posted May 05, 2004 08:42 AM         

I hope some here might be able to point me in hte right direction, as I would much rather buy one based on personal advice than simply randomly choosing.

Thanks for your wisdom!

posted May 07, 2004 09:07 AM         

i have this old 1974 paperback called The Herb Book by John Lust (ha - coulda added that to the wacky name thread). this one was published by Bantam. it only has a small section (@ 9 pages) on actual cooking/flavoring, but it's mostly a medicinal compendium.

Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet has a lot of great sidebars on all sorts of food trivia, and she uses herbs and spices in both traditional and non-trad ways - i've learned a lot about cooking with spices from this book.

Sundays at Moosewood is sectioned by region and so you can see how certain herbs are used repeatedly to create different combinations in each section. Basil, for example, is SO versatile - use it in Italian, Turkish, Thai... or iced tea!

my all-time favorite reading cookbook is Sheila Lukins All Around the World. it's non-veg so i use it more as a template and for the fabulous stories and lore she's sprinkled in there. there's one two-page spread (specifically for soups) that lists regions and then the herbs they use - so you could pick an herb you like - find out where they use it - and try your hand at incorporating it. if you like cooking this is a great book to have around.

it's a start, anyway - good luck and have fun being creative!