Spice Story

Hugh and Colleen Gantzer have been travel writers since the 1970s, starting with their first assignment in Kerala. The Anglo-Indian couple have authored many books together, and Spice Story is their ode to the “fragrant flora” of Indian culinary heritage. The book tells the stories of Indian spices, going back forty thousand years, and explains how they continue to be integral to the masala dabba in the Indian kitchen. The Gantzers introduce spices like pepper, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon, mustard, clove, and mace, noting the seas they traversed, colorful legends, and the medicinal and healing properties that made them coveted. Interspersed are the Gantzers’ own stories of how their travels were enlivened by spices.