The flavor thesaurus : a compendium of pairings, recipes, and ideas for the creative cook

Unique, beautifully written and ceaselessly imaginative, __The Flavor Thesaurus__ is a completely new kind of food book-inspired, as author Niki Segnit explains, by her over-reliance on recipes. "Following the instructions in a recipe is like parroting pre-formed sentences from a phrasebook. Forming an understanding of how flavors work together, on the other hand, is like learning the language: it allows you to express yourself freely, to improvise, to cook a dish the way you want to cook it."__The Flavor Thesaurus__ is the inquisitive cook's guide to acquiring that understanding-to learning the language of flavor.Breaking the vast universe of ingredients down to 99 essential flavors, Segnit suggests classic and less well-known pairings for each, grouping almost 1,000 entries into flavor families like "Green & Grassy," "Berry & Bush" and "Creamy Fruity." But __The Flavor Thesaurus__ is much more than just a reference book, seasoning the mix of culinary science, culture and expert knowledge with the author's own insights and opinions, all presented in her witty, engaging and highly readable style. As appealing to the novice cook as to the experienced professional, __The Flavor Thesaurus__ will not only immeasurably improve your cooking-it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading.Cooking is an art, like writing or painting, and great cooks are artists. And although the ultimate source of creativity remains elusive, all painters have their color wheel, all writers their vocabulary. And now, in the form of this beautiful, entertaining and exhaustively researched book, cooks have their own collection of essential knowledge: __The Flavor Thesaurus__.

Unique, beautifully written and ceaselessly imaginative, The Flavor Thesaurus is a completely new kind of food book—inspired, as author Niki Segnit explains, by her over-reliance on recipes. "Following the instructions in a recipe is like parroting pre-formed sentences from a phrasebook. Forming an understanding of how flavors work together, on the other hand, is like learning the language: it allows you to express yourself freely, to improvise, to cook a dish the way you want to cook it."

The Flavor Thesaurus is the inquisitive cook's guide to acquiring that understanding—to learning the language of flavor.

Breaking the vast universe of ingredients down to 99 essential flavors, Segnit suggests classic and less well-known pairings for each, grouping almost 1,000 entries into flavor families like "Green & Grassy," "Berry & Bush" and "Creamy Fruity." But The Flavor Thesaurus is much more than just a reference book, seasoning the mix of culinary science, culture and expert knowledge with the author's own insights and opinions, all presented in her witty, engaging and highly readable style. As appealing to the novice cook as to the experienced professional, The Flavor Thesaurus will not only immeasurably improve your cooking—it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading.

Cooking is an art, like writing or painting, and great cooks are artists. And although the ultimate source of creativity remains elusive, all painters have their color wheel, all writers their vocabulary. And now, in the form of this beautiful, entertaining and exhaustively researched book, cooks have their own collection of essential knowledge: The Flavor Thesaurus.

Library Journal

Like Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's The Flavor Bible, this volume aims to encourage cooks to be creative in the kitchen. While Page and Dornenburg used a panel of experts, Segnit, who's worked with companies such as Coca-Cola and Cadbury to develop products and flavors, relied on personal experience. Her intuitive approach produces a cozy collection of description, anecdotes, and recipes within the flavor combination entries. In an introduction, she describes what inspired the book (a cooking rut); the methodology used to group flavors into families such as citrusy, meaty, and earthy; and the subjective nature of classifying flavors. The main text is made up of descriptions of combinations and the elements of each (e.g., nutty, sweet) as well as how the two flavors interact with each other (enhance, blunt, complement, etc.). Segnit's intimate style makes the book enjoyable as well as useful. VERDICT This handy little guide will be a wonderful addition for cooks trying to expand their repertoire.—Ginny Wolter, Toledo-Lucas Cty. P.L.

