This is an illustrated and authoritative guide to the art and science of fermented foods, featuring 90+ recipes that progress from simple fermented condiments like vinegars and mustards to more advanced techniques for using wild yeast, fermenting meats, and curing fish. Karlin offers a solid introduction to the principles of fermentation and explains equipment, ingredients, processes, and techniques, plus she includes two dozen recipes that incorporate fermented foods into elegant and enticing finished dishes like grilled lamb stuffed with apricot-date chutney.

In this most elusive of her books, Elizabeth David presents English recipes notable for their use of spices, salt and aromatics. As is usual in her writing she mixes instruction with information, explaining the origins and uses of ingredients such as nutmeg, cardamom and juniper. She stresses the influence of centuries of oriental trade on the English kitchen, where spices and Indian curries, kebabs and yoghurt are now perfectly at home, along with dishes such as risotto and paella.