“What’s good on chicken?”
Since 2008, the best place to get the answer to this question, if you live in Calgary (or Edmonton), is The Silk Road, Spice Merchants. Owners Colin and Kelsey started their specialized spice emporium. They carry over 100 different types of spices and import organic spices from around the world.
I first came across the company thanks to some creative Christmas presents from Pete. He gave me their Ras el Hanout, which is featured in my Moroccan Chickpeas recipe posted earlier.
The Silk Road has created amazing spice blends, all lovingly made in-house. In 2009, they opened a store in the Calgary’s Farmer’s Market and in 2010, they opened their flagship location in Inglewood (1403A 9th Ave SE). The store is a cook’s dream and is a fabulous place to get inspired with what to make for dinner. Good news for my sister Louise, and other celiacs, their spice mixes are gluten-free!
If you can’t decide what to make, The Silk Road also carries over 20 cookbooks, which are helpfully arranged by area. Want to cook something with salt? A Salt cookbook sits nearby. Mexican? Yup, cookbooks to add inspiration to your creations. Local books (like a new Indian cookbook) are highlighted.
Fancy a special cocktail before your dinner creation? A bartender’s dream awaits with the racks of bitters. Over 80 different types of bitters from over a dozen companies ranging from local creations (Black Cloud), Ontario favourites (Dillon’s) and the US-based Scrappy’s. Porter’s tonic syrup, another Calgary creation also graces the shelves. Pete was impressed by the saffron mango bitters from Black Cloud and bought the new Angostura orange bitters (try it in an Aperol Spritz).
The Silk Road is also known for their cinnamons. There are usually 3 to 4 different types, ranging from Sri Lankan to Indonesian.
Long-time employee and supervisor, Jennifer, has been making extremely helpful suggestions for over four years at the Inglewood spot. Her favourite spice? Urfa Biber, which she describes as a Syrian/Turkish/Moroccan spice that has hints of tomato, chocolate and tobacco (and, I thought, Sultana raisons). She suggests using it for sweet/savoury dishes and trying it in everything from stews to chocolate cake.
So what goes with chicken? If you are in Calgary for Stampede, or anytime, pop into to The Silk Road and find out! If you can’t wait that long, The Silk Road will also ship anywhere in North America.
