Short Synopsis
This unique culinary history of America offers a fascinating look at our past and uses long-forgotten recipes to explain how eight flavors changed how we eat.

Full Synopsis
The United States boasts a culturally and ethnically diverse population which makes for a continually changing culinary landscape. But a young historical gastronomist named Sarah Lohman discovered that American food is united by eight flavors: black pepper, vanilla, curry powder, chili powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. In Eight Flavors, Lohman sets out to explore how these influential ingredients made their way to the American table.

Eight Flavors introduces the explorers, merchants, botanists, farmers, writers, and chefs whose choices came to define the American palate. Lohman takes you on a journey through the past to tell us something about our present, and our future. We meet John Crowninshield a New England merchant who traveled to Sumatra in the 1790s in search of black pepper and Edmond Albius, a twelve-year-old slave who lived on an island off the coast of Madagascar, who discovered the technique still used to pollinate vanilla orchids today. Weaving together original research, historical recipes, and Lohman's own adventures both in the kitchen and in the field, Eight Flavors is a delicious treat—ready to be devoured.

"Lohman's clear diction is easy to understand, and her pronunciation of non-English names and terms has an authentic sound as she reveals the influence that politics, exploration, immigration, and socioeconomics have had on the transition of particular spices, such as black pepper, from the exotic to mainstream acceptance." ---AudioFile

"Lohman’s thoughtful, conversational style and infectious curiosity make the book wholly delightful. . . . Lohman’s book gives fascinating new insight into what we eat." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"This delicious history of these now-ubiquitous ingredients will have readers savoring each page and licking their lips for a taste for more." ---Booklist

"Her enthusiastic charm and what you sense is genuine Midwestern niceness shine through. . . . Lohman is assiduous in tracking down early recipes and describing cooking techniques." ---New York Times

Publishers Weekly Review