My romance with spices began with Mexican food, the first time I tasted chicken enchiladas with tomatillo salsa. Garlic, cilantro, serrano chiles, cumin, plus the tartness of the tomatillos: incredible! Later I fell under the spell of foods from India, Morocco, Indonesia, China and Turkey. I never met a spice or herb I didn’t like.

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31 July 2016 >>

Vanishing Spices: Indonesian Clove Crop Ravaged by Insects, Aleppo Pepper a War Casualty

The very moment I stepped into the Jakarta airport, I fell under the spell of a mysterious aroma perfuming the air. It was sultry and smoky with sweetly floral undertones. “Is that incense?” I wondered aloud. My Singapore-based sister in law, laughed. “You’re smelling the cloves in the kretek cigarettes. Everyone smokes them here. When […]

30 March 2016 >>

Turmeric: Golden Spice, Bitter Taste; Healing Body & Soul

Recently, I tagged along to a friend’s medical appointment. The cardiologist, young and smartly dressed, eyed the darkly mysterious cover of a book I had in my hand. “What’s that,” he asked, eyebrows raised. “It’s a cookbook,” I replied. “Oh, I thought it was something my wife might be reading,” he shot back […]

23 February 2016 >>

Here Comes the Sun: Meyer Lemons Brighten Winter’s Gloom; Sicily’s Glorious Citrus

It’s the dreariest time of the year. Grey skies, a chill wind, icy rain. Yesterday February Gold and the other early daffodils bowed their shriveled heads in defeat. I’m wearing so many layers of clothing that I feel like the Michelin woman: If I never see another fleece, it will be too soon. This is the […]

15 September 2014 >>

A 70 Million Year Old Salt & a “Frosty” Recipe: Double-Salted & Toasted Walnuts

Can salt be fluffy? It can be granular, of course, or flakey (Maldon is a classic), or crunchy (like sel gris from Brittany), even flavored or smoked with red chile, aged wood from a bourbon barrel or any of 100 other ingredients. But fluffy, like ice scraped off your windshield in winter? Or cotton candy? Salt […]

1 August 2014 >>

Lior Lev Sercarz: Green Figs & Jam; How to Blend Spices; What to Do With All That Mint

One morning in New York last week, I stopped by La Boite, an improbably sleek white shop situated on a gritty corner of 11th Avenue, sandwiched between an auto repair garage and a service station besieged by flotillas of yellow cabs. Here, Wednesday through Friday, you’re likely to find Lior Lev Sercarz, a slender, […]