Spice Guide — 'A'

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Chillies (chili, chilé, ají) is an amazing spice that originates in Central and Northern South America. It was unknown in the Old World until the early 1500 but by 1549 had made its way across the world from Europe through Africa, the Near East and had reached China and Japan. Learn about the history of the spread of chillies and why this is such an amazing spice.

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Beef is a very flavoursome meat, as long as it is well matured, but it does have the cachet of being expensive and to be used only as a treat. Partly this is due to the history of beef as a high-status ingredient. Partly it's due to the cost of the better cuts. But you have a whole animal to consider and this article takes you through the history of beef eating and gives you a recipe for both the best and one of the poorer cuts of meat.

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Spring is the time for new resolutions and to make the best of fresh and new ingredients. Spring lamb and fresh rhubarb are at their best now and these two classic recipes show off these ingredients at their best. Here you will see some of the best of traditional British cookery that will allow you to make a spectacular meal from these ingredients.

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Nigeria has a very vibrant and dynamic culture and this is reflected in the country's food. Staples remain stews ('soups' in West African parlance) and staples based on grains, cassava flour and millet. Here you will see two authentic Nigerian recipes to help you gain a flavour for this country's cuisines.

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Halloween has a 2000 year history, extending from the time of the Ancient Celts to the modern day. Learn how the Romans and Christians changed this ancient feast and how it found its way to the Americas. You will also get recipes for a Celtic stew and a pumpkin dish associated with Halloween.

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I know that the combination of chilli and chocolate sounds odd to modern ears. Yet this is an ancient mix used by the Aztecs and later adopted in Sicilian cuisine. What's presented here is a rich and piquant gravy that goes excellently well with game dishes.

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Rather than being a British or English invention, Chutneys originated in India and were re-worked during the 18th century as a means of preserving autumn fruit and vegetables. Here you get a recipe for a classic Indian chatni and a British chutney so you can see how one evolved into the other.

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Spices are an ubiquitous component of our daily lives. Learn here why black pepper is such an important spice and why the age-old quest for spices is a search for a black pepper replacement.

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Chilli recipes to blow your brains out... Here are three recipes from India and Africa, incorporating the world's hottest chillies. Each could claim itself to be... The world's hottest chilli dish...

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Prue Leiths' 'Leiths Cookery Bible' is one of those books that you never new you couldn't do without. It is the one cookery book that you need on your bookshelf (not that it will stay there very long). To find out why this book is so indispensible why not read the review now?