Local spices make the best travel souvenirs. How do I know? 2 million miles, that’s how. When you go somewhere new, what’s better than to bring home real culture, not cheap chatchkis!
Every region has its own unique combination of flavors and food profiles. The spices that makeup those dishes are often difficult to find back home. What better way to spend a few hours than in a local outdoor market and bring those unique tastes home?
When I travel I always try to sample as many of the most common local dishes as I can. It helps me understand the region. Was the typical main course caught in the ocean, grazed on land, or planted in the field?
We have also become more fond of local / regional culinary classes when we travel, too. The quality varies significantly depending upon where you are and how you booked the cooking class. But they are always fun and you get to meet so many other people with the same passion for cooking.
Over the years I’ve tried reindeer in Sweden, hamster in Peru, bull’s tail in Spain, lotus pods in Cambodia, chicken feet in China, crickets, buffalo, elk, conch, snake and more. I can’t say that I’ve loved everything, but I have given it a go, at least.
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At the end of our trip, therefore, it seems only natural to come home with some of the unique flavors and local spices we got to experience along the way. I generally buy only those flavors we actually ate and enjoyed while in the country. And, if there is a traditional spice blend, like a chili or a curry, I’ll probably go for that first. These are usually far more challenging to find or recreate back home.
We picked up some fresh paprika when we were in Hungary – the Goulash capitol of the world! This paprika tastes so much richer and more piquant than the paprika I had in my spice cabinet. I found out that the peppers they use are different than the ones found and used in US sourced Paprika.
When we were in Sri Lanka, I was in spice heaven. Spices grown locally in equatorial Sri Lanka are much less expensive than having to pay import/export fees and buy them stateside. Plus they are a lot fresher! Needless to say, I stocked up on a number of tropical grown flavors which would be super expensive here. Think: saffron, vanilla, ginger, tea, and clove.
Souvenir spices back home in your kitchen
One of the unique dishes in Sri Lanka included a black Chili (curry) powder spice blend, among other things. This blend has more intensity and interest than most of the readily available red chili powders found in the US. After getting it home, I use it both for traditional Sri Lankan recipes, as well as a substitute for US sourced chili powder when I wanted to kick things up a notch.
Note – I did not say that these spice blends are necessarily more ‘hot’. The chilis and curries from other countries can be richer and more interesting. There are more … and often different — combos of regional peppers and spices used than what we can find in our grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and even in our nurseries and gardens.
Back at home, having these unique spices on hand encourages you to try new recipes. When we brought home some locally sourced lemongrass powder and Thom Yum spices from Cambodia a few years ago, I learned how to make Thom Kai Gai (one of my favorites!) and Thom Yum!
Most recently, on a night I was feeling a bit uninspired, I used our Peruvian spice blend on some chicken. It felt like a brand new recipe!
Local spices are easy to pack
In addition, let me just say a quick word about packing your souvenirs. For me, one of the best benefits is that spices travel well and dont take up a lot of space in the luggage. Considering I usually exclusively travel with carry-on luggage, this is a must. Spices don’t trigger any alarms with the authorities when moving through customs and immigration either, like some prepared condiments, cheeses or meats do.
And spices are one souvenir I know I will actually enjoy, and which will make the memories last much longer. They will not sit around in a closet or on a shelf collecting dust. And they often come in unique ceramic or basket containers which you can reuse.
Local Spices make the best travel souvenirs.
