This is a reprint and recovering of the first volume in Prospect's series The English Kitchen. The authors trace the development and spread of that quintessentially English dish, the trifle. Relaxing after the labours of the Oxford Companion to Food, the late Alan Davidson and his trusty lieutenant of the last years of its compilation, Helen Saberi, turned their spotlight on trifle. Nothing is more emblematic of English cookery. Trifles have been a perennial of English summer lunches, tennis parties, and schoolboy dreams of plenty. The authors trace their origins to the earliest recipe of 1596 and its gradual transformation from a mere cooked cream to the many-layered custardy extravagance we know today. The stages on its journey, described with the lightest of touch, are illustrated by recipes extracted from classic English cookery books. With their customary brilliance they have universalised the English experience, casting far and wide for examples, returning home with trifles from Laos, America, Australasia, Mexico, Eritrea, South Africa, Afghanistan, Malta, and even Norway, where Veiled Maidens are all the rage at teatime. The resulting recipes, handy tips and historical speculation amount to a ladleful of wit and amusement. Trifle was first published by Prospect in 2001. On its first appearance it garnered many appreciative comments.

Another in our "English Kitchen" series, this traces the development of Anglo-Indian cookery, in other words the curry, in English and Scottish cookery books from its earliest appearance in the 18th century through to modern works by Camilla Punjabi and Marguerite Patten. It wanders the lanes and byways of the British occupation of India, unearthing delightful accounts of Imperial eating and explaining how we have grown accustomed to the spice-box of the Raj. The broad intention is to reproduce early recipes for curry and accounts of Anglo-Indian food in their original words. The majority come from printed books, but some are drawn from manuscripts. The narrative traces our enjoyment of Oriental flavours from the 17th century through to the first appearance of a recipe for curry in Hannah Glasse in 1747.Thereafter, it looks at the various classes of cooks who produced popular and interesting recipes, from the female cookbook authors of the 18th century, to the club-cooks of Calcutta and London in the Regency, to the crusty colonels of late Victorian England, and the refined French-influenced chefs of the fin de siecle and pre-First World War days. By way of coda, the authors consider modern recipes from authors such as Madhur Jaffrey and Sir Gulam Noon's Chicken Tikka Masala, Britain's favourite dish. The whole is ornamented by tasty extracts from past literature on eating curries hither and beyond.

Situated at the crossroads of four major regions-the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East-Afghanistan has survived centuries of invasions, whether military, cultural or culinary. Its hearty cuisine includes a tempting variety of offerings: lamb, pasta, chickpeas, rice pilafs, flat breads, kebabs, spinach, okra, lentils, yoghurt, pastries and delicious teas, all flavoured with delicate spices, are staple ingredients. This cookbook includes over 100 recipes, all adapted for the North American kitchen, for favourites like "Mantu" (Pasta filled with Meat and Onion), "Shinwari Kebab" (Lamb Chops Kebab), and "Qabili Pilau" (Yellow Rice with Carrots and Raisins). The author's informative introduction describes traditional Afghan holidays, festivals and celebrations. Also included is a section entitled "The Afghan Kitchen," which provides essentials about cooking utensils, spices, ingredients and methods. Complete with b/w maps and illustrations.

This reference work covers the cuisine and foodways of India in all their diversity and complexity, including regions, personalities, street foods, communities and topics that have been often neglected. The book starts with an overview essay situating the Great Indian Table in relation to its geography, history and agriculture, followed by alphabetically organized entries. The entries, which are between 150 and 1,500 words long, combine facts with history, anecdotes, and legends. They are supplemented by longer entries on key topics such as regional cuisines, spice mixtures, food and medicine, rites of passages, cooking methods, rice, sweets, tea, drinks (alcoholic and soft) and the Indian diaspora. This comprehensive volume illuminates contemporary Indian cooking and cuisine in tradition and practice.

The first 'designer' tearoom was opened in Glasgow in 1897 in order that intellectual conversation, art and a popular drink could be enjoyed in one place. Since then, tea has become the world's favourite beverage. From Indian chai to Burmese pickled lephet tea, and from brick tea to Taiwanese 'bubble tea', tea is a unique and adaptable potation, consumed in myriad incarnations in almost all nations across the globe. In Tea: A Global History, Helen Saberi explores the rich and fascinating history of tea. She looks at the economic and social uses of tea, which was used as currency during the Tang Dynasty, and combined with Tango dancing in 1913 to create a tea dance called The Dansant. Tea also explores how customs and traditions surrounding the beverage have evolved throughout time, as well as where and how tea is grown around the world. Featuring vivid images of tea cups, plants, rooms and houses, and recipes for both drinking tea and using it as a flavouring, Tea will engage the senses while providing a history of tea and its uses. Because Saberi connects the reader to tea's flavour and presentation as she explores its legendary origins and present day popularity, Tea will appeal to readers interested not only in tea's history, customs and traditions, but also in the drink itself.