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The Flavor Thesaurus: A Compendium of Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook Hardcover – May 1, 2012

by Niki Segnit (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 774 ratings
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“A perfect reference for the aspiring foodie.” –Chicago Tribune

Winner of the André Simon Award * Observer Best Books of the Year * Guild of Food Writers Best First Book Award

A complete guide to the 99 most essential ingredients and their numerous flavor combinations, offering inspiration for the cook who has everything.

Whether a flavor is defined by a "grassy" ingredient like dill, cucumber, or peas, or a "floral fruity" food like figs, roses, or blueberries, flavors can be combined in wildly imaginative ways. In this lively and original book, Niki Segnit identifies the 99 fundamental ingredients of food and examines what goes with what-revealing for the first time just how infinite are the possibilities in an everyday kitchen.

Segnit has scoured thousands of recipes in countless recipe books, talked to dozens of food technologists and chefs, and visited hundreds of restaurants-all in her quest to uncover the planet's essential pairings. Moving from Meaty to Cheesy, Earthy to Mustardy, and more, Segnit celebrates traditional pairings such as pork and apple and cucumber and dill; points us toward contemporary favorites like goat cheese and beet; and introduces us to unlikely but delicious matchings such as blueberry and mushroom. With nearly a thousand entries and 200 recipes, The Flavor Thesaurus is not only a highly useful and covetable reference book, but the sort of book that will keep you reading, laughing, and cooking for years to come.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Bloomsbury USA
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.7 x 1.15 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    160819874X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1608198740
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

flavor thesaurus, niki segnit

flavor thesaurus, niki segnit

flavor thesaurus, niki segnit

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An imaginative but practical matchmaker, [Segnit] has a gift for pairing sometimes lackluster ingredients in a way that brings out the best in them and makes them more appealing as a couple than they ever were as loners... She shares an eloquent vocabulary with us in this delicious book.” ―Wall Street Journal

“Astonishing and totally addictive.” ―Brian Eno

“The smartest, most original compendium I've come across in donkey's years. It's not a formulaic collection of recipes with variations but a rich and witty and erudite collection of suggestions for arranged marriages of the very best kind: food on food...it's the kitchen equivalent of Match.com.” ―Epicurious

“The cure for dinner ennui...a cheekily erudite, endlessly fascinating master list of flavor pairings both familiar and surprising...the entries get you dreaming of both exotic feasts and after-work comfort foods.” ―Whole Living

“It has intrigued, inspired, amused and occasionally infuriated me all year, and will for years to come.” ―Observer, Best Books of the Year

“For new cooks and old hands in the kitchen, this book is a must-have and a must-read. Not only are the flavor combinations and recipes offered useful, but Niki Segnit's descriptions of each and every one are delightful to read. It's a combination between a bedtime read and a kitchen companion.” ―GOOP

“With utmost respect for classic pairings, Segnit boldly considers the chemistry and harmony of flavor and, ventures into unusual combinations for a perfect reference for the aspiring foodie.” ―Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Niki Segnit's background is in marketing, specializing in food and drink, and she has worked with many famous brands of candy, snacks, baby foods, condiments, dairy products, hard liquors, and soft drinks. She lives in central London with her husband.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA; Revised edition (May 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 160819874X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1608198740
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 1.15 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 774 ratings

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Niki Segnit

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
774 global ratings
book arrived looking like it's a used book
3 Stars
book arrived looking like it's a used book
We bought this book brand new but unfortunately, it arrived looking like it's been used :( Love the book overall but it was just poorly handled by amazon.
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Top reviews from the United States

Casey Watkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Experimental cook’s must have
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022
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This book is so fun! It gives so many ideas for flavor variations and combinations that I’ll never get tired in the kitchen!
3 people found this helpful
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Winston
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for aspiring cooks.
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024
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A very good gateway deviate from following recipes into developing your own recipes.
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LADenver
4.0 out of 5 stars Taken me awhile to get into this - its quirky but....
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
I'm sold on this now, but it's taken me a bit of time to really get into this book. Sometimes the information associated with a pairing doesn't speak to me at all - I don't get it. But most of the time I learn from it - I think its making me a better baker - its introduced me to nuances of flavor and pairings that I wouldn't normally have considered. Definitely makes me think outside the box. There are quite a few recipes in there that are fantastic (although the recipes are bare minimal in instruction and definitely not for beginners or the non-adventurous). Would recommend for foodies or bakers who want something unexpected and are tired of the same old cooking-baking books. This is a keeper for me....I can't imagine I'll ever get bored with it or learn everything in it, which is fantastic!
8 people found this helpful
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S. Linkletter
5.0 out of 5 stars A Creative Effort
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2013
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This book wasn't at all what I expected, but after I accepted it for what it is I really began to enjoy it.

