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Alta Adams’ chili crisp blends Fresno chiles smoked in-house and dehydrated, house-roasted peanuts, porcini mushroom powder and Ethiopian berbere spice.

In “On the Curry Trail,” he shares his recipe for Madras curry powder, as its flavors evoke his childhood memories, and he explores the complexities of Trinidad and Tobago curry powder, ras el hanout and berbere, as well as a trifecta of Thai curry pastes.

Taddesse buys whole chickens from the pedigreed D’Artagnan; whips up a batter from buttermilk, rosemary, cumin, garam masala and berbere; dredges the chicken parts in several flours; and fries them in shortening.

Brown’s exemplary grilled half-chicken, the bird soft and full-flavored, gets a nuanced, glossy brick-red berbere sauce that builds heat, with that Ethiopian spice blend sourced from Sebhat Bakery & Grocery in the South End.

My latest fascination is quanta firfir: lean beef that’s chopped, hit with spices including berbere and dried, a process that makes for memorable beef jerky when tossed with caramelized onions and garlic and served as a mound with pieces of torn injera and sliced jalapeños.