HISTORIC SPICE MARKETS

Five of the oldest and most exciting places across the globe to restock your kitchen cupboard

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1 MERCADO BENITO JUÁREZ OAXACA, MEXICO

First opened in 1894, Mercado Benito Juárez is one of the oldest markets in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Among the thriving market stalls, visitors will find delicious local spices and a variety of dried chillies (if you can handle the heat!). As with some of the other markets showcased here, spices are not the only delight to be found among the bustling stalls and vendors - the market also specialises in agave worms, which are often sold inside bottles of tequila. They can also be eaten fried and are one of the many delicious treats available.

Perhaps the most famous item to be found among the many spices and street vendors are the Casilda Waters fruit-flavoured water that has been sold in the market for decades by generations of the same family. A popular example is the almond and rice water infused with prickly pear. Delicious mole sauce and marinade, a traditional Mexican delicacy, can also be found here.

2 DUBAI SPICE SOUK UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

'Souk' means marketplace or bazaar and the Dubai Spice Souk is entirely devoted to the sale of many fragrant spices. The souk was constructed in 1850 after Dubai had already begun to establish itself as an important centre of worldwide commerce, particularly in the trading of spices. To this day, many of the items on sale have global provenance, hailing from Morocco, India and Iran, including saffron and cinnamon.