Gremolata
Lemon zest, garlic, and parsley — the last snowfall on an ossobuco.
Pantry · Special mixes
Special mixes
The special mixes named across the 30 International Cuisines books.
Haleem masala
Warm spice for the slow wheat-and-meat porridge of Hyderabad and Karachi.
Harissa
A brick-red paste that turns couscous, eggs, and a sandwich into a North African table.
Hawaij
Yemen's two blends in one name: a soup spice and a coffee spice, both warm, both necessary.
Herbes de Provence
The dried hillside that walks into a French roast: thyme, savory, rosemary, and the memory of summer.
Jerk seasoning
Allspice and Scotch bonnet, thyme and smoke: Jamaica in a rub.
Lebkuchen spice
German Christmas in a spoon: cinnamon, clove, coriander, and the Nuremberg bakery air.
Massaman curry paste
The Muslim-Thai paste: cardamom, cinnamon, and a quieter heat.
Miso
The blend the books still call Miso — a working jar, not a garnish word.
Mitmita
The hotter sister of berbere: a rust-orange dust for kitfo, boiled eggs, and anyone who asked for more fire.
Mole
The family of Mexican sauces that are not one recipe — nut, chile, spice, and patience.
Mole negro
The darkest of the great moles: chile, chocolate, and a day's work reduced to a sauce that tastes like a celebration.
Nihari masala
The blend the books still call Nihari masala — a working jar, not a garnish word.
Old Bay
Celery seed, paprika, and bay — the Chesapeake tin that seasons a whole coastline.
Panang curry paste
A thicker, peanut-leaning red curry from central Thailand.
Pepper paste
Ground chile or pepper, oil, and salt — the jar that stands in for a puree.
Quatre épices
Four spices that taste like French sausage and gingerbread at once: pepper, clove, nutmeg, ginger.
Ras el hanout
The shopkeeper's best drawer: a blend so personal that no two jars in the medina are quite the same.
Recado rojo
The Yucatecan red recado: achiote, pepper, and the marinade for a pit or a pot.
Red curry paste
Dried red chile paste — the workhorse of a Thai weeknight.
Rendang paste
Minangkabau spice ground for a coconut braise that cooks until the oil returns.
Rémoulade
A cold herb-and-pickle sauce German and French tables still write by name.
Salsa de chile de árbol
Thin, fierce red salsa from árbol — taqueria heat in a bottle or a blender.
Salsa de chipotle
The table sauce made from those same smoked chiles.