Chez Joe, it was called, or so the pharmacist’s scrawl on the rumpled napkin seemed to say. He didn’t know the address – you just had to keep your eyes peeled. One evening in Antibes, a pharmacist slipped us the name of the place to get it, somewhere off the coast road between Saint Tropez and Cabasson. She doesn’t agree, and neither, surely, would anyone who’s eaten bouillabaisse. ”Italians turn their noses up at this combination, according to Elizabeth David in Italian Food, as they think the flavour of saffron overpowers the fish. I opened it randomly and found this article on white fish and saffron: The thesaurus isn’t a particularly practical guide, if you are shy in the kitchen but it is a great read if you enjoy food. The paper’s fairly pulpy, but has deep rose edges. The cover is colourful and has a strong design element which is repeated inside the book. I love books as much as I love food so I am particularly pleased about this one. But be aware that this is not a thesis on chemistry but a memoir of food eaten and cooked, and flavours loved and hated. Another comes in looking for favourite ingredients and reading the articles.

Looking at –and disagreeing with – the flavour classifications offers one level of fun. The floral fruity segment starts with raspberry and figs and moves through to white chocolate, closing the circle neatly. Roasted, for example, holds chocolate, coffee and peanut. Each segment contains a number of flavours. Segnit has picked a number of flavours and arranged them in a wheel that circles from roasted through to floral fruity. This is an emotional and anecdotal collection of articles. It works though.) Don’t expect a scientific approach to flavours. (Saying that, soup tonight was parsnip and apple, a pairing that isn’t listed in the The Flavour Thesaurus. If you are interested in food but think you’ve tried everything you’re comfortable with, this is a nice little resource to get you inspired and kick-started. The Flavour Thesaurus is a guidebook to flavour pairings.

The flavour thesaurus review