Travelling opens the door to ingredients you’d never find on a typical supermarket shelf — spices, fruits and condiments that can transform a familiar dish into something memorable. Here are twenty worth seeking out, whether at a specialty grocer or on your next trip abroad.
Look for tamarind paste for its tangy depth in Asian and African cooking, sumac for a lemony brightness in Middle Eastern dishes, and yuzu for a fragrant citrus note prized in Japanese cuisine. Ras el hanout brings warmth to Moroccan tagines, while gochujang adds a sweet heat to Korean dishes. Vanilla from Madagascar, saffron from Iran, and true Ceylon cinnamon each offer a depth that pre-ground supermarket versions simply can’t match.
Building a pantry with even a handful of these ingredients opens up an entirely new world of flavour combinations to explore at home.
