There are some of us who can't even stand to look at them--and others who can't live without them: chillies have been searing tongues and watering eyes for centuries in innumerable global cuisines. In this book, Heather Arndt Anderson explores the many ways nature has attempted to take the roofs of our mouths off--from the deceptively vegetal-looking jalapeno to the fire-red ghost pepper--and the many ways we have gleefully risen to the challenge.
Anderson tells the story of the spicy berry's rise to prominence, showing that it was cultivated and venerated by the ancient people of...

You might think moonshine only comes from ramshackle stills hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains, but the fact of the matter is we've been improvising spirits all around the world for centuries. No matter where you go, there is a local bootleg liquor, whether it's bathtub gin, peatreek, or hjemmebrent. In this book, Kevin R. Kosar tells the colorful and, at times, blinding history of moonshine, a history that's always been about the people: from crusading lawmen and clever tinkerers to sly smugglers and ruthless gangsters, from pontificating poets and mountain men to beleaguered...

Filled with fascinating facts and recipes for everything from French cabbage soup to sauerkraut chocolate cake, this lively book traces cabbage's culinary paradox, exploring the cultural and chemical basis for its smelly reputation and enduring popularity.

In Coffee: A Global History, Jonathan Morris explains how the world acquired a taste for coffee, yet why coffee tastes so different throughout the world. Written in an engaging style, and featuring wonderful recipes, stories and facts, the book explores who drank coffee, as well as why and where, how it was prepared and what it tasted like.

A delightful global history of mustard, one of the world's most loved condiments.

Through lively anecdotes, colourful pictures and delicious recipes, Jeff Miller explores the meteoric rise of the avocado.

A vivid journey through the gastronomical, botanical, cultural and political history of beans.

The dramatic history of the world's most expensive spice.