CULINARY SOUVENIRS: DELICIOUS MEMORIES OF YOUR TRAVELS

BY JANICE TOBER

IT’S ALWAYS A SAD DAY WHEN YOUR VACATION ENDS, BUT ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO KEEP THE MEMORIES ALIVE IS THROUGH YOUR TASTE BUDS. HERE ARE A FEW TREATS TO TAKE HOME WITH YOU TO REMIND YOU OF THE TROPICAL BEACHES, EXOTIC LOCALES AND DINING SPOTS YOU VISITED.

ALASKA

If you’re a pickle lover, try kelp pickles, a product produced in Juneau that takes fermented food to the next level of brininess. They are made from wild bull kelp pulled in from Alaska’s cold, clear ocean waters. Referred to by food fans as ‘the next kale,’ seaweed is full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and iodine, and the mammoth bull kelp — which can grow up to 80 feet long — is full of all that good stuff. Juneau’s Barnacle Foods cuts the kelp into strips and pickles them. They offer three versions dill, spicy dill, and sweet & tangy to suit a variety of tastes.

HAWAII

Banana bread is one of those foods pretty much everyone likes. When it’s made well, it’s a balance of warm spices, sweet and tropical banana flavors. Maui could likely claim the award for world’s best banana bread. Why? It’s made by local mom-andpop shops that have picked bananas fresh from their backyards. Some bakers add macadamia nuts, coconut, or pineapple, but the original loaf with large banana chunks is still considered the best. You’ll find it at the Upcountry Farmers Market and food stands along the Hana Highway, including local faves – Wailele Twin Falls farm stand and Aunty Sandy’s.

COSTA RICA

COSTA RICAN LIZANO SALSA

Americans have ketchup and Costa Ricans have Lizano Salsa. This tangy, slightly sweet sauce is put on everything from breakfast fare, like gallo pinto and eggs, to hearty rice and beans. It was developed by Prospero Jimenez in 1920, but it wasn’t until Prospero Lizano came along to mass-produce it in the ’50s that it grew to its current fame. Now, Lizano Salsa can be found in almost every restaurant and home kitchen. Its unique flavor comes from carrots, chili peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, dry mustard, celery spice, turmeric, and molasses.

BELIZE

BELIZEAN MARIE SHARP’S HOT SAUCE

No matter where you dine in Belize, chances are good that there’s a bottle of hot sauce on the table. Likely, it’s Marie Sharp’s. No meal is a good meal without the fiery kick that the company’s sauces bring, whether it’s added to a local dish like escabeche from the north or the popular cohune cabbage from the south. Don’t be scared. There are enough variations of the sauce to please everyone, from the subtle Original Mild to the burn-the-roof-of-your mouth of Beware.

GUATEMALA

GUATEMALAN DANTA CHOCOLATE

Chocolate lovers, this one’s for you. While Guatemalans traditionally enjoy drinking chocolate from this cocoa bean-growing country, award-winning Danta Chocolate makes some of the world’s best chocolate bars and bon-bons. The chocolatier, based in Guatemala City, sources all of its ingredients locally, from cacao to cocoa butter. Artisan single-origin bars, chocolate-covered fruit, such as mango and pineapple, and ganache-filled chocolates are delightful little works of art, found in the Danta store.

ECUADOR

ECUADORIAN CAFÉ

Although not as famous for coffee as its Colombian neighbor, Ecuador brews a mean cuppa joe. If you manage to stay away from the instant stuff often found at local restaurants, you’ll get to taste the unique flavor of Ecuadorian coffee. It’s a bit fruity and sweet and has a hint of chocolate. Although it’s not the most expensive, Café Cubanito coffee is often considered to be among the best. Locals often brew it using a chucho, a sock-like cloth filter, but it is equally good using a French press or prepared as an espresso. Bring some home, and each morning will bring you back to sunny Quito. CUBANITO

CANADA

CANADA’S P.E.I. SEA SALT CO

Some of the world’s purest sea salt can be found off the coast of Prince Edward Island. The P.E.I. Sea Salt Co. is an ethically run business that hand-harvests and dries unprocessed sea salt along the island’s north shore. Infused with local products found or made on the island, salt flavors include black garlic, a sweet and savory blend to sprinkle on almost everything, even desserts, and coffee, made with a local roaster’s Burka Gudina organic beans from Ethiopia. Another favorite is the Rossignol red wine sea salt made from the winery’s Marechal Foch grapes. Once you’re back home, you’ll recall the island and all it has to offer with every sprinkle.