chilli book review
The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia
- My Review

chilli book review

The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia.
by Dave DeWitt.

Classification: Reference + Food Culture + Recipes

Illustrated: Yes

Overall Rating : 8/10

Dave DeWitt is one of the largest personalities in the chilli world and was given the nickname "The Pope Of Peppers" many years ago.

Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico and having trained as a journalist, he is ideally positioned to write about his passion.

The book has a wealth of information, though it is, of course, from the perspective of North America though the sections covering chillies in South America, Asia, and Europe are quite well done. Africa and India are weaker areas in his knowledge.

There are a number of sections discussing food culture and these are quite interesting, particularly the history of Hot Sauces in America.

Overall, it is a pretty good reference book for those interested in the minutiae of the enormous varieties of chillies out there, or a keen student of food history and culture. If you're just after the recipes, look elsewhere as they are not organised in a manner that is friendly for those just looking for something to cook.

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