If your New Year’s resolution was to clear the cobwebs from your pots and dust off the oven mitts, head to gourmet food specialty store Spice Terminal at Reading Terminal Market for all the herbs, spices, preserves and sauces you need to whip up a great meal. Reminiscent of an old time country store, the stall’s shelves are fit to burst with ingredients ranging from the staples to the exotic (sweet Hungarian paprika? Turkish apricots? Japanese cherry blossoms?). With over 50 varieties of olive oil and 25 flavors of Spice Market’s own dressings like lemon peppercorn and steak marinade, the selection can be intimidating. How do you decide between Aceto Belsamico Tradizionale Dimodena vinegar aged 30 years versus Colavita Balsamic Vin of Madena vinegar aged 25 years? Owner Joe and his employees will provide the perfect advice for your culinary adventures.
To shake off the winter chill, don’t miss the legendary hot sauce collection, which Joe advertises as the Delaware Valley’s most extensive. Crank the heat up with the fiery “Harry’s Death Heat Limited Edition,” “Hot Ass Devil Dust XX” or “Biker Bitch Hot Sauce.” They’ll really stir the pot.
Also worth the trek are the dozens of extracts aspiring bakers can use to craft homemade candies, with mouth-watering flavors like butterscotch, apricot, peanut butter and root beer. Spice Market is a gourmand’s treasure trove, but there’s also something for the stovetop-challenged, including dozens of coffees and teas filling burlap sacks and barrels, and a rainbow variety of dried fruits ready to munch on.
Don that chef’s hat, or just make your pantry look really cool, with a trip to Spice Terminal.
Spice Terminal Reading Terminal (215) 592-8555
