The Art of Mixing Chickpeas and Yogurt

Probably an exaggeration, but Niki Segnit claims that at the age of 20, she didn't even know how to peel a potato. Her interest in cooking only began when she left home and realised she couldn't survive solely on frozen pizzas, as many of her friends did. However, when she bought a kilo of lentils, she always had half left over and didn't know what to do with it. This sparked a fascination with food that has almost turned her into a guru of the specialty.

Segnit, an expert in food and beverage marketing, carved out a niche in the highly competitive world of gastronomic literature with 'The Flavour Thesaurus', a compendium on the nearly infinite possibilities offered by food combinations. She later published 'Lateral Cooking', another bestseller, but due to popular demand ("people asked why zucchini wasn't included in the first volume"), she began writing 'The Flavour Thesaurus 2' (Debate), which is now arriving in Spain.

"The combination of flavours is the secret of cooking, but not much has been written about it," says Segnit, who believes that home cooking, especially in her native UK, is too influenced by recipes and leaves little room for creativity. "I try to experiment," she explains. In this experimentation, she blends theoretical analysis of food, knowledge of "exotic" combinations from other culinary cultures, and laboratory work to understand the molecules of an ingredient, comprehend that flavour, and "spark our interest in trying it."

Beyond theory, the second volume of 'The Flavour Thesaurus' offers up to 800 possible combinations aimed at piquing the reader's curiosity. For instance, chickpeas (at least in Spain) are associated with stew or soup, but Segnit has explored their properties and mixed them (in various combinations) with: avocado; cashew; brown rice; zucchini; prune; coconut; cumin; chili; turmeric; spinach; fenugreek; pomegranate; broad bean; egg; lettuce; lemon; turnip; okra; raisin; potato; parsley; peppercorn and, what seems like a provocation, yogurt! "By some magic trick, here is a tasty cake!" she says of this last mix.

And while she admits that readers might pull a face at the 'potions' that emerge from her imagination, Segnit advocates for boldness in the kitchen. "Of course, we try many things we think we won't like, but we tell children to try something to see if they like it or not, and we should think the same. You'll never know if you like something if you don't try it," she jokes. Segnit believes that "we are full of cultural prejudices, perhaps more with textures than with flavours," and that for this reason, many delicious combinations are missed.

With thousands of readers in her role as a columnist, collaborating with outlets like The Guardian, The Times, and The Observer, the British gastronome doesn't maintain direct contact with top chefs, although she enjoys when her books appear in their libraries or images of pages marked with post-its are seen. "It's incredibly flattering to have what you've written used," asserts Segnit, who nonetheless believes that the boom of gastronomic TV shows has passed. "Many people now think: 'What's the point of watching others cook if I've just done it for my kids?'"

Segnit praises cooking that mixes theory with heart ("that's what Michelin stars are about, isn't it? Achieving that which is so hard to reach") and thus loves Spanish cuisine. "You can see the ingredients. You have good ham, good cheese, good wine, the beer very, very cold. And I love the way of preparing eggs with potatoes, there are a thousand ways to do it," she smiles. But what Segnit highlights most about Spain is the variety. "You can eat well in any restaurant, in the north or the south. And everything is very varied and very good. On holiday, I came with my children, and they were delighted with the tapas and beach bars."