The Herbalist in the Kitchen

****The foodie's ultimate herbal encyclopedia**** Created as the ideal reference for anyone with a serious interest in cooking with herbs, spices, or related plant materials, *The Herbalist in the Kitchen* is truly encyclopedic in scope. It provides detailed information about the uses, botany, toxicity, and flavor chemistry of herbs, as well as a listing for nearly every name that an ingredient is known by around the world. Richly illustrated with fifty-six images from the Missouri Botanical Garden rare book collection, *The Herbalist in the Kitchen* promises to enlighten cooks of all levels, from beginning culinary artists to seasoned professional chefs . Even including herbs and spices not yet seen in the United States (but likely to be featured in recipes for adventurous cooks soon), *The Herbalist in the Kitchen* is organized into one hundred five sections, each consisting of a single botanical family. The book provides all available information about the chemical compounds responsible for a plant's characteristic taste and scent, which allows cooks to consider new subtleties and potential alternatives. For instance, the primary flavoring ingredient of cloves is eugenol; when a cook knows that bay leaves also contain eugenol, a range of exciting substitutions becomes clear. The foodie's ultimate herbal reference book, *The Herbalist in the Kitchen* also provides guidance about measuring herbs, enabling readers to understand the dated measuring standards from old-fashioned cookbooks.