Photo: Julien H

To celebrate the many different types of cuisines around the world, we’ve created a mini-series, “How to Build an Ethnic Pantry,” that offers some advice on the kinds of ingredients every cook should have when they make a particular cultural dish. We also asked grocery store owners and chefs for suggestions and what they think makes their food unique. Check out what ingredients fill Latin American kitchens throughout the world…

Interested in making Latin American cuisine but don’t know what ingredients you need?

Don’t worry! The folks at Mi Tierra Supermarket in Jackson Heights were kind enough to share some knowledge this week. Located on 85th Street and Roosevelt Avenue as well as on Northern Blvd and 81st Street, Mi Tierra is the hub of Latin American grocery shopping. The market spans half of a block and caters to a predominately Mexican customer base. But all other Latin Americans also visit the store regularly and navigate through the long line of shelves in order to get the products they need to whip up a tasty traditional dish.

Ericka Ramirez and Jackie Hernandez, sales counter associates at Mi Tierra, offered some insight into what every aspiring Latin-American-loving chef should have in his or her pantry Read More

Photo: Visit Sørlandet

If there’s one thing us Swedes are known for, it’s our lingonberries. Lingonberries to us are like blueberries to Americans; we use it in desserts, drink it as juice and spread it as preserves on almost anything we can get our hands on. I remember first trying lingonberries at my grandmother’s house in Sweden and falling in love with their tart yet sweet flavor.

These small, red distant cousin of cranberries are perhaps one of the most important forest berries found in Scandinavia. The leaves are much darker than most with a waxy texture which grows red, tart and juicy lingonberries. We consider lingonberries invaluable because they could be preserved for months by simply being placed in a jar with water. The fact that the natural preservatives in the berries could stay sustainable for days, weeks and even months is proof of the benefits they can also add to our health. Read More

You can pretty much tell if any Dominican is cooking when the smell of oregano fills the air. A staple of Caribbean cuisine, where it grows in backyards and farms of Dominican Republic, oregano is an aromatic herb that infuses every meal with great flavor. Not only is it tasty, it also holds many health benefits Read More

Photo: Dawn Endico

These days, we’re all green with envy over the different ways to spice up your vegetable routine. Gone are the days of watery iceberg lettuce and plain romaine hearts–who needs those when you’ve got peppery arugula at the local market and spinach leaves to plant in your garden?

With everyone “going green,” we want to introduce you to one of our favorite ingredients right now: miner’s lettuce. We’re so excited about miner’s lettuce that it’s even in one of Red Rooster’s new spring dishes, the Grilled Pork Loin. Named after the California gold rush in the 1850s,  the gold miners ate this abundant plant that prevented scurvy, an illness caused by a vitamin C deficiency. Read More

By: Marnely Rodriguez

She starts every meal by sauteing fresh Oregano in olive oil. Every lunch, every dinner; whether it’s chicken breast or eggplant parmesan, you’ll know my Mother is cooking when the smell of Oregano fills the air. A staple of Caribbean cuisine, where it grows in backyards and farms of Dominican Republic, Oregano is an aromatic herb that infuses your meals with great flavor. Read More

Photo: Fredrik Andersson

Because of my Swedish background, I love hearing about Scandinavian ingredients’ rise in popularity. Earlier today, I was featured in the Wall Street Journal Read More

Few berries evoke summertime nostalgia the way that strawberries do. If you have a chance to get to a pick-you-own patch this year, it’s worth it. Strawberry picking is not only fun, it will give you an ample stock for baking, making jam, or just eating straight out of the crate. Read More

Photo: cwwycoff1 on flickr

In today’s culinary world, a lot of buzzwords get thrown around at super markets and on menus. Classifications like farm-fresh, organic, farm-to-table, and free-range sound appealing, but what do they really mean? Here’s an introduction to some of these terms to help you navigate food jargon. Read More

Photo: Muffet on flickr

Rubus idaeus is the scientific name for raspberries and they are just that: ideal rubies. Who wouldn’t want to snack on these luscious berries? Now is the time to get started. Read More

As was recently evidenced by Mark Bittman’s opinion piece, there is a fundamental lack of transparency in commercial food production and agriculture. However, Americans in increasing numbers are growing more concerned about where their food is coming from. Restaurant owners and chefs, too, are changing the way they do business in order to take more conscious eating into account. Read More