“Spice It Up!” is a new discovery series introduced this month at the Coaldale Public Library. March’s featured spice is Cumin.
One of the goals of the Coaldale Public Library is to celebrate the cultural diversity of the community, says Head Librarian Kendra Birss.
“We do have a program we are able to offer every three of four months and it’s a presenter from Coaldale that will come tell us about their culture, their country and bring some food. It’s called ‘Culture Bites.’ It’s great, but it’s not very often and it’s hard to find presenters,” says Birss.
Birss notes the discovery series is a great way to highlight different cultures and cuisines that use the featured spice each month, while featuring books in the library’s collection with recipes.
Each kit comes with packages of the featured spice, a few sheets with information about the spice, its flavour profile, notes of what pairs well with the spice, recipes and what cookbook recommendations are available at the library and through Chinook Arch.
“I suspect it will be popular and I think people will like it. Already on the first day it went out, I think half of my spice kits were already taken,” says Birss.