1. Egg Crackers
Usually served with café con leche. These have anise seeds for a little more pep.
Mi Pueblo grocery, 145 Allen Street.
2. Durian
Known in Asia for its tasty, custardlike center—and its intense, sweet, sickening scent.
Corner greengrocer, Grand and Chrystie Streets.
3. Pickled Grape Tomatoes
Nearly every kind of vegetable shows up in a barrel of brine here.
Pickle Guys, 49 Essex Street.
4. Dried Sweet Potato
Lightly sugared, they taste more like fruit than like starch.
Eastern Super Market, 335 Grand Street.
5. Chorizo
Spanish style, lightly spiced.
Despaña, 408 Broome Street.
6. Speck
The silky cured ham from Alto Adige, the Italian region bordering Austria that’s known for Teutonic flavors.
DiPalo Fine Foods, 200 Grand Street.
6. Scamorza
A mild cow’s-milk cheese; it’s a close relative of mozzarella, but it’s hung up to age and dry.
DiPalo Fine Foods.
7. Whitefish
Flake it for salad, or slice it to go on a bagel straight.
Russ & Daughters, 179 East Houston Street.
8. Mastic Sweet With Pistachio Nuts
Greek “spoon sweets,” like concentrated jam, can be eaten with a spoon or go over yogurt or ice cream; this one’s flavored with a piney resin.
Mastiha Shop, 145 Orchard Street.
9. Mallo Cups and Walnettos
A portion of this famous store’s stock is devoted to old-fashioned treats.
Economy Candy, 108 Rivington Street.