When I moved to the United States, more than a dozen years ago, I was thrilled to find chorizo in international grocery stores.  Lately, I have been intrigued and surprised to see that my Mexican chorizo is now accompanied by many other kinds in the refrigerated sections of bigger, more mainstream stores (continue for more information and photos).

Latin chorizos differ greatly from Spanish ones. Spanish chorizos typically are dried and smoked cured links of chopped meat, seasoned mainly with garlic and paprika; they tend to be ready to eat and have a salami-like soft and chewy bite. Latin ones however, are raw and need to be cooked before eating.

Mexican is the spiciest of all the Latin chorizos, and I won’t deny that it’s my favorite.  Mexican chorizos can have variations as well, but they generally contain dried chile peppers like ancho, pasilla, guajillo and/or chipotles; a mix of spices that might include oregano, cumin, thyme, marhoram, bay leaves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, allspice, paprika, achiote and cloves; most times garlic and sometimes onion, and always vinegar, which makes the meat flake or crumble as it brown and give it a welcome hint of acidity.

Toluca, a city in Mexico known as The Chorizo Capital, also has a delicious Green Chorizo. That has green fresh chiles and herbs in the mix.

For different ways to try use chorizo, check out the ideas and recipes, like the Mexican style pasta below, on my chorizo episode. And if you feel like making your own Mexican chorizo, you may want to give Mrs.Wheelbarrow’s recipe a try.

Dried shrimp come in different sizes, from the miniature ones smaller than 1/2″ to much larger ones bigger than 3″. Because they are lightly cooked, then salted and left to dry in the sun, they concentrate their flavor intensely and deeply. They are also quite salty (continue for more information and photo).

In Mexico, you can find them in outdoor markets as well as mainstream grocery stores. Here in the US, I’ve found them in Asian and Latin stores. They are also easy to find online.  However, go for those that have this light pale color. Don’t go for the pink or red kind that seem too lump and meaty. Good quality dried shrimp should be almost flat and colorless. They have been dehydrated, so that’s what they should look like.