March 2005    

Spice: The History of a Temptation Author: Jack Turner Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf ISBN: 0375407219 $26.95 CLOTH (352 p.) B&T         YBP Reviewed by Marcia Amidon Lüsted, Statusing In our modern world, we are accustomed to spices as a part of our diet, easily available in every grocery store for a reasonable price, and incorporated into most of the convenience foods that we eat. Jack Turner's book, however, is a look back to the many different roles that spices have played in history, well beyond that of merely a food ingredient. In their uses by the ancient Egyptians (for embalming mummies) and the Romans, to their position as a status symbol in medieval Europe, spices were expensive and difficult to obtain, a true sign of prestige. They were used in cooking, of course, and interestingly, the author refutes the entrenched idea that people in the Middle Ages used spices to hide the taste of rotting meat due to poor preservation techniques. He argues instead that spices gave taste to a bland diet and heavily salted meat. Spices were also utilized as medicine, particularly as a means of avoiding the plague, as well as aphrodisiacs, perfumes, and a means for communicating with the spiritual world. Spices faded in importance in the sixteenth century, but they have always remained a part of our culinary culture. With the advent of prepackaged food and more health-conscious cooking, both of which can be deficient in flavor, spices have begun to regain their importance in the modern diet. The author even claims that the secret formula for one of the most popular soft drinks in the world contains none other than cinnamon and nutmeg. Spice goes beyond the cookbook aspects of spices, leading the reader into history, culture and literature to illustrate how these substances, with their origins as common plants or trees on the other side of the world, have permeated almost every aspect of life. It is a fascinating and surprisingly page-turning read. Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.