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Hints and Pinches: A Concise Compendium of Herbs, Spices, and Aromatics With Illustrative Recipes and Asides on Relishes, Chutneys, and Other Such C
A compendium of history, legends, and anecdotes on more than one hundred herbs and spices also includes tips for cooks and a sampling of recipes
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 28, 2021
History, recipes, planting tips, gossip, and witty dinner conversation. I've never encountered such a wonderful combination.
January 22, 2019
Distinctly a product of its era in spite of the surprising breadth of information. Walter gets some things wrong when he strays outside Western European culinary traditions, but that's not really an issue because I picked it up for the historic interest. Structured like an ingredient compendium narrated by a vodka aunt (or, probably more apt, a mint julep aunt), the collection's greatest asset is its range of culinary folklore, sprinkled in like soused little apropos.
There are recipes too, most of which Walter deems grand, very fine, something else again, or, rarely, Something Else. "Deviled eggs become Something Else [by adding horseradish]. Very ripe tomatoes dressed with sour cream and horseradish are very fine." (p.104) I disagree on that last point, because sour cream on ripe tomatoes is a rank abomination, but Walter clearly has a different palate than I do, and I won't argue with it. Parenthetically I feel like I'm missing exact context for his terminology, but I like how it's more or less the praise equivalent of medieval cookery's "a goodly amount" or "make you the fire hot enough." Like, you know what that means without needing measurements.
Also, there's a whole subplot involving Walter's disdain for iceberg lettuce. Let's talk about cloves, he says, and then, bam, iceberg is a blight upon your plate and palate. Or, here's a hundred things to do with garlic, and they all involve exorcising iceberg from the earth.
Overall a fun resource on culinary folklore, with a distinct Western European bent.
There are recipes too, most of which Walter deems grand, very fine, something else again, or, rarely, Something Else. "Deviled eggs become Something Else [by adding horseradish]. Very ripe tomatoes dressed with sour cream and horseradish are very fine." (p.104) I disagree on that last point, because sour cream on ripe tomatoes is a rank abomination, but Walter clearly has a different palate than I do, and I won't argue with it. Parenthetically I feel like I'm missing exact context for his terminology, but I like how it's more or less the praise equivalent of medieval cookery's "a goodly amount" or "make you the fire hot enough." Like, you know what that means without needing measurements.
Also, there's a whole subplot involving Walter's disdain for iceberg lettuce. Let's talk about cloves, he says, and then, bam, iceberg is a blight upon your plate and palate. Or, here's a hundred things to do with garlic, and they all involve exorcising iceberg from the earth.
Overall a fun resource on culinary folklore, with a distinct Western European bent.
December 4, 2019
Check your cupboards for Devil's Dung, Boneset and Rowan berries each described in this A-to-Z compendium of herbs, spices & aromatics plus recipes, wit, folklore and sweet illustrations. One could do worse than try every recipe - I'm thinking Mirlitons or chokos stuffed with shrimp followed by Antilles Custard. Note vinegars & chutneys,too. I was trying to thin the cookbook collection, but this one stays.
December 18, 2024
Eugene Walter is such a joyous soul.
February 17, 2008
this is literally a compendium. it's meant to be a reference or as light reading when one is motivated to read about cooking and herbs.
in this way i like it, but don't expect it to entertain you in the way of food narrative.
in this way i like it, but don't expect it to entertain you in the way of food narrative.
May 6, 2009
really, truly, one of my favorite books. endlessly amusing & informative. would totally invite eugene walter to dinner in that theoretical 'which people, living or dead, would you invite to dinner?' game.
October 22, 2010
A book filled with tips, tricks, and common sense cooking advice as it pertains to herbs, spices, and other seasonings. Illustrations by the author are sometimes funny and usually interesting. This book is recommended for cooking novices to cooking monsters! Love it!
December 7, 2008
Absolutely my favorite reference book for herbs, funny, opinionated and more accurate than most. Eugene Walter was an American treasure.
November 12, 2009
this one stays by the bedside more than in the kitchen - it is wonderfully thorough in an educational and entertaining way.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews