Kathi KevilleNot a picturesque plant with its grasslike leaves, vetiver’s (or vetivert) thin, aromatic roots are its treasure. They are distilled in Java, R‚union, Haiti, Brazil and India. Door and window screens (called tatties) and fans are woven in East...
A medieval European love potion, facial water and cordial called Huile de Venus, this “oil of love” toned muscles and softened complexions. It was also sipped to quell indigestion. Today caraway seeds are more likely to find their way...
Cardamom is a relative of ginger from the Middle and Far East, where it flavors Turkish coffee and East Indian chai tea. The seeds were a valued export item in ancient Greece. Family: Zingiberaceae Extraction: Distilled from the seed. Oleoresin. The...
The Arabs, who traded it for a frankincense substitute, called this Southeast Asia tree “incense of Java,” or luban jawi. The Europeans interpreted this as benjawi and pronounced it “benjamin,” then “benzoin.”...
