Bawang goreng is a traditional condiment. It's made by deep-frying thinly sliced shallots in oil until the shallots become crisp and golden. The flavor is described as bitter and savory. Once prepared, this condiment is usually stored in airtight jars for later use.

It's sprinkled over various Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng, chicken satay, bakso, semur, and sop buntut. Bawang goreng can be bought at most Indonesian supermarkets and grocery stores.

Leskovački domaći ajvar is a traditional condiment, spread, or relish called ajvar, originating from the Leskovac area. The ajvar is produced exclusively from local red pepper varieties such as domaća kanija, kurtovska kapija, and palanačko čudo.

The peppers are roasted over an open flame and they are cleaned, minced, dried, and fried slowly and by hand. The flavor is pleasant and peppery as this ajvar shouldn't contain any parts of seeds nor the dark and charred parts of skin that comes off during the roasting process.

This prized relish is made in two varieties – mild and hot.

Produced since the Middle Ages and famous throughout the world, the traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is made from a reduction of pressed and cooked Trebbiano and Lambrusco white grapes. The grape juice is boiled down to approximately 30% of the original volume, which produces a thick syrup called mosto cotto in Italian. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena is then stored in wooden barrels and fermented with a slow aging process for a minimum of 12 years.

During this time, the traditional Modena vinegar becomes sweeter, viscous and very concentrated, which intensifies the flavor even more. Aceto balsamico is rich, glossy, deep brown in color and has a complex flavor that balances the natural sweet and sour elements of the cooked grapes with hints of wood from the barrels: chestnut, cherry, oak, mulberry, ash or juniper. 

Widely used and commonly found on restaurant tables across Europe, Aceto Balsamico di Modena is produced in the neighboring provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Aceto di Modena is an inexpensive, less aged variety of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena.

It usually sells for approximately $10-20 an ounce, and should never be mistaken for the highly prized Tradizionale that can sell for up to $200 an ounce. Traditionally, balsamic vinegar is made from late harvested, locally grown Trebbiano grapes. 

Also known as ABB mustard, this is a specialty from Düsseldorf that has been produced since the early 18th century. The name 'ABB' derives from the initials of company founder Adam Bernhard Bergrath, who also invented the mustard.

This malty brown mustard is made with brown and yellow mustard seeds and mixed with unfiltered Düsseldorf spirit vinegar. The method of production has remained virtually unchanged since 1726, and a 500kg granite millstone is still used to grind the seeds.

In 1884, while he was living in the town of Nuenen, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh included a gray mustard pot bearing the initials ABB and the anchor symbol into his painting 'Stilleven met flessen en aardewerk' (Still life with bottles and ceramic). 

Light soy sauce, not to be confused with "low-sodium" soy sauce, is a type of Chinese soy sauce that is lighter in color and thinner in consistency than its dark counterpart. It's quite salty, and its primary function is to season and add saltiness to dishes.

Its flavor is more pronounced and less sweet than dark soy sauce. Light soy sauce is versatile and is used in a variety of ways. It can be used in cooking, as a marinade, and often as a dipping sauce. In many Asian dishes, it's the go-to sauce for stir-fries, steamed dishes, and as a table condiment. 

Traditionally, Sichuan's doubanjiang is a paste made from fermented broad beans, salt, chilis, and sometimes wheat flour. The ingredients are mixed and then placed in large clay pots to mature for at least a year while being daily hand-stirred.

Depending on the maturation time, spanning from one to eight years, the paste will differ in color, texture, and flavor, ranging from bright red to a dark reddish-brown color. Mature doubanjiang will also have a much spicier and saltier flavor. The sauce which is often dubbed the soul of Sichuan cuisine is an important element in various dishes, most notably mapo doufu and twice-cooked pork.

Asian cuisine has various fermented bean pastes made from soy beans, all of which are commonly titled as doubanjiang but only the bean paste prepared in Sichuan province is the authentic version. 

Used in China for more than 2,500 years, soy sauce is one of the world's oldest condiments, made by fermenting a combination of salt, enzymes, and mashed soybeans. It originates from ancient China between the 3rd and 5th century, when preserved foods were commonly known as jiang, a predecessor to what we know today as soy sauce.

Since jiang made from soybeans and wheat was the most accessible, it developed quite rapidly, spreading from China to Japan and other neighbouring regions and countries. Before today's mass production, the preparation of soy sauce was a laborious process, resulting in a brew with a delicately meaty, earthy flavor. 

One of the essential ingredients in South Korean cuisine is a spicy, thick, and concentrated gochujang paste. In its basic form, it is made with a combination of gochugaru (fine chili powder made from a specific type of gochu chili pepper), meju (fermented soybean powder), salt, and glutinous rice.

The combination of these fine powders is then left to ferment for several months, or even longer. Because of its popularity, many regional varieties appear throughout the country. Gochujang was first mentioned in writing in 1614, but it is believed that it existed prior to that.