curry-like than I'd anticipated

by H. Knight from Redmond, WA USA on 2008-12-31
I love Morrocan chicken and a good Ras El Hanout spice is essential for this dish. I was suprised at this blend, it differs significantly in the balance of flavors from the one I was originally introduced to. This is a much more savory - curry-like spice than the more sweetly cinammon-heavy original I started with. I'll have to try others to understand better if there is a 'standard' for Ras El Hanout!

The real deal

by David Sternlight from Los Angeles, CA USA on 2008-09-25
Most Ras al Hanout contains only a few ingredients. This one, with over 20, is the real stuff one might get in a Maghreb spice shop as the "top of the line" (literally 'top of the shop') secret family mixture.

Description

IACP Cookbook Award Finalist Nobody knows herbs and spices like Tony Hill, owner of Seattle's famed World Merchants Spice, Herb & Teahouse. Now, in this acclaimed book, Hill gives us a comprehensive guide to these essential flavorings based on his travels around the globe. Blending culinary history, the lore of the spice routes, and his own inimitable tasting notes, he profiles more than 125 herbs and spices, ranging from the familiar to the exotic. He gives practical information and advice, including how best to use nine popular chiles, what distinguishes true cinnamon from cassia cinnamon, and why it makes a difference where your bay leaf comes from—plus more than 75 delicious recipes for distinctively spiced dishes. To top it all off, Hill reveals the secret recipes for 85 of his signature herb and spice blends, including barbecue rubs, mulling spices, chili powders, chai mixes, and curry powders. Complete with 185 color photographs, The Spice Lover's Guide to Herbs & Spices is an indispensable culinary reference that is both a pleasure to cook with and enjoyable to read. "Hill . . . is way ahead of cookbook authors who cling to parsley in a cilantro world. . . . This is the book for anyone who has been lucky enough to find grains of paradise or Aleppo pepper and wonders where to go from there." —Regina Schrambling, Los Angeles Times "Even those who never cook may find themselves often dipping into this intriguing read." —CeCe Sullivan, The Seattle Times

Features

• ISBN13: 9780764597398
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Reviews

Just what I needed

by Valerie Usowski from on 2009-05-28
Updated world of spices at my finger tips. Have used this book constantly since I purchased it. Excellent pics.

Great detail

by Coco from on 2008-03-13
I bought this on a visit to the US and so glad i did. I was visiting the Amazon US website to see if Tony Hill has written any other food books. I've got herb and spice books that are prettier but none that can touch this for useful information.

His expertise lends to a survey of the spices based on his world travels and in-depth knowledge of culinary history and lore

by Midwest Book Review from Oregon, WI USA on 2006-04-03
Tony Hill's Spice Lover's Guide To Herbs & Spices is an IACP Cookbook Award finalist and goes way beyond similar-named herb and spice guides. Tony Hill owns Seattle's World Merchants Spice, Herb & Teahouse: here his expertise lends to a survey of the spices based on his world travels and in-depth knowledge of culinary history and lore. Definitions of spice characteristics, color photos of spices and herbs, and recipes provide plenty of explanation on spice or herb characteristics and why they work in particular dishes. It's these extensive explanations which set Spice Lover's Guide To Herbs & Spices apart from all others.

a wealth of info!

by Denise G. Paul from fort worth, TX USA on 2006-03-07
As a chef I am always looking for info on the things we eat! I have been thrilled with all the facts, uses and descriptions packed into this book. Well organized from A to Z, with a listing of herbs and spices you will recognize as well as things new and different even to a well "seasoned" chef. I love the fact that along with the name, alternate names, origin, part of the plant used, and uses, Tony Hill gives a little story for each item. Sometimes he tells you how he came to discover the spice or maybe a story about the first time he tasted it. Overall a great read packed with a lot of facts!

Description

Chef Paul Prudhommes Magic Seasoning Blends has been in business since 1982 when customers from Chef Pauls New Orleans-based K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen restaurant began asking to take home the chefs unique seasonings. What was once a garage-housed operation has grown to a 50,000 square-foot plant. Currently, Magic Seasoning Blends offers all-natural, MSG free products in sixteen different blends; Magic Pepper Sauce; seven ground, dried Magic Chiles; four Magic Sauce & Marinades; and several cookbook gift-packs. To use Magic Seasoning Blends in Chef Pauls recipes simply add up the amount of dry herbs and spices called for in the recipes "Seasoning Mix". Substitute the appropriate blend (for example, if you were doing a chicken dish, youd substitute Poultry Magic) in the proportioned amounts for each cookbook listed below:Substitute approximately ¾ the amount for Chef Paul Prudhommes "Seasoned America" CookbookSubstitute approximately ½ the amount for Chef Paul Prudhommes "Fork In The Road" CookbookSubstitute approximately the same amount for Chef Paul Prudhommes "Fiery Foods That I Love", "Louisiana Kitchen", "Kitchen Expedition", and "Louisiana Tastes" cookbooksIf a recipe calls for a sweet spice or an unusual ingredient subtract the amount of sweet or unusual spice prior to adding up the dry herb seasoning mix, then add back the subtracted ingredient(s) to the Magic Seasoning Blends amount required for the conversion.

