The Chile Pepper Bible: From Sweet and Mild to Fiery and Everything in Between

Finlayson (The Healthy Slow Cooker) declaims a hybrid ode to the chili, combining history, botany, and a generous helping of recipes devoted to chili peppers of many varieties and from all over the world. The first two sections of the book provide a brief history of the chili in the Western world, as well as information about the Scoville scale (used to measure the hotness of chilies), the health benefits of chilies , and types of chilies . The information isn’t revelatory, but it provides interesting background for chili novices and is useful for readers looking to try some new chilies in their cooking. Finlayson includes pictures of chilies followed by tables that list each variety’s name, heat level, and physical description; he gives give a brief overview of more than 30 varieties of chili. The bulk of the book is recipes, which are organized in the usual categories: appetizers, soups, fish, meats, sides, desserts, etc. Breaking them down according to the heat of the chili being used would have been more fun and in keeping with the focus of the book, but the recipes themselves are dependable and delicious, as long as readers can handle the heat. (Oct.)