Do you have a craving for Russian caviar, a hankering for Indian curry, a longing for French mustard, a soft spot for Belgian chocolate, a penchant for Italian pasta, a predilection for Canadian muskox? Canadian muskox?

Yes, now all of these exotic foods and beverages from around the world -- and many more -- are available. Better than that, they're only a mouse click away!

Canadians' culinary curiosity and appetite for fine food is growing, and so is the number of cybershops where you can buy international ingredients.

TasteDepot prides itself on offering Canadians online shopping 24/7, and delivering your order right to your home or office door. Choose the Mediterranean spice collection containing delicacies such as Ras el Hanout, allepo pepper and zatar. Prefer Chinese or Thai cuisine? The Asian spice collection with Chinese 5 spice powder, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass is for you. There's also that all-time worldwide favourite, Canadian maple syrup.

A fine food cyberstore based in Quebec is Hyper Gourmet, where you'll find pate de foie gras from the province; Ethiopian, Brazilian and Jamaican coffees; and olive oil from France, to name but a few of the tasty comestibles they offer online.

If you're an Italophile (and who isn't?) order online from Epicurissmo, a Toronto importer and distributor for all things Italiano, including olive oils, balsamic vinegar and Espresso Neopolitano Gold -- the "best" espresso served in the cafes of Naples. They ship from Canada, but the online prices are American.

The gourmet chocoholic can check out the Belgian Chocolate Shop for exquisite confections, delectable gifts and even sugarless chocolates for guilt-free indulgence!

Canada Shop has cheeses from Denmark, caviar imported from Germany and executive gifts to impress; with specialties including B.C. smoked salmon.

Tea connoisseurs can do some virtual globetrotting at The Estate Tea Company's attractive and informative online store at Estate Tea. Among their many offerings are jasmine tea from China, green tea from Japan, Formosa Oolong from Taiwan, and Chai from India.

Exotica Canadiana

The aforementioned muskox, along with such new Canadian delicacies as caribou, bison, ostrich and emu meat, can be ordered online right here at home from Hills Foods. These uncommon proteins can be used in stews and casseroles, as meatballs in sauces, or on the barbeque.

"Emu is Australian and ostrich is African, in most people's minds," says Hills Foods owner Mark Hills. "But both have been successfully raised in Canada over the 10 years or so since pyramid schemes were introduced in North America. And it's caught on over the last 3 years."

"But if you want to know about truly Canadian fare, take naturally organic Wild Arctic Muskox," explains Mark. "It's harvested by the indigenous people of Banks Island in the Northwest Territories. Now, THAT'S Canadian! Nowhere else in the world can you buy this unique protein."

Mark adds that muskox is their biggest seller, with markets in Japan, Europe, China and the U.S. And canned muskox is now available, for adventurous gourmets who always want to try something new! And for something completely different, visit the Reptile Corner to order alligator or rattlesnake. Yes, they're edible!

Cybercooks of the world unite

Once all of these wonderful international ingredients are delivered to your door, what do you do with them? Eat them, and sometimes cook them, of course! But not to worry, the 'Net will come to your rescue with the information and recipes the cyberchef needs to cook virtually anything produced on planet Earth.

A great site is Epicurious http://www.epicurious.com/, where you can browse "Gourmet" and "Bon Appetit" magazines online and check out the tempting recipes with step-by-step techniques for hundreds of dishes from around the world. Key in a word such as "French," and search the recipe file. It'll be hard to choose from such mouth-watering treats as French Onion Soup, French-Hungarian Salad and French Apple-Almond Tart.

Spice up your life

Herbs and spices give international dishes their characteristic flavours. Here are some examples.

A 5 spice powder, used in Chinese cooking, is a blend of star anise, Szechuan pepper (fagara), cassia, cloves and fennel seeds. Cardamom, dried ginger and licorice root may also be added.

Garam masala is a blend of spices used in Indian cooking, consisting of equal parts cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon and cumin.

Coriander, in leaf or seed form, is used extensively in Oriental, Indian and Middle Eastern cooking, as well as in Mexican dishes such as the popular avocado dip, guacamole.

Saffron is the world's most expensive spice. No wonder -- made from the dried stigmas of the crocus, it takes 80,000 blossoms to make one pound! Fortunately, you only need a pinch of the crumbled threads to impart a golden yellow colour and a delicate, bittersweet flavour to Spanish paella and other rice dishes.

Ras el hanout translates from the Moroccan as "head of the shop," perhaps because it includes a bit of everything the Moroccan spice merchant has in his shop: 25 or more different spices. The fascinating site www.silk.net/sirene will show you how to use this unusual concoction in a recipe for Tajine Msir Zeetoon (chicken with lemon and olives). This site also offers an extensive spice and herb catalogue, from which you can order the most obscure flavourings to try in your own kitchen.

Glossary

Daikon is a long, white radish, which Japanese cooks pickle and serve as a relish.

Empanada is a South American pie or pastry, usually filled with spicy meat or fish.

Panforte is a cake with candied fruits and nuts, and is a specialty of Siena, Italy.

Tagine or tajine is a cone-shaped clay cooking pot, which lends its name to the Moroccan dishes cooked in it.

Quirks

Love Chinese food but clumsy with chopsticks? Go to the Food and Drink section of the nifty interactive site http://www.learn2.com/ for an illustrated tutorial on how to use them. A great place to get help in honing your culinary skills, it'll also teach you how to eat sushi or make perfect rice, pizza dough and Chai (a popular Indian spiced tea), among other goodies. So go ahead. Get into the kitchen and impress your friends with your flair for ethnic cooking!