30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEPriya Mani is a designer by training and became known for a visual encyclopaedia of Indian food, in which ingredients are photographed like sculptures in dramatic side lighting. She now lives in Copenhagen, writes about food history and sits on the board of the Oxford Food Symposium, the annual conference where food historians have gathered since 1981.
The book covers 50 spices, one by one, exploring their origins, history and what each spice does in food. Each is accompanied by recipes in which it plays a leading role, more than 300 in total, from risotto alla milanese with saffron and West African jollof rice to Thai massaman curry and turmeric milk. There are also 20 spice blends, including garam masala, Chinese five spice and North African ras el hanout.
The foreword on the chemistry of spices is written by Harold McGee, author of the standard work on what happens inside a saucepan, On Food and Cooking. Food historians Andrew Dalby and Ken Albala contribute essays.
It is both a cookbook to cook from and a reference work for anyone wondering why the same spice can taste so different across different cuisines.
Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 500
Number of recipes: Over 300
Foreword: Harold McGee
Publisher: Phaidon
ISBN: 9781837292653
Language: English
First published: 28 October 2026
