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Spice Notes: A Cook's Compendium of Herbs and Spices
A 497 page book for the gourmet chef or food lover. Devotes itself to the uses and history of herbs and spices
- GenresNonfictionFoodCooking
497 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Ian Hemphill
8 books3 followersIan "Herbie" Hemphill is an Australian culinary herb and spice expert who grew up in the pioneering herb and spice business established by his parents, John and Rosemary Hemphill. He has spent decades in the industry, working in sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, product development, and education. In 1997, he and his daughter Liz opened Herbie's Spices in Sydney, where he became known for his expertise in spice blends and culinary herbs. Hemphill is also an author and media presenter whose books include Spice Notes and Recipes, Spice Travels, Herbaceous, Spicery, and Just Add Spice. His work has earned several food industry awards, including the Sydney Morning Herald Food Hall of Fame induction. The third edition of The Spice & Herb Bible, published in 2014, reflected his lifelong experience and featured recipes by his daughter Kate.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 12, 2015
My spice bible, just brilliant and a must for all cooks.
September 1, 2025
‘Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme’ -old song
Panch phora
Take some spicy seeds – nigella, fenugreek, fennel, cumin and brown mustard, roast in a hot pan with a little oil then add in par cooked cubed potatoes, toss and fry until ready. Serve with almost anything. They are delicious.
Tea and coffee masala
For tea add some cinnamon quill, cloves and cardamom pods to milk, I use oat milk, with your Indian tea (or any black tea) and sugar if you need it, in a small saucepan, bring almost to the boil. Strain and drink. Sublime. For coffee, add the spice mix to the plunger with the grounds. It will take you to Kochi.
These are two of the spice combinations I have tried from Ian Hemphill’s masterwork Spice Notes – A cook's compendium of herbs and spices. There are many more, for example; ‘quatre epice’ and the better-known bouquet garni. In a tome primarily dedicated to individual herbs and spices, the art of combining them is an unexpected bonus, with examples from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia.
This is a comprehensive guide to herbs and spices: what they are, their discovery, history and origin, where and how they are grown, harvested and processed, distributed to all parts and how each is used. I was taken by the long history of spices and how important the trade has been over the millennia.
All the well-known herbs and spices are here: allspice, cumin, coriander, basil, chilli, pepper, oregano, marjoram, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (sorry). Plus, heaps of lesser known, unusual herbs and spices: candle nut, lovage, orris root, sweet cicely, wattleseed and so on. Throughout the book there are recipes for us to make and other ways to make use of these marvellous flavour enhancers.
The well-ordered text benefits from the author’s lifetime of experience in the spice trade, firstly growing up helping in the family business, later as a purveyor of these goods himself and as a practical and enthusiastic consumer.
At first I was disappointed at the absence of illustrations. Published a while back in 2000, this may have been a matter of cost, but this useful and interesting book could be even better with images of the herbs and spices so lovingly described. However, the words are enough.
As others have said, an essential for the kitchen.
Panch phora
Take some spicy seeds – nigella, fenugreek, fennel, cumin and brown mustard, roast in a hot pan with a little oil then add in par cooked cubed potatoes, toss and fry until ready. Serve with almost anything. They are delicious.
Tea and coffee masala
For tea add some cinnamon quill, cloves and cardamom pods to milk, I use oat milk, with your Indian tea (or any black tea) and sugar if you need it, in a small saucepan, bring almost to the boil. Strain and drink. Sublime. For coffee, add the spice mix to the plunger with the grounds. It will take you to Kochi.
These are two of the spice combinations I have tried from Ian Hemphill’s masterwork Spice Notes – A cook's compendium of herbs and spices. There are many more, for example; ‘quatre epice’ and the better-known bouquet garni. In a tome primarily dedicated to individual herbs and spices, the art of combining them is an unexpected bonus, with examples from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia.
This is a comprehensive guide to herbs and spices: what they are, their discovery, history and origin, where and how they are grown, harvested and processed, distributed to all parts and how each is used. I was taken by the long history of spices and how important the trade has been over the millennia.
All the well-known herbs and spices are here: allspice, cumin, coriander, basil, chilli, pepper, oregano, marjoram, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (sorry). Plus, heaps of lesser known, unusual herbs and spices: candle nut, lovage, orris root, sweet cicely, wattleseed and so on. Throughout the book there are recipes for us to make and other ways to make use of these marvellous flavour enhancers.
The well-ordered text benefits from the author’s lifetime of experience in the spice trade, firstly growing up helping in the family business, later as a purveyor of these goods himself and as a practical and enthusiastic consumer.
At first I was disappointed at the absence of illustrations. Published a while back in 2000, this may have been a matter of cost, but this useful and interesting book could be even better with images of the herbs and spices so lovingly described. However, the words are enough.
As others have said, an essential for the kitchen.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews