Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World

Food
Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World
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Spread onto slices of bread, they make for an easy lunch or snack – but they can also be eaten with a spoon straight from the jar, should you be so inclined. We are talking, of course, about spreads. Here, we present 12 iconic spreads from around the world – from cultural icons such as hummus or chocolate-hazelnut spread to lesser-known, equally irresistible ones.

By Irene de Vette

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Amlou – Nut butters, from cashew to peanut, are essential in any plant-based or fitness-conscious diet, but amlou is a spread for those more indulgent, leisurely days. Made from ground, roasted almonds mixed with argan oil and liquid honey, amlou comes from southern Morocco, where it is used as a dip for pastries and pancakes. Add a bit less oil if you want to get a more spreadable consistency, and remember to only make it with food-grade or culinary-grade argan oil.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Crema Gianduia – The sweetest of the sweet spreads is, of course, chocolate-hazelnut spread. While Nutella is worshipped around the world – and has its own global holiday, to boot – we recommend trying to get your hands on some artisanal crema gianduia. Where the Italian megabrand packs in tonnes of sugar and fat, the original Piedmont recipe contains much higher ratios of hazelnut and chocolate. Better yet: try making your own.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Speculoospasta – People from the Low Countries have a particular fondness for adding sweet stuff between slices of bread. In fact, many swear by chocolate sprinkles on buttery toast for breakfast. When their favourite cookie, speculaas, appeared in spreadable form under the name ‘Speculoos’, it was an immediate hit in its birthplace of Belgium and the neighbouring Netherlands. It was the creation of Els Scheppers, with which she took first prize in Belgian invention TV programme De Bedenkers. The cookie features cinnamon, pepper, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, and so, too, does the spread. If you can’t find the commercial version, make your own!

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Kaya – Coconut jam is widely popular in Southeast Asia. Known as kaya in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, similar varieties exist as sangkhaya in Thailand and minatamis na bao in the Philippines. All of these refer to a rich spread made from coconut milk and eggs, sweetened with (palm) sugar and flavoured with pandan leaves. Spread on toast, it transforms into the famous Singaporean breakfast staple ‘kaya toast’, often served with runny eggs and milky, sweet coffee. Here’s a simple recipe.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Maple Butter – You could just drizzle delicious maple syrup on toast, pancakes or French toast, but if you don’t like the soggy effect, try homemade maple butter. Vegan and dairy-free, it’s easy to make, with just one ingredient: maple syrup. You boil, cool and stir the syrup carefully so that the sugar crystallises and you get a soft, spreadable consistency. It might be tricky to score a jar outside of New England or Canada, but we know you can make your own!

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Lemon Curd – Move over, jams and marmalades, we’re giving the floor to lemon curd. It’s a classic topping for English scones, pastries and tarts, but try some on a simple slice of toast on a dreary morning. Its zingy-sweet flavour will brighten the grumpiest of moods. Beaten egg yolks form the base of fruit curds, combined with sugar, fruit juice and zest, and while lemon curd is the best-known iteration, you can make it with lime, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, yuzu – you name it! Our plant-based buddies needn’t miss out: here’s a vegan recipe.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Marmite – Let’s move on to the savoury spreads – and savoury this is. Concentrated brewer’s yeast, better known as Marmite, is highly popular as a toast topper in the UK, while Australians tend to prefer Vegemite. The dark, sticky paste with its heady flavour has many friends and many foes, but try it for yourself to see what the fuss is all about. Purists swear by generously buttered toast with a thin layer of Marmite, but you could also add some to your grilled cheese sandwich, veggie stock or mushroom stew for a nice kick of umami.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Hummus – If you ask us, hummus can only refer to the classic chickpea dip. Seriously, we don’t fancy any of those flavoured concoctions sold under the name, and why would anyone? Just the idea of creamy, fluffy chickpea and tahini dip with a drizzle of olive oil on fresh pita bread makes us salivate. If you’re interested in learning more about the fascinating history of the dish, check out this article by chef and food writer Bethany Kehdy, where she also shares her go-to recipe.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Obatzda – If you ever find yourself in a Bavarian Biergarten and you need a snack to soak up some of your generously poured beer, order some Brezn (soft pretzels) and Obatzda. You’ll get a scoop of an orange-pink-coloured cheese spread consisting of two-thirds aged soft cheese, one-third butter, various seasonings (such as paprika powder), and a tiny bit of beer. While the aged cheeses give Obatzda a strong taste, its Austrian/Hungarian counterpart Liptauer is somewhat milder in flavour.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Pimento Cheese – Another must-try for cheese lovers, pimento cheese hails from the American South, where it must be pronounced ‘PUH-minnow’. It contains freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese or other ‘American cheese’, along with mayonnaise, pimentos (sweet cherry peppers) and numerous regional additions such as horseradish or cayenne pepper. Sometimes referred to as ‘ the pâté of the South’, pimento cheese can be scooped up with crackers or raw vegetables, added to a burger or baked into dips, but it is most often found serving as the sole filling in a pimento cheese sandwich.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Taramasalata – Usually part of a meal of Greek meze, small dishes, taramasalata (or taramosalata) is a deliciously creamy, salty and zesty spread made from fish roe. It’s an emulsion, thickened with soaked bread and flavoured with, depending on the recipe, a bit of onion, garlic or lemon juice. A quick word of warning: this pink stuff is highly addictive, but the calories add up quickly.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World.
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Zacuscă – We need to include a roasted vegetable spread in this list, and zacuscă is a popular one in Romania and Moldova. It includes roasted eggplant, roasted ‘ogosari’ peppers (which are quite large, sweet and fleshy), tomato paste and sautéed onions. Zacuscă is quite similar to the Serbian ajvar, although this spread doesn’t always contain eggplant. Traditionally, families make a lot at once after harvest (like the guy in the video), but you can start with a small quantity first to see if you’ll want to stock your pantry with 25 cans of the stuff. We bet you will.

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Spread The Love: 12 Addictive Spreads From Around The World

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