Did you know that Aniseed is one of the world’s oldest cultivated spices, appreciated since ancient times for its sweet, licorice flavour and digestive properties?

This is just one of the many interesting facts that can be found in Spice Market, a comprehensive guide to the history and culinary uses of 45 spices from around the globe. With an extensive collection of recipes that best convey their characteristic flavours and aromas, this book is sure to ‘spice up’ your cookbook collection.

A perfect kitchen companion to Grower’s Market, Spice Market also features a selection of popular spice mixes from curry powders to zaataar as well as a range of spice pastes. Spices are presented according to the plant parts from which they are derived: seeds and pods, berries and flowers, roots and bark.

Fennel seed is the dried fruit of the sweet (or common) fennel plant, which is native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It’s used in a variety of dishes such as grilled pork with fig and quince salad or a refreshing chestnut, honey and fennel gelato. Deriving its name from the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, cayenne pepper is made from a variety of hot chillies and not, as its name might suggest, from the cayenne pepper. Stir some of this fiery powder into a spicy seafood gumbo or a sweet tomato chutney. Aniseed can be used in a dish of sweet aniseed pork or aniseed wafers, delicious as an after dinner treat served with coffee or tea. The three varieties of mustard seeds used in cooking — yellow, black and brown — all come from different species of mustard plants, which belong to the cabbage and broccoli family. For something a little exotic try the rack of lamb with mustard crust and roasted vegetables, or the carrot and almond salad is a perfect light and tangy salad.

Spice Market offers 275 recipe ideas, as well as information on how to select and store spices, basic cooking techniques and companion foods. It features an informative and evocative writing style that is user-friendly and it is packed with practical details and historical anecdotes about spices.

Jane Lawson began cooking at an early age. After many years working as a chef in Sydney, she moved into publishing, combining her love of cookbooks and cooking. Jane is currently the Commissioning Editor - Food at Murdoch Books and is the author of Grub, Cocina Nueva, Yoshoku, A Little Taste of Japan and is the co-author of BBQ Food for Friends, which won a Gourmand Cookbook award in 2003.

Paperback. Full colour throughout. 190mm x 230mm. 448 pages.