OP: Herbs and Spices: A Guide to Culinary Seasoning

Alfred van der Marck Editions, New York, 1985. Paperback. Very Good.

Food writer Waverley Root, as editor of Herbs and Spices (1980), threads together the culinary expertise of cookbook authors Nika S. Hazleton and Paula Wolfert along with Roy Genders’ horticultural knowledge and his own colorful embellishments for a refreshingly dynamic approach to the subject.

Quoting Rudyard Kipling, Root answers the question “What is an herb?” with, “Anything that grew out of the mould/ Was an excellent herb to our fathers of old.” 

And what is a spice? “Nobody knows,” he says. What about condiments, what are they? “If we are on unsound ground in attempting to define spices, when we attempt to define condiments we are on quicksand.”

Fortunately, Root’s writing companions come to the rescue with more satisfying resolutions, discussing common applications for herbs and spices, along with their botanical definitions, and providing recipes which emphasize them. Overall, a delightful read. Equally entertaining, useful, and informative.

Ours is the 1985 paperback edition, unused but shelfworn. Printed on somewhat stiff stock, it may require some breaking in.