Here I will be keeping a list of the main things that I take with with me when I return to Russia, and that I try to keep stocked. Keep in mind that luggage space is a premium so I do not take these things lightly (no pun intended). A lot of thought has gone into the items that I use luggage space and weight for. Here is the list of items that I have deemed necessary for my occasional comfort flavor fix.
If you are traveling overseas for an extended period of time, this list might come in handy. Maybe you don't need the exact flavors that I need to take with me, but perhaps it will help inspire some thoughts of things you didn't realize you couldn't live without, before you actually have to.
First on the list is my most frequently used seasoning salts.
I use Lowry's garlic salt in many of my recipes. One of my simple comfort flavors is garlic bread that I grew up eating; simply buttering good bread and sprinkling this tasty garlic salt on top before browning. My girlfriend loves this garlic bread and has informed me that my happiness could quite possibly depend on a steady supply of it.
There are plenty of spice vendors in the markets in my city in Russia. Cumin, cinnamon, and chili pepper are all frequently used spices that I can buy there. Since I simply can't find garlic salt or anything like it, and I can't create a reasonable imitation overseas, Lowry's Garlic Salt makes my personal import/export list.
Lowry's Seasoned Salt also makes my list. My regular meat rub consists of seasoned salt, garlic salt, and pepper. I vary that combination and add/remove other spices depending on the situation, but those 3 are the spices I grab for most. Again, since I can't find anything like it, and can't recreate it with things I can find there, This spice finds a spot in my luggage anytime I start running low in Russia.
Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is an amazing flavor that I have never been able to reproduce. I use it in my barbeque sauce and sometimes just as a flavor directly on beef. It may not be as commonly used as my favorite seasoned salts above, but when I do have that craving for my barbecue, this ingredient is a must-have.
Yeah, good ol' fashioned classic French's Yellow Mustard. Europe has a lot of great mustards, and Russia especially has a million different types of 'sausages' like hot dogs made from different meats, cuts, and preparation methods served with a variety of mustards. Mustard is not particularly hard to find in Russia, but I have never been able to find a simply classic yellow mustard. What is available there is variations of Dijon mustard. Again, a flavor from my youth, French's mustard and Heinz ketchup goes on hamburgers and hot dogs. I also use the yellow mustard in some of my sauces. Heinz ketchup does not make the list, simply because I can buy it in markets in Russia, but not French's.
Maple syrup! Russians do not have maple syrup, at least not anywhere I have found. And of course Vermont is famous for it's natural syrups. Russia has a traditional pancake, but it's more like a crepe than a pancake. American pancakes have more rise and fluffiness (the baking soda and powder needed can be found at most markets in Russia I have found). Russian pancakes (blinis - блины) tend to be thinner and used as a wrapper for other ingredients. Mix up a batch of American pancakes and pour some maple syrup on them and feel that comfort of home.
Peanut butter is something that has caused a considerable uproar amongst my friends in Russia. So yeah, no peanut butter in Russia, at least not commonly found. I did find something similar to Jiff at a hypermarket once, but I haven't seen it anywhere else or since. And of course, Smuckers is an all natural, no sugar added peanut butter that has just a superior flavor in my opinion. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. Another great example of how technique, and how things are prepared affect the resulting superior flavor. Bringing peanut butter was a double-edged sword for me. It was really great to introduce my friends to a completely new flavor, but now it's hard to keep it in my cabinets.
OK, so this one might sound a little strange since I try to be a pundit of fresh, locally grown ingredients to create incredible flavors in recipes. Russia has a huge variety of cheeses commonly found at any market, or even convenience corner store. Unfortunately, there is only 1 hypermarket in my area where I have found cheddar cheese. I'm hoping it will become more popular and flourish. Until then, I make the trip to the one store occasionally and buy myself 1/4 pound of cheddar cheese for an alarming price (around $10 for a small block of cheese). That price makes it unreasonable to make one of my favorite comfort food dishes. Macaroni and cheese.
So if I can't go with the cheddar cheese (combined with a couple other local cheeses there) to make a home-made macaroni and cheese casserole (with bacon on top), I decided to go with another flavor of my youth. The blue box! Kraft macaroni and cheese. Due to space consideration in my luggage, It didn't make sense to take along boxes of pasta and packets of cheese powder that I can buy at the local store in California. Instead, I found this great cheese powder from Barry Farms. This creates the blue box macaroni and cheese flavor perfectly. Another comfort food for months, and it only takes 1lb. of my precious luggage weight.
I will be continually adding to this list as I remember more of the things that I have taken with me. This is by no means a complete list. Feel free to comment and add your own ideas too. You know, sometimes when you are traveling abroad, you just got to have some of those American Flavors.