Features

• Pack of seven, 2-ounce bottles(total of 13.8-ounces)
• Blackened steak magic is in a 1.8-ounce bottle
• Kosher approved
• Substitute for normal use of salt, pepper and other herbs and spices

Reviews

Excellent quality of spices in a handy collection

by Michael Bellomo from Los Angeles, CA on 2008-12-17
I'm an avid cook and spice mix experimenter, plus I've been a fan of Chef Prudhomme's delicious recipes for some time.This is a world-class selection of spice mixes, and definitely a worthwhile gift for the chef in your family. (Or yourself, if you like to try new flavorings on your food other than onion powder and ketchup.)Although Prudhomme is a well-known Cajun chef, don't think that his spice mixes are designed to burn your tongue out. The hottest of the mixes in this collection is the Blackened Redfish Magic. It's a chile-powder kind of burn straight-on, but it also carbonizes into a delicious crust when you're cooking most any kind of fish in the Prudhomme manner. (Note to those who might try this at home: open the windows or switch off the smoke detectors, this is a smoky dish!)Other standouts are the Chicken Magic, which is a strong, herbal-scented spice, and the gentler, more complex Seafood Magic, which has notes of pepper and paprika among others in it. And you won't go wrong with the remainder of the items, which rely primarily on the ground herbs and not table salt or MSG.

I love these seasonings

by Donna in Texas from on 2008-11-22
I ordered this set because I love Chef Paul's Pizza and Pasta Herbal Magic. I have used all the Magic Seasoning blends and just love them all. What I like the best is the great flavor they add to food without being too salty and they don't contain MSG or preservatives. I used up all my seasonings and reordered them again and ordered a set for my newly wedded daughter-in-law. The Pork and Veal Magic is excellant on eggs! I highly recommend them.

Magic Blackened Seasong

by B. Arredondo from Dallas, Texas on 2005-03-28
I can't tell you that I've tried all of Chef Paul's Magic Seasonings, however, I have used the blackened seasoning and I can tell you firsthand that everyone who has tried my blackened fish say they love it and want to know what my secret is. The first time I tried it was after a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. I caught so much snapper that when I got back I started running out of ways to cook it. I was in my local grocery store one day looking at spices for something else when Chef Paul's blackened seasoning caught my eye. I figured I'd give it a shot and man am I glad I did. I've cooked a lot of fish in my days and nothing has ever come out tasting better than my blackened fish.

Description

Black wood with chrome accents, rack revolves, comes with 16 Spice jars filled with frequently used spices

Features

• This handy, well-stocked spice rack comes with 16 sealed jars filled with frequently used spices
• Jar caps are clearly marked for easy identification, and the rack revolves so finding the spice of choice is easy
• The rack is made from black wood with chrome accents
• It fits neatly on any countertop or stores easily in a cabinet
• The set makes a great gift idea for new homeowners or newlyweds

Reviews

Wonderful Customer Service!

by Amazonian from Baltimore, MD on 2010-06-17
I purchased this spice rack in December. I dropped and broke one of the glass jars and was worried it would spoil the set. Called Kamestein's customer service. They were ABSOLUTELY wonderful. Replaced the jar (that too free of charge!) and it got to me within a week.Very, very positive customer service experience. The rack is wonderful and fits right into the kitchen

not impressed

by Sheila V. Karls from WI on 2010-03-14
Not impressed, the rack it self it put together poorly and looks bad. Luckily I have it back in a corner and you can not see all the flaws I would not recommend this spice rack

Like it a lot !

by Angela L. Knaak from on 2010-02-23
Link the spice rack a lot. Get a lot and is stylish for the price. Amazon customer service wonderful ! Recieved first rack with scratch across the top of the stainless. They took care of the problem asap.

Piece of Crap

by msclone from on 2010-01-25
This is a a piece of crap. Made in China. Does not turn at all. Be wiser than me and buy something else.

