Garlic and other alliums

Garlic and other alliums

Eric Block

Cambridge: RSC 2009 | Pp454 | £29.95 | ISBN 978 0 85404 190 9

Reviewed by David Quick

This book is essentially the story of a life devoted to garlic, with onions, leeks and other alliums invited on board during the course of the journey. The life is that of a distinguished research chemist.

Avoiding hyperbole and thoroughly referenced, the subject is covered in just over 400 pages. At the book's heart is the mystery posed by the distinctive flavours and scents of the allium family, emitted only when the plant is violated. There is some fascinating chemistry told here. Both the chemistry itself and the story of its revelation are given in detail.