Shopping for Spices in Turkey and other Countries

Spices make excellent souvenirs for many trips- for yourself oryour friends. They're light, reasonably priced and literally import the exotic flavors of your trip. Of course, it helps if you know how to use them, but even if you don't, you'll find many recipes online. There's rarely any problems with customs. The main hassles are raw food items like unroasted coffee beans (ie, only buy roasted coffee beans) or many air dried meat products like prosciutto.    Educate yourself before your trip, learn what the common spices look like in various forms. During the trip, ask the waiter about the flavors in dishes you particularly enjoy. You may even be invited by the chef to explore the kitchen.

Spices can be found in many tourist souvenir shops, but avoid these prepackaged bits, often 5 or 6 spices on a foldout card . They tend to be both old and expensive. Instead, find a local market, where business is more frequent. In Istanbul, the Egyptian Market on the Golden Horn waterfront is the exemplar. Some bargaining is expected, but minimal changes of 10% or so are common. Do ask for prices before buying though. Some spices, like sumak or cardamon are several times more expensive than more common ones. Familiarize yourself with the metric equivalents if you're used to ounces. 50- 100g should be enough for most purposes (about 2-4 oz).

My favorite spices from Turkey are the many forms of peppers -- everything from mild paprika, to hot red peppers. Usually powdered, they're also found in paste form, and if well packaged, these moles travel and keep well. A tablesppoon or so entriches any sauce. Saffron is available in several forms. While not as good as Iranian or Moroccan cultivars, it's much cheaper. For simple rice dishes, or soups, you just use more. Beware of 'Indian Saffron' -- it's just turmeric sold for saffron prices. And there are now many different forms of Turkish Viagra -- from powdered ginger to walnut stuffed figs.

Sumak -- Mostly unknown in the US, this is a common spice in the Mideast. Use it to flavor grilled chicken or fish, or just sprinkle lightly on a salad of tomatoes and sliced onions.

Pepper -- So many choices,! Try tasting them and choosing what you like best. In Turkey, commonly red pepper, erspecially the mild Aleppo pepper, with some browns. Pepper pastes [moles] are also widely available in Turkey and Mexico.

India was the source of the original spice trade, making the fortunes of many successfull voyagers. Today anyone can bring back a Prince's ransom in delectable spices.

• 
  Cardamom is the fruit of the ginger like Elettaria cardamomum. It's found in moist, tropical regions throughout Southern Asia
• Vanilla beans
• Cocoa pods
• Tamarind
• Nutmeg & Mace are derived from the apricot-like fruit of the evergreen tree Myristica fragrans. When the fruit is ripe, it splits in half revealing a deep red, net-like membrane that covers a brittle shell. The membrane is mace, the shell nutmeg.
• Turmeric is a rhizome of the tropical herb Curcuma longa. It's used in powdered form.
• Coriander
• Ginger is a light-brown rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale
• Cayenne is made from the dried red skins of chilli peppers
• Cinnamon is the dried bark of an evergreen tree of the laurel family, Cinnamomum zeylanicum which is native to India and Sri Lanka.
• Asafoetida is the dried sap from the roots and stem of a giant fennel-like plant which grows wild in Central Asia. The sap dries into a hard,fetid, smelly resin and then used ground. It gives the essential 'Indian' character to many dishes

Cumin is the national condiment, found with salt & pepper on tables everywhere. Use either the seeds of this small annual herb from the parsley family Cuminum cyminum, or the ground powder form.  Popular in tagines.

 Saffron - various qualities of saffron are widely available, prices vary accordingly. 

Dried peppers of all sorts are cheaply available everywhere. There's no problem in bringing them back to the US, even with their seeds. In Mexico, both fresh and dried peppers are abundant, and the names change when a pepper is dried -- anchos are just the dried form of poblanos. Chipotles are the smoky, dried form of jalapenos.

In many markets you can find moles - mixtures of up to 20 or more spices. These are excellent bases for sauces, soup flavorings, or marinades and I always buy several kilos - they'll keep for months in the refrigerator.

Saffron -- Absurdly priced in the US, saffron is much more affordable abroad. You do need to know a little about the differences. True saffron is made from only the stigma (female parts) of the autumn crocus, Crocus sativus. O ther 'saffrons' are made from different flowers, sometimes even leaves. Mexican saffron is one example, it's very cheap, but gives a completely different flavor (though quite good). Turkish saffron is very good, but you need to use a loose teaspoon of threads where a recipe calls for a few threads of Spanish saffron. In Morocco, several grades of saffron are available, in both thread and powdered form. All are good value and reasonably priced. Iranian saffron is some of the best I've found, but priced accordingly. In Turkey, you'll also find 'Indian Saffron', but this is really Turmeric, a different spice entirely.

Paprika -- Good paprikas are widely available, with tastes varying from sweet to moderately spicy.

Cumin -- The national spice of Morocco -- found on most tables with the salt and pepper. Used in many dishes here and in India, Mexico, and the Middle East. Available in both powdered and seed form. Roast the seeds to get a wonderful flavor

Coriander The powdered form, made from the dried seeds, is very different from the fresh leaves and stems (also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley). Used in cultures throughout the world. Substitute the fresh form in dishes that call for parsley!

Turmeric -- The 'poor man's saffron', this spice is basic to many dishes in the Indian subcontinent, up through China. It provides a beautiful saffron color, and a distinctive taste. In the US it's most commonly found as a coloring agent in chicken soup.