The Herbalist In The Kitchen

By Gary Allen

A review/interview by Marty Martindale

Did somebody whisper to Gary Allen, “We love it when you talk herbal!”

Apparently so.

Alternatively heralded, “The Foodie’s Ultimate Herbal Encyclopedia” his new, nearly 500-page, work joins other notables in the University of Illinois Press’ Food Series collection.

Does he make botanicals and scientific names interesting? Quite possibly. Here’s just a few of the herbal solutions he offers:  

“Agave,” deals with what's those worms doing in bottles of Mescal? Page 11
Source of mustard's heat, p.132
Dealing with flatulence, pp. 156-157
Aphrodisiac properties (real or imagined) of Cloves, p. 295
Dealing with parsleyworms, pp. 55-56
Dealing with the undesired smells (plural) of garlic, p. 19 & 20 (these are different aspects of the bad garlic smell)
Longevity of rosemary, p. 224

When Allen first became interested in herbs, he was discouraged to find that most herb books were either "coffee table" books covering only twenty or so herbs. Though beautifully photographed, their focus was more medicinal, with very little culinary reference. The more he read, the more it became obvious to him, if he wanted a book on herbs with a culinary slant, he would have to write it myself.

The book now complete, I asked Gary who he thought would come to depend upon the book, and he cited several needs he knows his book will serve:

• Takes a look at herbs of the future to be used by adventurous cooks

• It more clearly defines for cooks the difference between herbs and spices.

• Food historians when they need to identify ingredients from old manuscripts.

• Serves experimental cooks, the adventuresome, the curious, people who are always looking in old or ethnic cookbooks for new ideas.

• The book will help to identify confusions between similarly-named plants.

• The book defines uses, botany, toxicity and flavor chemistry of herbs

• It explains why herbs have the flavors they do (and, consequently, what might work as substitutions). 

• It also lists the uses the plant might have in different parts of the world. 

• It also lays to rest the old notion that one substitute fresh herbs for dried in a ration of three-to-one.

Each "chapter" -- devoted to an individual plant family, 105 of them -- is subdivided  into  its herb and spice species. These, in turn, follows a standard formatting of:

Name, scientific name
Other common ethnic or scientific names
Cultivars
Related Species
Growth Habits
Culinary Uses
Comments (when warranted)

The book also gives us hints of new tastes to come. Allen explains, “It appeals to our futuristic food experiences. Cooks who want to experiment with wild or exotic plants that are not yet on the spice shelves in this country.” For instance, “The book lists a number of Australian "bush" herbs that are popular there but are virtually unknown in the US.:  Lemon Aspen is related to our citrus fruits and sichuan pepper -- and tastes like grapefruit without the acidity. Native pepper is fascinating -- it stains light-colored sauces a lovely red-violet color and has a heat that comes on very slowly. It's in the magnolia family.” He makes future cooking sound exciting.

This 448-page compilation features a dense 15-page glossary, an extensive seed Sources index with handy urls. Oh yes, Laurus nobilis, or Bay Leaves if kept “in a container of dried beans, flour or other staples will keep weevils and other small vermin away!”  

You can reach Allen at gallen@HVI.net.