The late Tom Stobart's book, Herbs, Spices And Flavourings, first published in 1970, has long been one of the most sought-after kitchen classics, partly because it has been out of print for decades, and partly because it is so damned good.
Those who, like myself, have always and unsuccessfully kept an eager eye out for a copy of the book can offer praise for the wisdom of Grub Street publishers, who have just released a new edition of the classic work, and it truly is a masterpiece. Wise, modest and funny, this is one of those rare compendiums which invite you to read them from cover to cover. Writing about truffles, for example, Stobart says: "There is an unending dispute between the French and Italians as to which is the better truffle, the white or the black. To express an opinion in this matter is a certain way to get a black eye." About rue, he writes how it is used to flavour grappa, and how "the guides of Cortina d'Ampezzo often give their clients a thimbleful on the vertical face of some dolomite needle. It greatly aids the contemplation of eternity, and the rue is appropriate." Resin is mentioned in the context of retsina, regarding which: "Retsina itself is an acquired taste, and one is not very likely to acquire it outside Greece. For its proper enjoyment it requires the romantic atmosphere of the taverna and the flavour of grilled meat wound round with crispy entrails."
Tom Stobart was a traveller, explorer, and documentary film maker as well as a cook, and all his passions and expertise are distilled into this marvellous book. It is fascinating, also, to read a book published almost 30 years ago, and to see how far and how fast we have progressed since those rather timid days. Discussing coriander, for example, he writes that it "is not much used in Europe, and in England it is usual to dismiss it as `unpleasant' or `not a kitchen herb'." Today, of course, it is outrageously fashionable, and a mainstay of our adventuresome cooking. Mind you, nobody has better described the pleasure of the herb than Stobart: "The flavour of green coriander marries particularly well with green chilli, and there is no better breakfast in the world than chapatties spread with coriander chutney and honey syrup and eaten in the early sunshine to the call of doves and barbels."
Tom Stobart's Herbs, Spices And Flavourings is published by Grub Street, price £14.99 in the UK