Alchemy of the Mortar & Pestle: The Culinary Library Volume 1

Odd book. Learned about zero. Pretty little thing for the kitchen

I added this to my kindle unlimited but after reading just the first few chapters and reviewing the rest of the book I had to have it in my hands. It had every thing I had been looking for so I purchased the book.

I got this and a Mortar and Pestle for my husband, for Christmas. He's a total foodie. The recipes are great, with fairly good instructions. It also discusses the different kinds of Mortar and Pestles, and the history behind them. The recipes start on page 17, and go all the way to the end of the book (slightly more than 100 pages). It's a great little book to start off with, if you're new to grinding your own herb and spice concoctions.

This charming little book gives a detailed history of the mortar and pestle, a bit dull at times, and also tells you how to say mortar and pestle in 19 languages. Which could come in very handy if you are in Egypt and happen to need one.My actual rating of this book is 3.5 stars, but I rounded down because--while I found it fun and inspirational--it was not executed as well as it could have been. The writing is what some might call quaint. I call it annoying. But don't let me prejudice you. So you can make up your own mind, here is the first sentence of the history chapter: "Cooks are imaginative creatures, so inventing a plausible prehistory year zero for our first culinary tool is easy."The best how-to section of the book is on page 14, which explains how to clean and sterilize your mortar and pestle, and suggests the optimal order for crushing your ingredients.There are also a lot of recipes, from the obvious, such as pesto, to the lesser-known Moroccan nut paste Amlou, which looks delicious and which I will be making. The recipes are short, and while often the type of thing for which you really don't need a how-to, they can serve as a great source of inspiration! For example, the butter compounding chapter (yes, there is a butter compounding chapter!) gives a recipe for a roquefort-butter spread with garlic and herbs; it sounded delicious so I used what I had--blue cheese, butter and black pepper--to improvise a tasty treat.Some of the recipes are enjoyable to read, but border on the esoteric. For example, I can make a rose lotion to soothe my dry skin--if I ever happen to have a cup of fresh rose petals handy. How about, say, February 15th? I'm much more interested in the "instant limoncello" than in the "liver cleanser" placed, for alphabetical reasons, right after it--though it does seem you could start with one and progress to the next!And then there's the "Vital Life Elixir" on page 101. What's in it? I'm not telling, because it seems mean-spirited to write a three-star review of this book and also give away a life-giving elixir recipe for free! But I can tell you that after a quick glance at the ingredients, I will personally will NOT be taking one teaspoon of it morning and night.

Nice size and built heavy

Used for Christmas gifts to friends- accompanying mortar & pestle made by my husband. Very popular.

A cute little reference book that you can b use for inspiration or just fun reading. This would be a great gift for people learning to cook to expand their repetoire.

It is a good book due to the fact that there are not many out there regarding mortar and pestle information, I did enjoy it. It does cover lots of info regarding how mortar and pestles were used and history about them with a few recipes that I do think is pretty complete. If you are a foodie or just enjoy cooking at home and like to use your mortars and pestles this is a good book to have. I did get vol.3 on the sauces and it like it a little more due to the content and way more recipes. I do recommend both books it is an informative read. I do believe I will be getting vol.2 and some other ones as they come out.

A bog-standard, no-frills Kindle book without pictures or any adornment. Not the cheapest book around - but the only one, apparently, at a reasonable price that deals specifically with the pestle & mortar. On the plus side, preparing the equipment for first use is well-handled, and the recipes are clear & concise. The list of contents is also very clear & comprehensive & easier to use than in many Kindle books I have come across.So far, I have made pistachio sauce & pesto & they both turned out well.The history part is long, but quite interesting. Potions & lotions don't really interest me but the chapter is quite informative. A hard copy of this book is probably a better long-term investment & a pleasanter read, as is often the case with a cookery book.

Excellent book

This was a gift paired with a mortar and pestal for my sister. The book is smaller in size which I didn't realize but its a nice size. The cover has a nice finish on it that makes it feel high quality.

Perfect gift

good