For centuries herbs and spices have been an integral part of many of the world’s great cuisines. But spices have a history of doing much more than adding life to bland foods. They have been the inspiration for, among other things, trade, exploration, and poetry. Priests employed them in worship, incantations, and rituals, and shamans used them as charms to ward off evil spirits. Nations fought over access to and monopoly of certain spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, when they were rare commodities. Not only were many men’s fortunes made in the pursuit of spices, spices at many periods throughout history literally served as currency. In Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World, Ben-Erik van Wyk offers the first fully illustrated, scientific guide to nearly all commercial herbs and spices in existence. Van Wyk covers more than 150 species—from black pepper and blackcurrant to white mustard and white ginger—detailing the propagation, cultivation, and culinary uses of each. Introductory chapters capture the essence of culinary traditions, traditional herb and spice mixtures, preservation, presentation, and the chemistry of flavors, and individual entries include the chemical compounds and structures responsible for each spice or herb’s characteristic flavor. Many of the herbs and spices van Wyk covers are familiar fixtures in our own spice racks, but a few—especially those from Africa and China—will be introduced for the first time to American audiences. Van Wyk also offers a global view of the most famous use or signature dish for each herb or spice, satisfying the gourmand’s curiosity for more information about new dishes from little-known culinary traditions. People all over the world are becoming more sophisticated and demanding about what they eat and how it is prepared. Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World will appeal to those inquisitive foodies in addition to gardeners and botanists.

Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Van Wyk, Ben-Erik

Cooking by Ingredient

University of Chicago Press

Written by respected professors of botany and pharmaceutical biology, this is the definitive account of plants and mushrooms used for poison darts, traditional medicine, ceremonial and spiritual purposes, and recreational drugs. Hazardous plants are commonly used as garden ornamentals, potted plants, or florist flowers, yet many people are unaware of the dangers posed by the toxins derived from them. In addition to exploring plants that are ingested, the authors also treat plants that cause irritation and inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes. A special focus is given to psychoactive plants, which can have stimulant, sedative, hypnotic, narcotic, or hallucinogenic properties. These include coca, opium, cannabis, and scopolamine. Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World is a must for gardeners, farmers, veterinarians, botanists, pharmacists, chemists, doctors, and poison control centers.

Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Wink, Michael

Gardening & Landscape Design

Timber Press

Succulents and rock garden plants have become popular for their ease of cultivation, diversity of form, and striking colors. Their natural drought tolerance makes them especially useful for gardens in arid climates and water-conserving gardens. The Garden Succulents Primer is a user-friendly identification guide. It includes detailed descriptions of more than 400 well-known succulents and their close relatives that will allow readers to quickly determine the family to which a succulent belongs. Descriptions are supported with 450 color photographs that showcase each plant's distinctive shape and color. Also includes chapters on use, conservation, cultivation, and propagation.

The Garden Succulents Primer

Smith, Gideon

In this book are fifty-two compelling tales that will lead the reader on a journey of discovery of the African continent. It tracks the ancient grail of traditional African medicine or muthi. The journey takes one year, with one story for each of the fifty-two weeks. Many of the stories inherited through Africa’s compelling oral tradition are between these covers: committed to paper for the first time ever. The ancient African people were the first aromatherapists who well understood the effect of plants on the human body, mind and soul. Innately spiritual, the thousands of lineages of African people across thousands of years have all used plant medicines for healing, always with the blessing of their ancestors. Knowledge of African plant mythology and its associated healing practices is most certainly a grail because on this great continent we call Africa; knowledge has always been an oral tradition. Because it was never written down, thousands of years of healing wisdom and intelligence have been lost in the transference from one generation to the next. This book endeavors to bring to light the deep history of fifty-two of the thousands of indigenous medicinal plants of Africa before it is too late. The focus is towards Southern Africa because this region is a hotspot of cultural and botanical diversity. Unlike the healing knowledge of other ancient cultures, such as India or China, little of Africa’s healing history is recorded. As you read the stories about fifty-two of the continent’s prominent indigenous plant cures, the authors hope you, too, will experience some of the magnetism, mystery and wisdom of Africa. They hope it will help you understand a bit more about yourself and about our species: the human being.

Muthi & Mysths from the African Bush

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Dugmore, Heather

Alternative Medicine

Briza Pubns

Food Plants of the World: Identification, Culinary Uses and Nutritional Value

CSIRO Publishing

The cut flower industry is a multibillion dollar business worldwide, yet until now there has been no well-illustrated guide to the most important plants grown for and used by florists. This carefully researched volume is filled with valuable professional information on more than 350 key flowers grown for the florist trade. Balancing subjects of interest to both growers and florists, the book includes topics such as vase life, post-harvest handling, and flower characteristics. Comprehensive and practical, this is the essential reference to the commercial flowers that are sold in florist shops every day. No florist, grower, or flower broker can afford to be without this significant work.

