Ingredients

Welcome to our ingredient guides! The Mediterranean kitchen is built on a handful of wonderful ingredients: golden olive oils, sun-ripened tomatoes, fragrant herbs, aged vinegars, smoky spices, and so much more. This is where we get to know them.

From Italy and Spain to France, Greece, and beyond, each guide explains what an ingredient is, where it comes from, how to choose the real thing, and, most importantly, how to cook with it. Some of our favorites come straight from our own travels, including our twice-yearly trips to France to stock up on treasures like pink onions and smoked garlic (our car has never smelled the same since).

Whether you’re curious about a bottle of balsamic or a string of dried peppers, pull up a chair. Let’s get to know our ingredients, one delicious guide at a time.