Chile Pepper Encyclopedia

Additional Details

Description: Which type of chile is the hottest? , What country did the first chile plants come from? Can chiles really be used to cure headaches and memory loss? How did "bird" chiles get their name? Why are some people more sensitive to the heat of chiles? What's the best way to cool "chile burn"? 

These are just a few of the questions you'll find answers to in The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia. World-renowned chile expert Dave DeWitt has compiled this exhaustive A-to-Z collection of entries on everything you'll ever need to know about chiles. Using this encyclopedia, you'll learn about chile species, origins, terminology, cuisines, and griculture. Medicinal uses and chile folklore are covered in often painful detail -- for example, nineteenth-century Peruvians believed that the juice of crushed chiles applied to the eyes would cure conjunctivitis. For true "chileheads," there's information on chile fairs and festivals and hot sauces and salsas, and DeWitt attempts to settle the endless debate over the origin of the most famous of chile dishes, chili con carne. 

The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia is also filled with more than one hundred hot and spicy recipes. Each recipe is rated on a heat scale from the "mild" Indian Minced Meat Curry to the "extremely hot" Chiltepin House Sauce made with 2 cups of chiles. There are even a few spicy desserts, like Chocolate Chess and Chile Pie, for chile lovers who just can't get enough heat. 

Black-and-white drawings and photographs, charts, and tables appear throughout the book and a color insert includes photographs of dozens of chile types, invaluable for identification, making this an indispensable sourcebook for chile aficionados, gardeners, cooks, and anyone else who has a burning interest in fiery foods. 

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Condition: Good condition.