Subscription boxes are all the rage, whether they’re for lip gloss or for meals. Those regular shipments coming to your mailbox feel like the holidays year ’round! One of the coolest aspects of traveling around the world is discovering hard-to-find purveyors of gourmet treats. Now, you can experience the glories of culinary travel with a new subscription box: Try the World. I was happy to be hosted to experience it!
While a little pricier than most boxes (in the $30 range), it only comes every other month, so that’s not so hard on many folks’ budgets. Each box is devoted to the special treats of a single nation. The boxes not only come with a full description of the contents, but they also have a full “culture guide” for each country! The guides give little fun facts about the nation, including easy recipes and serving suggestions for your food. Each box is curated by a famous chef, such as David Rosengarten.
The larger sizes of things in the box, the high quality of food and the number of items are fantastic! It’s very easy to put together a fun meal with just a couple little supplements to the box. The packaging for many of the items is extra cute, too . . . collector quality.
Even if you live in a large city, you’ll be hard-pressed or completely unable to find these artisan, small producer foods. And, if you live in an isolated area, you’ll find these boxes to be a gourmet’s godsend! Here are the things that were in my box representing Spain:
- Ines Rosales cortadillo citrus crumble cakes packaged in individual, portion-control bites . . . perfect with after-dinner coffee or with breakfast tea.
- Espinaler canned white tuna (in oil, very gourmet). Can put on rice, in salad, on crostini.
- El Navarrico salsa tumaca con ajo (a fresh tomato sauce, very bright). Great for tapas or as a tomato topping on meat, cheese, etc.
- El Almendro, turron (a special holiday candy with almonds).
- P. Listo floral jam So delicate, but with a good amount of sweetness. Naturally produced, so consume within `5 days of opening.
- El Avion paprika in an adorable collector’s tin. Smoky, full-flavored spice for all kinds of things.
- Oleum Hispania extra virgin olive oil: very grassy notes, quite complex.
