SpiceWorld

I’m a budget backpacker.  I’m also a giant foodie and love to cook.  This means, I do a lot of cooking in hostels. And to cook properly (and something other than the heavily fried food that seems to be all Medellin knows how to make), I love my spices. 

Yesterday I came back to the hostel after a night at my friends to find ALL MY SPICES STOLEN!  And not a little bit.  Someone took the whole damn bag of spices.  About $30 worth!  

(1. luckily, spices are much cheaper in Medellin.) 

(2. I know, I should have locked them up in the cupboard.  I thought about it too, but after 2 months of not locking up my spices in the staff cupboard, I figured they’d be fine until I came back, but…)… 

NOPE…ALL GONE!

   And this thievery is what is inspiring me to write the following…

If You Could Bring Any 3 Spices With You Traveling,  What Would They Be and Why?   

I’m not counting salt and pepper.  They seem to be pretty universal.  So lets assume, no matter where you are you have those.   I’m talking about spices you love to cook with, but that miss when you travel. 

My 3 spices I’d bring with me are:

1. Goya Lemon Pepper Adobo Seasoning.  

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If you’ve never had this, it is amazing.  Very lemony, salty, and a little bit peppery.  But its more salty lemon flavor in powder form.  And the Adobo brand is the best one I’ve found so far.  I love it.  I use it for everything.  Bouillabaisse, my chicken and peppers pasta, in gumbo (it’s a great base for Cajun seasoning fyi), just about in everything I cook.  Love this stuff!

2. Saffron. 

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Ok yes, this is me wanting the most expensive spice in the world.  Maybe asking for this would be cheating then… but I love saffron.  Paella, Moroccan chicken, other random mixed stuff….love this.   Its just a unique spice that you can create great dishes with.  And hey, this is my fantasy spice wish.

3.  Cinnamon. 

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This one was hard.   Should I say ginger (I use it in lots of food, goes great with either of the above 2, makes great tea).  Or garlic (staple to every Italian dish.  Goes great in everything).  But no, I’m going with cinnamon.  Why?  Because you can make delicious desserts with it.  And it is also used in Moroccan chicken.  It may not go well with the lemon pepper…but you can’t make French toast without it.  With just cinnamon you can make apple pie,apple crisp, blueberry tea cake, add it to coffee or hot cocoa… little bits added to almost any dish makes it better (Thank you person who taught me this.  You know who you are). 

I love cinnamon.  It may also be a pretty universal spice, so I could be wasting my third spice-fantasy wish here….but I do love cinnamon.  

And besides….ginger is technically a root.

 

So if you also love to cook and travel, what 3 spices would you pick to bring with you?

 

CHEERS!