What I Didn't Like

Another reviewer found it to be like a dictionary in its definitions and details. I found it not at all like that. In fact, it is entirely subjective even by the author's own attestation. The "color wheel" of flavors I found to be useless. The copy without a seam from the binding is not even in color. Furthermore, the typeface on that copy is so small as to be unreadable for me without a magnifying glass. Aesthetics aside, the flavor wheel seems primarily presented to demonstrate that the author can cleverly devise a circular table of food flavors. There is nothing stemming from the wheel that will help you determine which flavors go together. It's not anything like an artist's color wheel, with those associated concepts.

What I Came To Enjoy

The author's rather creative idea was to compile a list of 99 foods and/or food types. The and/or is because some of the 99 are extremely well defined, such as "Lemon", while others are very general, such as "Hard Cheese". Regardless, those are how the author sees the universe of food, and as she says, it is her point of view from which she is writing.

Having defined the 99 foods, she set about to locate examples of each one occurring with the other 98. To this end she seems to have spent a rather inordinate amount of time in London pubs, but there are examples from other places and even from other countries. She wasn't able to locate an example for every pair, which is not surprising, although I suppose pubs are where you might find people who would try anything once so that particular bias is explained.

The sparkling thing about the book is the way in which she writes about the combinations, and the side stories that evolve from the descriptions. A description of a pair of foods might devolve into an almost totally irrelevant discussion of the old days in London pubs, or an explanation for why monks don't eat certain foods. There is some sharp, dry British humor at times, as well. It's that kind where the face is so straight that you know the speaker is either joking or insane, and either way is hysterically funny.

The content and quality of what was written in the book wooed me from my attitude of bitter disappointment over what I didn't find written there. I now very much enjoy reading this book. I just don't expect it to help me choose complementary "colors" of food.

I must add that the book is very well indexed. Even a stray mention of something not on her list of 99 foods, appearing in one of her side excursions, appears in the index. I very much appreciate not having to try to remember from which of the 99 foods the tangent arose, which referenced something I want to look up again.
98 people found this helpful
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Jane from Maine
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is incredible!
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
I am an accomplished, passionate cook with some professional experience later in life. I like to cook from my senses, rather than following recipes, finding them to be constricting. The greatest joy in cooking for me is putting things together in a unique way - (a friend once told me that I literally dance in the kitchen.) Although I have an extensive cookbook collection, it is books like this one that I usually reach for - they allow for maximum creativity.
4 people found this helpful
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Laurie Ann Lepoff
5.0 out of 5 stars quick arrival
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
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good condition, arrived promptly
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Nick Armstrong
5.0 out of 5 stars A Foodie Inspiration
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2022
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Can I give six stars? Ten?

This is one of the smartest, loveliest, most informative, well-written, funny books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. That it refers to my love of cooking, also from an amateur perspective, makes it all the more special. No, it's not a cook book, but every so often a recipe shows up (pasta with onion and anchovies, with a reference to my soul's home, Venice) knocks this book out of the ballpark. Brava, Niki Segnit! (Who I don't personally know...)
3 people found this helpful
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Tyler
3.0 out of 5 stars A worse version of the Flavor Bible.
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2023
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I don't regret buying it but the flavor bible is far superior in my opinion.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carlos H. C. Correa
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente Estruturação - Excelentes Sugestões
Reviewed in Brazil on July 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
Para quem já domina técnicas de cozinha; Para quem já possui vários livros de Receitas; Para quem quer dar um charme especial ou recriar um prato tradicional; Este livro é excelente. Sugiro ainda 4 livros que trabalham estas questões: The Flavor Bible; The Flavor Matrix; The elements of taste;
Exemplo de resultado obtido: Mousse de Chocolate com Cardamomo. Há 3 receitas que faço a do Claude Troigros (só ovos), a do Laurent Suaudeau (só creme de leite) e do Joel Robuchon (ovos e creme de leite) todos crescem.
One person found this helpful
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Alexandra
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a good gift
Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2022
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Love this! Shows what ingredients go well with others!
2 people found this helpful
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Sergio fontes nino
5.0 out of 5 stars increíble
Reviewed in Mexico on June 3, 2019
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un importante libro si te encuentras en el mundo de la gastronomía
2 people found this helpful
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Lutetia
4.0 out of 5 stars Eine wahre Bibel für kreative Köche
Reviewed in Germany on July 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
Das Buch ist nicht ganz makellos. Es hatte ein paar Kratzer, Dellen und ein Farbe am Einband als ich es ausgepackt habe - hat mich aber nicht so arg gestört da ich es für 8€ gekauft habe. Ein bisschen enttäuscht war ich dennoch.

Ansonsten tolles Buch und wahnsinnig spannend für kreative Köche. Hier geht es mehr um food pairings, und weniger um Rezepte mit genauen angaben. Man erfährt auch oftmals einen geschichtlichen Hintergrund eines Gerichts! Genau das richtige für mich. Nach dem Larousse Gastronomique ist es definitiv ne Bibel die in jede Küche gehören sollte.
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PMM
5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch
Reviewed in Spain on March 7, 2019
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Top notch
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