Cut Flowers of the World: A Complete Reference for Growers and Florists

Maree, Johannes

Crafts & Hobbies

Medicinal plants and plant-derived medicine are widely used in traditional cultures all over the world, and they are becoming increasingly popular in modern society as natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals. As more and more natural remedies are being commercialized, there is a need for a user-friendly reference guide to the plants and their products. This reference gives the reader a bird's eye view of more than 350 of the best known medicinal plants of the world and their uses, in a compact, colorful, and scientifically accurate text. It provides quick answers to the most obvious questions: Where does this plant originate? What does it look like? In which culture is it traditionally used? What is it used for? Which chemical compounds does it contain? How safe is it? What is known about its pharmacological activity? What evidence is there that it is effective? The authors also provide short overviews of the various health conditions for which medicinal plants are used and the active compounds (secondary metabolites) found in the plants and their modes of actions. This new edition has an additional 30 plant species and many new and improved photographs. The text has been fully updated to reflect the latest regulatory status of each plant.

Medicinal Plants of the World

CABI

Plants and plant-derived products make up the bulk of what we eat and drink every day, and people often wonder where their favorite food or drink comes from. This scientifically accurate photographic guide provides quick and informative answers.
Food Plants of the World is a comprehensive overview of the plants that provide us with food, beverages, spices and flavors. It is written in easy-to-understand language but gives accurate scientific information on the plants and their uses. This expanded and revised edition of the book includes:
<ul>
<li>Descriptions of more than 400 food and flavor plants and their close relatives, including origin, history, cultivation, harvesting, properties and culinary uses.</li>
<li>More than 1000 full-color photographs, showing the plants, flowers and plant parts that are used.</li>
<li>Introductory chapters on cereals, pulses (legumes), nuts and seeds, fruits, vegetables, culinary herbs, sugar plants, beverages, spices and flavorings.</li>
<li>Interesting facts about the historical and contemporary uses of the various plant-derived products.</li>
<li>A checklist of more than 800 of the most important and well-known food plants of the world.</li>
</ul>

Cooking Methods

This full-color photographic guide describes and illustrates over 350 different species of widely used cut flowers and foliage plants. Cut Flowers of the World is a user-friendly but scientifically accurate, quick reference guide to the most important commercial cut flowers, foliage greens and potted flowers that are sold in florist shops all over the world. This second edition has been expanded to include updated cultivar photos, and a new section on the practical aspects of cut flower production.\nFor each flower, the following information is given: description of the plant; geographical origin; historical overview; cultivation; properties such as colors, scent and vase life; quality criteria (how to select for quality); and the proper care and handling of the flowers. Also included are introductory chapters on basic aspects such as cultivation methods, harvesting and shipping techniques, cultivar development, and modern trends in marketing.

Cut Flowers of the World: Identification, Production and Post-harvest Handling

Science & Math

Biological Sciences

Culinary Herbs and Spices of the WorldIn Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World, Ben-Erik van Wyk offers the first fully illustrated, scientific guide to nearly all commercial herbs and spices in existence. The book covers more than 150 species, from black pepper and blackcurrant to white mustard and white ginger, detailing the propagation, cultivation, and culinary uses of each. Introductory chapters capture the essence of culinary traditions, traditional herb and spice mixtures, preservation, presentation, and the chemistry of flavours, and individual entries include the chemical compounds and structures responsible for each spice or herb's characteristic flavour. Finally, the book offers a global view of the most famous use or signature dish for each herb or spice, satisfying the gourmand's curiosity for more information about new dishes from little-known culinary traditions. People all over the world are becoming more sophisticated and demanding about what they eat and how it is prepared. Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World will appeal to those inquisitive foodies in addition to gardeners and botanists.

Kew Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Van Wyk, Ben-Erik. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Van Wyk, Ben-Erik

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Van Wyk, Ben-Erik. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World

Mind-Altering and Poisonous Plants of the World

The Garden Succulents Primer

Muthi & Mysths from the African Bush

Food Plants of the World: Identification, Culinary Uses and Nutritional Value

Cut Flowers of the World: A Complete Reference for Growers and Florists

Medicinal Plants of the World

Food Plants of the World: Identification, Culinary Uses and Nutritional Value

Cut Flowers of the World: Identification, Production and Post-harvest Handling

Culinary Herbs and Spices of the World