Imagine being able to use the same seasoning to garnish your soup, sprinkle atop salads or vegetables, bread chicken and fish or shake over ice cream. Well, look no further than this week’s Gourmet Giveaway prize: Oregon Dukkah.

Dukkah is a versatile Egyptian dry seasoning mixture of chopped nuts or chickpeas, plus a variety of flavorful seeds, spices and herbs. It can turn a simple dish—like a side of vegetables—into something dazzling.

But, serve it with a bottle of wine and instruct guests to “dip like an Egyptian”: Serve dukkah the classic way, in a bowl with a bowl of olive oil and sliced bread. (Dip the bread in the olive oil, then in the dukkah. Yum!)

The Prize: All 5 Flavors Of Oregon Dukkah

One winner will receive one of each flavor of Oregon Dukkah: Coconut, Smoky Hot, Sweet, Traditional and Zesty. The whole line contains hazelnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, and some variation of spices, so you can use this Egyptian favorite on anything from appetizers to desserts. Be the first on your block to “dip like an Egyptian.” Approximate Retail Value: $27.50.

“Dip like an Egyptian” with dishes of dukkah
and olive oil and a basket of bread. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

The Bacon Salt family. Photo by Hannah
Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

When Bacon Salt debuted two years ago, we loved the idea. While the founders looked at it as “bacon flavor everywhere,” we delighted in the idea of “kosher, vegetarian bacon flavoring for those who can’t have bacon.” But we never found the salt bacony enough. In full disclosure, except for a sprinkling of sea salt here and there, we’re not big salt users. So while we applaud the innovation, perhaps we’re just not the target market for this product.

But Bacon Salt has throngs of devotées, so when two new limited edition flavors were released (Cheddar and Jalapeño), we sat down with all five varieties. There were some hits as well as misses.

Dukkah can also season many different types of foods as a sprinkle, mix-in or crust. While food trend predictors have cited dukkah as a top new U.S. food flavor for the last couple of years, it hasn’t hit home yet. Let’s hope that Americans, hungry for something new and affordable, will take it to heart and table. Be the first in your neighborhood to discover dukkah; mix some up this weekend and invite the gang to bring the wine.

• Take a look at the many different kinds of artisan salt.
• You’ll love our Tabletop Section! Find out everything you need to know for a beautiful presentation. 

You know how to cook with cinnamon. But do you know how to drink with it? Try the Cinnamon Cider Martini, one of our favorite spicy cocktails.

With FlavorStorm’s new line of Essential Cane flavored sugars, the game has gotten even more interesting. In 14 varieties, both sweet and savory, you now have magic wands flavored with everything from clove to green chile to habañero—and yes, that’s naturally-flavored cane sugar.

Essential Cane not only adds a touch of flavor, but a touch of beauty. It’s not only for the holidays, but for everyday kitchen witchcraft. The other fun part: It’s affordable…for you, for gifts, for everyday, for parties. Turn the coffee klatsch into a cane sugar klatsch. It you don’t already know what you’d do with sweet onion sugar—cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, main courses, desserts—read the full review. And get ready to shake it!

Enter Dorot, an Israeli-based company specializing in fresh-frozen herbs. They are packaged in what look like tiny ice cube trays, four by five inches, filled with 20 bouillon cube-size nuggets. While frozen herbs will seldom equal fresh ones, these handy substitutes are light years beyond dried herbs, and occupy little freezer space.

The choices include crushed garlic or ginger and chopped basil, cilantro, dill, mint, parsley and red chile peppers, as well as Asian, French, Italian and Mexican herb mixes. Some freeze better than others; we liked cilantro, ginger and parsley the best.

The compact trays stack neatly in the freezer. While they’re a terrific convenience any time of the year, they’re especially nice to have around in colder months, when garden-fresh herbs are in short supply. They’re also great for people who can never use up a large bunch of herbs. No one will know you didn’t take out the cutting board and chop away. Frozen, they should keep their flavor for up to two years. The products are certified kosher. Click here to read the full review.

- Read our review of Theo Chocolate, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

The ghost chile, a.k.a. naga jolokia, is a pepper that grows primarily in the Assam state of India. It is from the same species, but a different variety, of the chile used by Tabasco sauce. When ripe, it measures two inches long and a half inch wide with an orange color, similar in appearance to the habañero chile. It has gained notoriety as “the hottest chile in the world” with a reported 855,000 SHUs, besting the previous record holder, the red savina habañero. However, there was no independent verification of the first test.

According to trade weekly Nation’s Restaurant News, they’ll be these rarities:

- Grains of paradise from Africa
- Korean black garlic
- Torch ginger from Singapore
- True red pepper from India
- Unpasteurized barley miso—from Massachusetts

Read more about them, and who’s using them with what kind of dishes.

Two of the obscure ingredients, grains of paradise and true red pepper, are in THE NIBBLE’s Varietal Peppercorn Glossary.

For more flavor fun, see McCormick’s 10 flavor pairings for 2009, with 12 tempting recipes.

How does a spice company decide what’s hot? McCormick draws on the expertise of sensory analysts, chefs, trend experts and food technologists. Joined by some of today’s most innovative and cutting-edge restaurant chefs, cookbook authors and TV food personalities, this collective culinary vision helps chart a delicious course for the year ahead.

-Pairing 1: Cayenne & Tart Cherry
-Pairing 2: Chinese Five Spice & Artisan-Cured Pork
-Pairing 3: Dill & Avocado Oil
-Pairing 4: Garam Masala & Pepitas
-Pairing 5: Mint & Quinoa
-Pairing 6: Peppercorn Mélange & Saké
-Pairing 7: Rosemary & Fruit Preserves
-Pairing 8: Smoked Paprika & Agave Nectar
-Pairing 9: Tarragon & Beetroot
-Pairing 10: Toasted Sesame & Root Beer