New Bilingual Book on Lavender {Fragrant Reading}

If you are interested in exploring the topic of lavender while - bonus - practising your language skills, there is a new book in French and English entitled Lavande Senteurs et Traditions by Philippe Poulet. It joins the rather prolific literature on the aromatic plant. Like with other tomes on the subject, it presents the history of the relationship existing between lavender and its somewhat coarser cousin, lavendula...

The different varietals of lavender are researched, including a yellow-colored one. You will have insights into the historical terminology created around the plant. We thus learn that it was called "nard" in the Middle Ages. Recipes for your daily kitchen are offered towards the end of the book with a focus on encouraging you to add lavender - organic grade only - which was infused in olive oil or butter into traditional dishes.

What you won't find in it are the folkloric arts and crafts inspired by lavender and the creations of perfumery based on the material.

The book (60 pages) is what one might see as a mini coffee table. It is very well illustrated and pleasant to browse through. The lush photography of the landscapes and cultivations near traditional dwellings is also an invitation to contextualize the plant in its original habitat. It will help you perceive lavender as a sexier flower than what it is commonly thought of.

Chapters are: Origine et Histoire; Les Lavandes; Cultures et Transformations; A Table...; Adresses Utiles.

Lavande Senteurs et Traditions by Philippe Poulet, Mission Spéciale Productions, 2011.

Price: 10,36€

See also Fragrant Recipe: Violet-Lavender Sorbet