The Powerful Pantry

Building a pantry supply of selected ingredients that are used for the cuisine of specific regions of the world will allow you to create dishes that are popular in these global styles of cooking. Asian, Latin and lesser-known European styles of cooking are becoming increasingly more popular throughout the US. Furthermore, the spread of ethnic world cuisine restaurants is reaching broader audiences not just in major metropolitan areas but in secondary markets as well. Having on hand specific spices, sauces and ingredients that are used to create many of the mainstream global dishes found in the Latin, Asian and European areas of the world will enable you to create exotic meals at home versus dining out. When the proper ingredients are used along with the techniques of preparation found in these regions your cooking repertoire will surely increase to the delight of your family and friends.

In this post I will concentrate on three major regions of the world. Listed below are the continent's where these countries are located that use these pantry items. Certainly, there are many more countries in these regions than those that I have listed, however these are just some of more well-known ones that use these staple items.

• Asia- China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea
• Latin America- Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and the Caribbean
• European- Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and Greece