Claire Dinhut’s Condiment Book finds the perfect food partners

It seems we’re in the golden age of social media stars publishing recipe books – with The Condiment Book being the latest in a growing stack. While there might be some stigma attached to TikTok cooks entering the space, Claire Dinhut has proved it’s not just about singing, dancing and short, attention-grabbing snippets.

Dinhut started out as a lifestyle blogger with dual citizenship in the US and France, but quickly gained traction as she shared unusual drinks, food and, of course, condiments when spending time at her family home, a mill in the French countryside.

Her audience loved her obsession with mustard and quirks such as putting salt on her cereal to bring out extra flavour or grating tonka beans on her porridge, which led her to rebrand as ‘Condiment Claire’.

Think condiments, and you might wonder how a whole book can be written about the likes of ketchup and mayonnaise, but Dinhut has provided an extensive view on the matter, spanning the globe and helping readers understand the specific flavour profiles of each meal accoutrement.

A graph of mustards shows how different types can be used for different purposes and multiple world maps show how typical condiments vary from country to country – for example, showing how Germans like their curry ketchup, while in the UK mushroom ketchup was the norm before tomatoes showed up.

Pickles and ferments get a shout out too – not what you might usually consider to be condiments (not squirtable or spreadable) – but they serve the same purpose. A recipe for sauerkraut gives pairing ideas, such as with hotdogs, deli meats or accompanied by brown mustard.

There’s a whole double-page spread on ‘grown-up’ PB&J combinations – layering nut butters such as peanut to chestnut with a selection of jams and jellies and adding a hint of spice, a crunch and a fruit. Dinhut shows how flavour is there to be played with and condiments open up a whole new ballpark.

There is some fan service and deviation from the condiment themes, for example, she shares her TikTok-famous yogurt cake recipe, but any chef would benefit from her thorough levels of research. Some pages read almost like a science textbook with their rigorousness which could be exactly what a chef needs to level up their culinary creations. The book may be of a smaller stature and a more casual nature, featuring annotations and illustrations, but it’s mighty.

The Condiment Book by Claire Dinhut (Bloomsbury, £14.99)