Spices, ingredients, etc...

Making some dishes here in Norway can be quite difficult because there hasn't been much demand for the necessary ingredients and I find myself importing chiles, corn and other items when I return from visits to the U.S. Although recently I have been finding more and more ingredients at specialty shops in Oslo and I will point out where to get the things you need throughout this blog.

CHILES
Below is a selection chiles/peppers. To the left are fresh green poblanos; moving to the right are anchos, aka pasilla (dried poblano after turning red); next New Mexico Chiles, then Gaudillos these and the aforementioned chiles are quite mild and sweet and are generally used in sauces. The next four can be quite hot and smell smokey. To the right of Gaudillos are chile tepin (spherical, small and pretty hot); below them are chile pequin (pretty similar to the tepin, perhaps slightly smokier); moving to the left are chipotles which are smoked, then dried red jalapenos. To the left again are Chile de Arbol, they are quite hot and I use them in a lot of my salsas.

BEANS and CORN

Beans and Corn are staples in Mexican food and many varieties exist in the Americas. Indigenous farmers have traded, grown and through selection, adapted varieties to local growing climates. In Africa for instance Corn (Maize) has become a staple throughout Africa and new varieties are under continual development for cultivars which are better adapted in terms of yield, drought/disease resistance, etc. to specific localities. Want to know more? Here is a paper from some colleagues: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0047832   

Pinto Beans (left) and Borlotti Beans (right). I have not been able to find pinto beans in Norway but they grew really well here last summer; the Italian Borlotti bean is a great substitute and can be found in many "grønnsaker torg/buttiker" in Oslo.  

Black Beans (the black ones), White Beans (the white ones) and Borlotti (in the back).

Giant White Corn (right) and Blue Corn (right) used for corn tortillas, posolé (type of soup), etc.

OTHER GOOD STUFF...

Tomatillos "little tomato" these are used in salsa and other sauces and have a distinct citrus/apple taste. A friend said they found these at Thulasy Daglivare in St. Hanshaugen otherwise they grow like weeds in this country. You will need two or more as they do not self-pollinate well... need seeds I have some.

Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens), while it smells like oregano (Origanum vulgare) the taste is actually quite different and is one of my favorite herbs. 

Bay leaves or laurel can be found everywhere and used in everything...