The right soy sauce makes a big difference: soy sauces are brewed like beer. Each tastes different. Photo courtesy of RiceSelect.com.

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International Foods

“Ethnic” Gourmet Food & Specialty Products From Global Cuisines

It seems that almost every supermarket has a growing international foods department, to meet up with the demand for more Asian, Caribbean, Latin and other foods from foreign shores as well as those made locally. As with traditional American foods, some are better than others, and we look forward to reviewing those brands here. Most of these “international” products are domiciled in other sections of THE NIBBLE’s product reviews—Condiments and Salsas & Dips, for example—since they are so much a part of our everyday cuisine. Please tell us about your favorite international foods—we’d love to try them.

Condiments	Sauces & Dips
The Best Soy Sauce & Tamari January 2006 Kerala Chutneys October 2005 Real Wasabi Authentic Powdered Wasabi Root (Top Pick) October 2005 Real Wasabi Condiments (Top Pick) March 2007	The Art Of Chipotle August 2008 Devya Organic Indian Gourmet Simmer Sauces October 2007 Real Wasabi Condiments (Top Pick) March 2007 Salsa: Visit Our Salsa Section Salt & Vinegar Hummus January 2007
Breads, Crackers & Cheese	Meals
Baji’s Papadums April 2007 Fabulous Flats Tandoori Naan March 2008 Mexican & Hispanic Cheese March 2008	Baji’s International Rice Meals November 2007 Crystal Noodle Soup September 2008 Kitchens Of India (Top Pick) March 2008
Sweets	Recipes
Kool Freeze Kulfi Bars October 2007 Mashti Malone’s Exotic Ice Cream & Sorbet (Top Pick) March 2006 Pariya Foods Persian Sweets (Top Pick) July 2005	Naan Sandwich & Pizza Recipes March 2008 Udon Noodle Soup Recipe With Chicken In Lemongrass, Saké & Peppercorn Broth January 2009 Wasabi Recipes October 2005

Nibble Tip

Don’t scrimp on condiments: They’re used to enhance the flavor of food, so you want to enhance your food with the best flavor. Even something as “generic” as soy sauce should be treated as special. Authentic soy sauces ferment whole soybeans with yeast or koji (the mold Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae) to achieve a complex flavor. Cheap soy sauces used hydrolyzed soy protein and achieve the dark brown color with caramel coloring. You can taste the difference, as we did when we tasted more than two dozen brands before recommending the six “super soy sauces” in our Best Soy Sauces article.

These soybean varieties are actually grown in the U.S. Photo by Scott Bauer, U.S. Agricultural Research Service.

Soybeans

Nibble Tip

Introduce family and friends to something new—the international departments of supermarkets are full of exciting foods. Papadums, for example, can be served with dips or as an alternative to potato chips or tortilla chips with soups, sandwiches and salads. Read our review of Baji's Papadums, shown at right.

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