From the inside flap of the dust jacket: "Unique, beautifully written and ceaselessly imaginiative, *The Flavor Thesaurus* is a completely new kind of food book -- inspired, as author Niki Segnit explains, by her over-reliance on recipes. "Following the instructions in a recipe is like parroting pre-formed sentences from a phrasebook. Forming an understanding of how flavors work together, on the other hand, is like learning the language: it allows you to express yourself freely, to improvise, to cook a dish the way you want to cook it." *The Flavor Thesaurus* is the inqisitive cook's guide to acquiring that understanding -- to learning the language of flavor. Breaking the vast universe of ingredients to 99 essential flavors, Segnit suggests classic and less well-known pairing for each, grouping almost 1,000 entries into flavor families like "Green & Grassy," "Berry & Bush," and "Creamy Fruity." But *The Flavor Thesaurus* is much more than just a reference book, seasoning the mix of culinary science, culture and expert knowledge with the author's own insights and opinions, all presented in her witty, engaging and highly readable style. As appealing to the novice cook as to the experienced professional, *The Flavor Thesaurus* will not only immeasurably improve your cooking -- it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading. Cooking is an art, like writing or painting, and great cooks are artists. And although the ultimate source of creativity remains elusive, all painters have their color wheel, all writers their vocabulary. And now, in the form of this beautiful, entertainging and exhaustively researched book, cooks have their own collection of essential knowledge: *The Flavor Thesaurus.* “A perfect reference for the aspiring foodie.” – Chicago Tribune Winner of the André Simon Award * Observer Best Books of the Year * Guild of Food Writers Best First Book Award A complete guide to the 99 most essential ingredients and their numerous flavor combinations, offering inspiration for the cook who has everything. Whether a flavor is defined by a "grassy" ingredient like dill, cucumber, or peas, or a "floral fruity" food like figs, roses, or blueberries, flavors can be combined in wildly imaginative ways. In this lively and original book, Niki Segnit identifies the 99 fundamental ingredients of food and examines what goes with what-revealing for the first time just how infinite are the possibilities in an everyday kitchen. Segnit 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 to uncover the planet's essential pairings. Moving from Meaty to Cheesy, Earthy to Mustardy, and more, Segnit celebrates traditional pairings such as pork and apple and cucumber and dill; points us toward contemporary favorites like goat cheese and beet; and introduces us to unlikely but delicious matchings such as blueberry and mushroom. With nearly a thousand entries and 200 recipes, The Flavor Thesaurus is not only a highly useful and covetable reference book, but the sort of book that will keep you reading, laughing, and cooking for years to come. "A perfect reference for the aspiring foodie." #8211; Chicago Tribune Winner of the André Simon Award * Observer Best Books of the Year * Guild of Food Writers Best First Book Award A complete guide to the 99 most essential ingredients and their numerous flavor combinations, offering inspiration for the cook who has everything. Whether a flavor is defined by a "grassy" ingredient like dill, cucumber, or peas, or a "floral fruity" food like figs, roses, or blueberries, flavors can be combined in wildly imaginative ways. In this lively and original book, Niki Segnit identifies the 99 fundamental ingredients of food and examines what goes with what-revealing for the first time just how infinite are the possibilities in an everyday kitchen. Segnit 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 to uncover the planet's essential pairings. Moving from Meaty to Cheesy, Earthy to Mustardy, and more, Segnit celebrates traditional pairings such as pork and apple and cucumber and dill; points us toward contemporary favorites like goat cheese and beet; and introduces us to unlikely but delicious matchings such as blueberry and mushroom. With nearly a thousand entries and 200 recipes, The Flavor Thesaurus is not only a highly useful and covetable reference book, but the sort of book that will keep you reading, laughing, and cooking for years to come In this lively and exceptionally enjoyable book, career flavor scientist Niki Segnit uncovers the essential flavors of food, and organizes them into 160 basic ingredients. In this concise way, she articulates every flavor imaginable, whether it's a "grassy" food like dill, cucumber, or peas, or a "floral fruity" one like figs, roses, or blueberries. And then she considers every conceivable combination of these ingredients. Segnit 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 to uncover the planet's essential flavor pairings. The result is a reminder that there are almost infinite possibilities in an everyday kitchen, whether it means spinning celery and dill into a savory broth, orange and carrots into a crisp salad, or cabbage and sage into an elegant cream sauce. This book is also full of quirky observations, practical information (hundreds of recipes are embedded in the narrative) and more than a few good jokes. Beautifully packaged, The Flavor Thesaurus is not only a highly useful, and covetable, reference book that will immeasurably improve your cooking-it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading