All Ingredients

To make a pound of saffron, over two hundred thousand stigmas from crocus sativus flowers must be harvested by hand. That's why saffron is the world's most expensive spice, and also why so there are so many fakes on the market. Fortunately, a little of the good stuff goes a long way--it only takes a few threads to add saffron's distinct yellow color and earthy aroma to a family meal of paella or bouillabaisse. You can buy saffron either as as unprocessed stigmas (called saffron threads) or powdered. The threads should be red with orange tips. Threads lacking orange tips may be dyed, so avoid them. The quality of powdered saffron is measured by its Minimum Coloring Strength. The higher the Minimum Coloring Strength, the less saffron you need to use. A typical level is 180, and a level of 220 or higher is quite good. Some cooks prefer the threads to the powder, since it's hard to detect if the powder has been adulterated. Powdered saffron, though, is easier to use, since it can be added directly to a dish, while the threads need to be steeped in hot water first.

This well-regarded Danish blue cheese is soft, rich, and creamy. It is usually made with cow’s milk but can be made from sheep or goat milk. It's mild enough to be served to unadventurous guests, yet pungent enough to be interesting. .

Sage is often combined with other strong herbs to flavor meat dishes and poultry stuffings. Use it sparingly; a little goes a long way. Dried sage is an excellent substitute for fresh.

This flat Italian pasta is about two inches long, and has a ridged border.

This flour is made from the inner pulp of the sago palm. It's often used to make pudding, but it can also serve as an all-purpose thickener. Look for it in Asian markets.

This is made from orchid tubers and has a pleasant, flowery smell. Look for it in Middle Eastern markets.

These noodles are so popular in Hawaii that a soup based on them has been served at McDonald's restaurants there. They're similar to ramen noodles, only they're made with eggs and not deep-fried.

This superb cow's milk blue cheese is creamy, spicy, and rich.

It is a rich triple cream cow's milk cheese. Use within a few days after purchasing. For best flavor, serve at room temperature.

A young version of this French cow's milk cheese is so runny it's sold in small pots; a more aged version is wrapped in leaves. Both are rich and exquisite on French bread. This was originally made from goat's milk.

This French cow's milk cheese has a rich, nutty flavor.

This French semi-soft cow's milk cheese is creamy and mild.

This is a Japanese rice wine, or more correctly, beer. It's usually served warm in tiny porcelain cups, but some trendy American restaurants served it chilled like white wine. Sake doesn't age well in the bottle and should be consumed within a year of bottling.

This is what's left over after sake has been pressed from the fermented rice mash. The Japanese marinate fish and meats in it to improve flavor and texture. It's available either in doughy sheets, or as a thick mush.

These are about the size of a plum and are covered with brown scales.

This is a family of ready-to-eat sausages that are made with beef and/or pork and heavily seasoned with garlic and spices. They're often used in sandwiches or antipasto plates. Many salami, like the popular Genoa salami, are air-dried and somewhat hard. Others, like cotto salami, are cooked, which makes them softer and more perishable. Most salami are made of pork, but all-beef kosher salami are also available. In Italian, salame is the singular form and salami the plural, but Americans often talk of one salami and many salamis.

Species include; coho salmon, chinook salmon, red sockeye, pink salmon, and chum salmon. Unopened canned salmon can be stored for up to a year in a dry, cool place. Once opened, it will keep for up to two days if you wrap it well and refrigerate it.

These eggs just explode in your mouth. They make wonderful hors d'oeuvres.

This is a Portuguese pork sausage that's often served with rice and beans in Brazil.

When cooked, salsify has the taste and texture of an artichoke heart. There are two types: white salsify (pictured at left) and the more highly regarded black salsify = scorzonera = black oyster plant = viper grass. After peeling salsify, put it into acidulated water right away to prevent it from turning brown. Canned salsify is a good substitute for fresh, but it's hard to find.

Most recipes that call for salt are referring to table salt, which has additives like iodine (to prevent a thyroid disease), and an anti-caking agent so the salt won't get lumpy in humid weather. Salt connoisseurs, though, often prefer to use Kosher salt for cooking, and sea salt for table use. They claim that both have a softer flavor than table salt. Exotic salts include the expensive French and Hawaiian sea salts, the smoky, sulfuric Indian black salt, and the intensely salty Korean bamboo salt. Specialized salts include pickling salt, which is free of the additives that turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy, and rock salt, used primarily to de-ice driveways and make ice cream. Tips: Adding salt to water will raise the temperature at which it boils and lower the temperature at which it freezes. Though we need some salt in our diet, most Americans consume much more than necessary. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure. Salt is a terrific flavor enhancer, helping to reduce bitterness and acidity, and bringing out other flavors in the food. Adding salt to bread dough controls the action of the yeast and improves the flavor. Bread made without salt will have a coarser texture and a blander flavor than bread made with salt. Try sprinkling salt on citrus fruit, melons, tomatoes, and even wine to enhance flavor. Adding a little salt balances the flavor of sweets like cakes, cookies, and candies. Boiling eggs in salted water makes them easier to peel. Adding a pinch of salt (preferably non-iodized) to cream or egg whites before they're whipped increases their volume and serves as a stabilizer. Salt is a mineral, so it can be stored indefinitely without going stale. It won't taste any fresher if you grind it with a salt mill. Salt has been used for millennia as a preservative for meats, fish, cheese, and other foods. It works by absorbing moisture from the cells of bacteria and mold through osmosis, which kills them or leaves them unable to reproduce. Salting slices of eggplants helps draw out the bitter juices. Sprinkling salt on meat before broiling or grilling it draws moisture from the center, making it browner on the outside, but less juicy on the inside.

Salt cod was traditionally caught and salted by Portuguese fisherman in the North Atlantic. It is popular in Europe and around the Mediterranean. It needs to be soaked in fresh water for one or two days to remove the salt before cooking.

Trendy cooks fill this gadget with expensive sea salt crystals so that they season their food with freshly ground salt. It's not clear why they do this, since salt is an inorganic mineral and, unlike pepper and other spices, doesn't become stale once ground.

This is a salt-cured chunk of fat that comes from pork bellies. It's used in much the same way as bacon, though salt pork is fattier and not smoked.

Some salt substitutes are herbal blends, which enhance the flavor of food without salt. You can buy these in the spice section of your supermarket or make your own--the Internet abounds with recipes for homemade salt substitutes. Other commercial salt substitutes, like No Salt®, Salt Substitute®, Cardia®, and Lite Salt®, replace some or all of the sodium chloride (ordinary salt) with potassium chloride, which has a slightly bitter taste. These substitutes are sometimes recommended for people on sodium-restricted diets. It's recommended that you consult a physician before using these products, especially if you have diabetes or kidney disease, or if you're taking diuretics or potassium supplements, or if you're on a potassium restricted diet. Look for them in the spice section of your supermarket, or in pharmacies.

See the Recipesource.com recipe for Salted Eggs.

This is very salty and very expensive.

Nama wakame is Japanese for "raw seaweed." Look for bags of this heavily salted seaweed in Japanese or Korean markets.

These salty crackers are very crisp, and they're great for snacking. They're often made into tiny sandwiches with cheese or peanut butter in the middle.

This is sometimes used in curing rubs for meats. Look for it in drug stores.

To make your own: See the recipe for Sambal Blachan on Recipecottage.com

This Indonesian sauce is used for dipping and stir fries. It's fairly spicy, but milder than sambal oelek.

This is a semi-dry Italian liqueur that's flavored with anise, berries, herbs, and spices. It's traditional to float three coffee beans in each drink. Molinari and Romana are well-known brands.

This versatile Danish semi-soft cow's milk cheese is mild and nutty. It is similar to Emmentaler.

This Iranian flatbread is about two feet long, enough for the whole family.

This is the red grape variety that's often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to make Italian Chianti. California Sangiovesi are hearty and good with Italian food. The quality of this wine varies tremendously, but a good Sangiovese is sublime.

This is distinguished mostly by its long shelf life--you can store an uncut Santa Claus melon for several months. They have thick rinds, so don't bother smelling them for ripeness--they don't give off much of an aroma.

This fruit looks like a bald, brown kiwi fruit.

This is a family of sweet, tropical fruits. Varieties include the black sapote = chocolate pudding fruit, the brown-skinned, pink-fleshed mamey sapote = mammee = mamey, and the white sapote = zapote blanco.

This Swiss cow's milk grating cheese is colored and flavored by a clover-like herb. It's hard to find, but many seek it out as a low-fat substitute for Parmesan and Romano.