SKORDO Kitchen

Our Favorite Things To Do in Portland, Maine

The greater Portland area is a foodie paradise. After spending time in SKORDO with our knowledge team of Portland food experts, be sure to explore the rest of the city! The restaurant scene, speciality markets and critically acclaimed bakeries prove this city is a must stop for all gourmet wanderers.

Below is our list of favorites broken into categories and updated often. The SKORDO team is always out sampling the best Portland restaurants and will be sure to share their personal favorites when you visit our shops. For the latest hours and updates on these businesses, we recommend checking in on their Instagram pages.We love to hear your feedback and hope this helps in planning your next trip to Portland!

Natural Egg Dyeing

Decorating eggs is one of my favorite childhood memories. At our house it was all about the add-ons: Rubber bands for a tie dyed effect, Crayon drawing, dripped wax, intentional cracks, even glued on 'hair' for portrait eggs - you name it, we gave it a try.

This years approach was back to basics. In place of store bought box kits, I raided our pantry and fridge for natural dyes. The end results were muted pastels fit for a grown up Easter basket.

Fennel Pollen

This ingredient is for any home cook craving a trip to Italy. Fennel Pollen reminds us of sunshine. It illuminates everything it touches and a little goes a very long way. It is bright, fun and more affordable than a flight to Rome. Plus, it's one of the most requested items in our shops. Curious? Read on to learn all why this is a spice rack essential.

Popcorn Party!

What’s good on popcorn? Everything! SKORDO Blends + Rubs are designed to be versatile and freshly popped kernels are the ideal neutral base for sweet, spicy, and savory flavors. Keep it simple with Black Truffle Sea Salt or go all in with Caramel Corn. Homemade popcorn is the ultimate Choose-Your-Own-Adventure in the kitchen.

Vena's Fizz House x SKORDO

Team SKORDO first learned about Vena's Fizz House in 2016. We were busy opening our Old Port store and couldn't help but notice the vibrant cocktail and mocktail shop down the street. The combination of vintage glassware, impeccably built ingredients and delicious drinks had us making up any excuse to visit Vena's.

Today, the Vena's Fizz House team is focused on their line of sippers, bitters, infused sugar cubes, and a Maine inspired syrup. You can find their products in specialty food shops or purchase directly on their website.

Steve, one of Vena's founders, was kind enough to answer our questions and passed along a couple home bar tips and tricks. Enjoy!

Sumac Deep Dive

There are numerous varieties of sumac, each with their own flavor and pigment profiles. The berry hue will change depending on the season, soil composition and varietal. Similarly, the taste of sumac is subject to environment influences and personal interpretation. Descriptions range from sour to floral. Lemon and vinegar are often used as substitutes, but both are far more acidic than the spice. Paprika may be used as a color substitute in dishes, but its base hue is orange while Sumac has a red or purple undertone.

Topics: Cinnamon

One of the top questions in the shop is: ‘What’s the difference between your cinnamons?”. We usually respond with a flavor driven response but buckle up – we’re going for a cinnamon deep dive today!

Mortar + Pestles Around The World

Mortar and Pestle: visibly two tools, technically one. The two pieces made of the same material work together by ways of pounding and grinding to create smooth pastes or fine powders. Since we're food people, I was most curious about how different cultures use Mortar and Pestles in their traditional dishes.

From Powder to Paste

So often we meet first time customers in the shops, perplexed by the world of curries and even more so confused that they've only ever used curry paste and wouldn't know how to use curry powder. Our team members love those questions and the opportunity to answer where they can, as well as guide you in the right direction to explore further-- trying something outside of your usual can be uncomfortable and discouraging!

Blue Zone Dining: Food For a Long(er) Life

This month, team SKORDO is talking about the functions of food. Preparing, sharing, and enjoying a meal can be an expression of love. Or eating can make us break out in hives. It’s fuel. It’s tasty. It has the power to invigorate and the strength to humble. More recently, food and cooking have inspired countless docu-series discussions and motivated more than one of our vacation itineraries. Clearly, our team is obsessed with food, but we’re waking up to the fact that we rarely look to our plates for a longer life.

Southern Barbecue Rub Breakdown

With our 60+ custom blends & rubs, it can be overwhelming to decide which sounds best to you! On each of SKORDO’s jars you’ll find the ingredients listed from what you’ll taste first to what you’ll taste last. This helps gauge how spicy or salty or sweet a blend may be. The world of barbecue is vast and delicious, but the expectations vary from region to region. In our “Grillin” kit, you’ll find North Carolina Barbecue Rub, Memphis Barbecue Rub, Barbecue Brisket Rub, and Kansas City Barbecue Rub.

Middle Eastern Mezze

Hellooo new SKORDO set - this Middle Eastern compilation may be just the thing to expand your palette!

A brush of Syrian Za’atar on the flatbread, a Baharat marinade on the vegetables, a Dukkah crust on the Halloumi, and an Advieh seasoned broth for the rice. These flavors, combined with the various textures, creates a meal that is begging to be shared with your loved ones. Thankful to have my SKORDO blends to help me travel to different cultures, while still staying pandemic safe in my home kitchen!