Your Passport to Global Ingredients

Explore essential ingredients from global kitchens — from spices and herbs to grains, sauces, and specialty items. Learn how to use, store, and cook with traditional ingredients from around the world, and discover new flavors that bring authenticity and depth to your recipes. Perfect for curious cooks, pantry planners, and flavor seekers.

Passport Picks: Ingredients

Cooking authentic food starts with the right ingredients. Passport Picks: Ingredients is your guide to the spices, sauces, grains, and staples that define cuisines around the world. From Sichuan peppercorns and miso paste to saffron threads and Greek olive oil, these guides explain what to buy, how to use it, and why it matters in cultural context.

Every pantry tells a story. Asian kitchens lean on soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to build layers of flavor. Italian cooking depends on extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and San Marzano tomatoes. Meanwhile, Middle Eastern cuisine draws its depth from tahini, sumac, and pomegranate molasses. Each ingredient has a role, and when used correctly, it transforms everyday meals into authentic experiences.

In this category you’ll find:

• Pantry Guides that outline the essentials for each cuisine.

• Ingredient Spotlights with buying tips, storage advice, and recipe ideas.

• Affiliate-linked recommendations for high-quality oils, spices, condiments, and specialty products.

These aren’t just lists — they’re cultural roadmaps. Each ingredient guide connects what’s on your shelf to how it’s used in real kitchens across the globe.