A unique treasury of flavour combinations, offering endless diversion and
inspiration for the creative cook.
In this lively and exceptionally enjoyable book, Niki Segnit takes 99 popular ingredients and explores
all the ways they might be combined in the kitchen. She has scoured thousands of recipes in
countless recipe books, talked to dozens of food technologists and chefs, and visited hundreds of
restaurants all in her quest for flavour pairings. The result is a unique book that is full of quirky
observations, practical information (hundreds of recipes are embedded in the narrative) and good
jokes. Here are a couple of randomly chosen entries:Thyme & Olive: These two eke out an existence
on the stony, parched soil of the Mediterranean. The feral, fragrant character of thyme contrasts
beautifullywith heavy, complex olive, sombre as a Greek church bell at noon.Coriander Leaf and
Peanut: Substitute coriander and peanut for basil and pine nuts and you have a delicious
Vietnamese-style take on pesto. Process a large bunch of coriander leaf with a tbsp ground nut oil, a
tsp fish sauce, maybe a few mint leaves if you have them, some chilli and a squeeze of lime. Add half
a handful of ground peanuts. Toss through warm noodles egg or rice and serve with more
peanuts scattered on top. Beautifully packaged, THE FLAVOUR THESAURUS is not only a highly
useful, and covetable, reference book that will immeasurably improve your cooking its the sort of
book that might keep you up at night reading.
