Guelph author Joe Barth has released Pepper: A Guide to the World's Favourite Spice.
If you're are interested in pepper--its provenance, history, taste, and uses—then this is a book for you. Pepper has an ancient history as one of the first items traded extensively in international commerce. Joe Barth recounts the fascinating history of pepper from ancient times through the present and traces the challenges at each step of the pepper supply chain as it make its way from the growers to the kitchens and dining tables around the world. He has travelled to Kerala pepper’s homeland in the south of India where he saw first-hand how growers produce black, white and green peppercorns. Joe explores the economics of the pepper trade, and like other products from the tropics, shows how the producer realizes much less benefit than the many merchants who are middlemen in pepper’s route to the table. He covers quality assessment, storage, processing, taste and uses of pepper, including its cosmetic and pharmacological applications. A selection of recipes is included to provide a flavourful backdrop to this tasty guide to the world’s most popular spice.