Excellent spice rack

by Sukanya Balachandran from Atlanta GA on 2009-12-14
I have all stainless steel appliances in my house. So, this spice is so beautiful on the counter top. The spices are so weird, I threw almost all the spices and replaced my own spice and created new labels for them. but the spice rack is very nice and sturdy. If you are open to adding new spices and labelling, then you will love this spice rack. I got it from Walmart, so didn't have any defects, checked the bottles and purchased.

Description

Welcome to MARSHALLS CREEK SPICES, a division of Pure And Natural Spices, where we pack and sell a large selection of spices, herbs and blends, in attractive, clear, almost quart size, wide mouth jars, with tamper proof seals. Marshalls Creek Spices stock over 150 different varieties. All packed weekly, unlike what you buy in the store. The stores carry spices that are packed somewhere, then shipped and stored somewhere else, and then months later, end up on your stores shelf. Where it may sit for another few weeks. For freshness, quality and economy, Marshalls Creek Spices can't be beat. DUE TO THE RISE IN GARLIC PRICES, THIS ITEM IS PACKED IN OUR SMALLER JAR. STILL A FULL SIX INCHES TALL.

Features

• Quality Spices
• In Large Jars
• Packed Fresh Weekly

Reviews

Misleading Pics. Dissappointed

by Jeanette G. Weiss from on 2010-01-30
I have bought from this company before. There is a major change in the SIZE of their containers. The description states "packed in large" containers. FOR INSTANCE...Garlic powder (granulated). The last container was also "large" and rightfully so as it was 18 OZ. Today, I ordered the same product...and the picture caused it to LOOK like a large container but it ONLY had 10 oz of the item. You would NOT know the difference just by looking at the PICS. This is all true for many of the product I purchased...Not a good thing to mislead consumers like this.

great product

by J. Graetz from Utah on 2009-11-30
wonderful for storage, and fresh on the table. I was perfectly happy with this item.

Satisfied consumer

by S. Bell from Middleburg, Fl., USA on 2009-07-20
Everything about this item is great, packaging is secure and strong, the seasoning, is fresh and very good in recipes and for any cooking or seasoning purpose. Garlic Granulate is a new product to me, but it turned out to be just what I needed. Here at our house, we love spices and seasonings from Marshalls Creek.

Description

A brilliant, original history of the spice trade—and the appetites that fueled it. It was in search of the fabled Spice Islands and their cloves that Magellan charted the first circumnavigation of the globe. Vasco da Gama sailed the dangerous waters around Africa to India on a quest for Christians—and spices. Columbus sought gold and pepper but found the New World. By the time these fifteenth- and sixteenth-century explorers set sail, the aromas of these savory, seductive seeds and powders had tempted the palates and imaginations of Europe for centuries. Spice: The History of a Temptation is a history of the spice trade told not in the conventional narrative of politics and economics, nor of conquest and colonization, but through the intimate human impulses that inspired and drove it. Here is an exploration of the centuries-old desire for spice in food, in medicine, in magic, in religion, and in sex—and of the allure of forbidden fruit lingering in the scents of cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and clove. We follow spices back through time, through history, myth, archaeology, and literature. We see spices in all their diversity, lauded as love potions and aphrodisiacs, as panaceas and defenses against the plague. We journey from religious rituals in which spices were employed to dispel demons and summon gods to prodigies of gluttony both fantastical and real. We see spices as a luxury for a medieval king’s ostentation, as a mummy’s deodorant, as the last word in haute cuisine. Through examining the temptations of spice we follow in the trails of the spice seekers leading from the deserts of ancient Syria to thrill-seekers on the Internet. We discover how spice became one of the first and most enduring links between Asia and Europe. We see in the pepper we use so casually the relic of a tradition linking us to the appetites of Rome, Elizabethan England, and the pharaohs. And we capture the pleasure of spice not only at the table but in every part of life. Spice is a delight to be savored.From the Hardcover edition.

