But Ms. Trilling only suggests substitutes like crackers and ketchup when they are used by Oaxacan cooks, not to spare Americans from searching for obscure ingredients.

Japanese cuisine is revealing its true scope; regional specialties, obscure ingredients, unexpected influences and restaurant options, from street food to superdeluxe.

All energy drinks also include vitamins and obscure ingredients marketed as restorative or health-promoting.

The large influx of Southeast Asian immigrants has justified the commercial farming of previously obscure ingredients like lemongrass.

There are no obscure ingredients - simply kick-start your weight loss by replacing two meals a day with a Tony Ferguson soup or shake.

There are marginal notes explaining how to secure obscure ingredients or perform difficult procedures, and menu recommendations that allow you to assemble an impressive three-course meal using this book alone.

A list of mail-order sources would be helpful, too, so you could track down obscure ingredients - without having to lug a heavy book around Chinatown.

I consulted the back of the cookbook, where Yosses includes a source list for more obscure ingredients.

They hunted down obscure ingredients like vesiga, the marrow from a sturgeon's spine, which were essential for the first class consomme.

Maricel Presilla's brilliant South American restaurant is powered by undeservedly obscure ingredients.