Gary Paul Nabhan Author Talk • Chile, Clove, and Cardamom: A Gastronomic Journey Into the Fragrances and Flavors of Desert Cuisines

Title Default Title
Qty:

Gary Paul Nabhan is an internationally celebrated nature writer, food and farming activist, and proponent of conserving the links between biodiversity and cultural diversity. He holds the W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Arizona Southwest Center, where he works with students, faculty, and non-profits to build a more just, nutritious, sustainable, and climate-resilient foodshed spanning the US/Mexico border. He’s also the author of numerous books, including Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land, Renewing America’s Food Traditions, and Chasing Chiles. He lives in southern Arizona.

Explore mouth-watering recipes from the most vibrant and diverse culinary traditions of the hottest and driest places on earth―including the aromatic dishes and arid-adapted traditions from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the deserts shared by the US and Mexico―compiled by two James Beard Award-winning writers.

Chile, Clove, and Cardamom is a celebration of the fragrances and flavors of sun-drenched cuisines. Throughout this book, coauthors Beth Dooley and Gary Paul Nabhan reveal surprising patterns and principles among varied recipes of traditional desert cultures, bringing to life the places, dishes, and recipes that have been shaped by heat and drought and infused with bold flavors.

Gary Paul Nabhan, world-renowned ethnobotanist, desert ecologist, and literary naturalist, has written extensively about foods from the Middle East to the desert Southwest and is the winner of the 2024 James Beard Media Award for his recent book Agave Spirit. Joined by fellow James Beard Award–winner (The Sioux Chef, 2018) and food writer Beth Dooley, who has explored both Indigenous and perennial foods, the two have created a unique, stunning collection of over 90 recipes that honor the tastiness of cuisines that have influenced how all of humanity eats today.

Steeped in history and memory, Chile, Clove, and Cardamom is also a beautifully photographed, in-depth guide to the essential spice blends that will help you build your own aromatic pantry, drawing on a variety of easy-to-follow cooking methods for planning your own desert meals.