There was a time, for a handful of peppercorns, you could have someone killed. Throw in a nutmeg or two, you could probably watch. There was a time when grown men sat around and thought of nothing but black pepper. How to get it. How to get more. How to control the entire trade in pepper from point of origin to purchase. In Spice: The History of a Temptation, classics scholar Jack Turner opens up the whole story of pepper and its kind like a ripe melon. He brings the exotic scents of the East deep into the history of Western culture. Everyone knows a little bit of the story, how the desire to control the spice trade drove Western nations deep into the heart of the Age of Discovery, the Portuguese sponsoring Da Gama's push to India; the Spanish underwriting the many attempts of Columbus to get to India another way. The Western madness for spice was just about peaking in this time, and spice would all too soon become--gasp--common, much like the afterthought condiment it is for so many today. Who thinks twice about pepper any longer? And yet, the history is long and glorious, and the window spice throws open on Western culture yields a glorious view. Jack Turner is a skilled tour guide and story teller. He starts his narrative with the 16th century quest for spice, then loops back into three mains sections of text: Palate, Body, and Spirit. Turner has mined classic and Medieval literature for any and every possible mention of spice and demonstrates how fixated the West became from the time of Augustus in Rome through to relatively modern times. He winds his narrative through the way spice was used in the foods of the wealthy (and puts to sleep the nostrum about rotting food), as a medicine, a sex aid, and as an aromatic channel to the gods of the time and place. He ably demonstrates the constant underlying tension surrounding spice--that it was both attractive and repellent, that it represented fabulous wealth and power for some and, for others, an abhorrence of the exotic East that exists to this day. This is not an easy story to tell. But Turner makes it appear effortless. Pull a chair close to the fire, pour a draught of spiced wine, crack open Jack Turner's Spice and you'll read your way into the wee hours of the night. --Schuyler Ingle

Reviews

I keep remembering little tidbits daily...

by Amber M. Anderson from Tucson, AZ USA on 2010-04-07
This is not the fastest easiest read, but it is fascinating and informative. It has some very interesting recipes too...I titled this review the way I did because I constantly come up with little facts remembered from this book constantly in the grocery store, watching TV, talking with friends, seeing anything to do with food or history.It's not all inclusive, but it is a big topic and what is there is definitely enlightening. Another reviewer mentioned that the book contained errors...I don't know if this is true, but the highlights of what I picked up appear to be true.It's also a fascinating look at how foods spread throughout the world. For instance I did not know that the potato, tomato, and pepper were all New World foods...that right, no Irish potatoes, Italian tomatoes, or Asian peppers before the 13th century! And did you know that for most of human history nutmeg and cloves came from 2 little islands to be traded across all of Asia, Africa and Europe?The book also does a good job of treating non-culinary roles including in religion, medicine, and social displays. It has led me to try burning cinnamon and I am strongly considering asking that cinnamon be burned at my funeral both for the historical significance, the tribute to immortality (the phoenix's nest), and for the lovely scent.The social aspect of spices and the psychological importance and significance is explored in detail. They are important because for so long they were of the unknown and exotic and this book treats that very well.And hey, it is because of this book that I just had to go find some galengal (turns out that I could not find a single store in Tucson that had it -- though I still need to try the Asian markets -- but that's what the internet is for, right?)I'd definitely recommend for the amateur food historian.

All about conspicuous consumption......

by Margot Vigeant from central PA, USA on 2010-02-21
I highly recommend this book for any foodies who are into the Big Picture. Why *should* spices have been such a big deal that people were willing to spend huge sums of money and/or years of their lives to attain them? This book attempts to answer this question along social, spiritual, and culinary dimensions. Some of what you learn may be surprising - Cloves came, originally, from one place on Earth and had somehow managed to be imported from a tiny Pacific island to Mesopotamia over 3,000 years ago! Some of the arguments seem kind of hand-wavy however - while the argument is made repeatedly that spices were the scent of heaven, the "why" never really comes across clearly. Nevertheless, the book is an excellent read and *spicy* food for thought.

75 pages of interesting material in a 334 page book

by cocktail sage from Oakland, CA USA on 2009-01-28
This would have made a truly incredible long article in the New Yorker. Fascinating material, well researched, poorly edited.Far too long for even a determined reader like myself, I found myself skimming pages, then chapters, then putting the book into the pile for the used book store. The cover and end pages are covered with glowing reviews, but frankly I doubt most of the commercial reviewers (NY Times, SF Chronicle) read more than half the book.

Interesting historical overview

by Teresa Jensen from Federal Way, WA United States on 2008-12-30
Erudite discussion of the history of the spice trade in Europe mainly from Classical to Reineisance periods, and the many ways in which they were used, icluding culinary, religious, and medicinal. I found the chapters on spirituality to be a bit slow compared to the others but on the whole I enjoyed this very much. If you are interested in the history of food, exploration, or classical and medieval europe you will probably enjoy this book.

Fascinating

by Alice in Dallas from Dallas, TX USA on 2008-12-24
A thorough account of the history of the spice trade, by which the age of exploration was fueled and through which many of today's established countries came to power.Though Christio-centric at times to the exclusion of alternative rival explanations (yes, it actually does come up often enough for me to bemoan it), Spice is a great read for anyone looking to discover the lost magic in their kitchen spice rack.