The Silk Road Spice Merchant

Is summer the season for fresh fish and seafood? Not necessarily. Soups and chowders, pub-style fish pies, rich seafood pastas and curries – all of those are perfectly lovely in the colder months. But there's something about hot weather that makes lighter proteins like fish, shrimp, and crabs all the more appealing. With some cool white wine, an outdoor grill or a cast-iron pan, and something fresh from the seafood section of your grocery store, you've got the makings of a wonderful patio dinner.

Check out our seafood blends here: https://tinyurl.com/3ev373x8

All of our locations will be closed on Monday for Heritage Day.
Have a great long weekend!

Another stunning chalkboard for our Inglewood shop by Lisa Strecko!

Sunfest is on! Come on down to 9th Ave SE in Inglewood and stop by our booth to check out our selection of $9 spice blends. Only until 7:00pm tonight and only in Inglewood.

Inglewood Sunfest is this Saturday, July 27, 2024, from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm. The festival runs along 9th Ave SE in Calgary and features free entertainment, shopping, food trucks and patios. Be sure to visit our booth (right in front of our store) where we will be selling select spice blends for $9 each. Only at Sunfest.

We now have whole Calabrian Chiles. Calabrians are the
quintessential hot Italian chiles and are used in everything from pasta dishes to soups and stews. They taste like extremely ripe and smoky sun-dried tomatoes. Heat level: 6 out of 10

They're available here: https://tinyurl.com/nkzfr5dz

The Calgary Stampede is upon us, and Sharples Ranch Smoky Barbeque Rub is our pick to bring out your inner cowboy. Smoke, spice, and a touch of sweetness – perfectly ideal for beef.

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/ymvhcrfe

Happy 20th Anniversary to the !

We’re celebrating by offering 20% off our Alberta R&R Sets. Today only, and only at our CFM booth locations.

Our Maple-Smoke Salmon Rub is a delicately balanced, deliciously sweet and savoury rub that evokes both ends of the country and meshes perfectly with the flavour of good salmon. It forms a nice crust on the salmon when used as a dry rub, but it can also be sprinkled as a general seasoning on just about anything. Try it on steamed asparagus or green beans.

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/4wkcd3ye

All of our locations will be closed on Monday for the Canada Day holiday.
Have a great long weekend!

Beer can chicken is a method of barbequing chicken that has become immensely popular over the years, probably because it requires only a barbeque, a chicken, some beer and some relaxation. Perfect for the long weekend. So pull up a lawn chair, grab a beer and get roasting!

Our Driftwood Texas Bar-B-Que Rub is available here: https://rb.gy/xbfhjv

Check out our large selection of barbeque rubs, available in-store and online!
https://tinyurl.com/jeca4px2

The planters in front of our Inglewood shop are looking great! Thank you to our friends from for curating the greenery.

Riviera Coastal Blend is a perfect do-everything rub for chicken, fish, beef or pork. The paprika and mustard give it a touch of barbeque influence, but the overall flavour is Mediterranean, with lemon, herbs, sweet spices and pepper. Great on everything from eggs to sandwiches to burgers to grilled pork skewers.

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/24feh9ps

Need a gift for dad? We have everything from bitters and cocktail supplies to spice sets and mills!

BITTERS & COCKTAIL SUPPLIES: https://tinyurl.com/bde9kwk6

BITTERS: A SPIRITED HISTORY: https://tinyurl.com/3fds3sjj

SPICE SETS: https://tinyurl.com/yfk84rud

FLETCHERS' MILL PEPPER & SALT MILLS: https://tinyurl.com/5btkezyx

Our Saltwater Chile-Lime Seasoning is a beautiful balance of heat and citrus ideal for an array of grilled seafood, chicken, veggie skewers, potatoes, and corn on the cob. You can even add it to your popcorn for a little extra zest!

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/4rj3z3h9

We are looking for reliable, professional people to join our team!

• 21 to 40 hours per week available
• Wednesday to Sunday, opening and closing shifts available
• must work at least one weekend day
• flexibility to cover occasional shifts at our Calgary Farmer's Market booth in South Calgary is an asset but not required
• training will take place at our retail location on 9th Avenue in Inglewood

You will:
• learn all about our spices and blends (don't worry — we'll train you)
• participate in general booth maintenance such as restocking products, cleaning, counting inventory, etc.
• provide stellar customer service by chatting with customers about food, talking about our products, making recommendations, and processing sales

You have:
• exceptional attention to detail and a positive attitude
• a good knowledge of food and cooking with a passion for furthering that knowledge
• the capacity to work unsupervised and take responsibility for your productivity

You get:
• $17.00 /hour
• access to health benefits
• an employee discount on all of our spices

Send your resume & cover letter to: [email protected]

Tell us why you’d be a good fit with The Silk Road and list your availability.

The next time you want to add some brightness to a dish, try adding sumac instead of lemon! Sumac is the berry of a shrub that grows in the Mediterranean and parts of the Middle East. It has a tart, fruity flavour, and is used to add acidity to food in the same way that lemon is used in Canada and tamarind is used in Asian countries.

It's available here: https://tinyurl.com/yk8wnhst

Our Cinnamon Chili Rub has a delicious sweet and spicy flavour that is one of our favourites for steaks. It also goes really well with bison. Try mixing it with the meat for homemade burger patties. Or make a marinade for chicken by adding it to oil and balsamic vinegar. Cinnamon and chiles are a natural combination, and this blend will definitely impress the friends hanging around your barbecue this summer!

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/ys3pn89v

All of our locations will be closed on Monday for the Victoria Day holiday.
Have a great long weekend!

The flavour of this concentrated cordial is incredible! It's ideal for making a light spring drink, perfect for afternoons spent enjoying the emerging sunshine. We suggest using it with sparkling or still water, but feel free to experiment! Gin is an especially suitable match if you want to make it a cocktail.

All of the necessary spices are available on our website.
Find hibiscus flowers here: https://tinyurl.com/5hfa87zn

One smell of our Greek Seasoning and you will immediately be craving chicken souvlaki and gyros!

Our Greek Seasoning includes the classic Greek ingredients of oregano, garlic and lemon, but we've thrown in some mint, marjoram, black pepper, onion and coarse sea salt to give you a perfectly-balanced blend. Works great on its own or mixed with lemon juice and olive oil to make a marinade or dressing. Try it on chicken, lamb, beef, potatoes, or veggies. Great for skewers!

We also offer a salt-free version of this blend.

Get our Greek Seasoning here: https://tinyurl.com/y4t8pbfp

In the incredible story of the spice trade, peppercorns are the most important and historically significant spice of them all. Wars were fought and trade routes established over this tiny fruit from the piper nigrum plant. Peppercorns were once as valuable as gold, and in fact were used as currency at various points throughout history. Obviously peppercorns are not nearly as valuable today as they once were, but they are just as important.

We cary many different types of peppercorns at all our locations!

You can also browse them here: https://tinyurl.com/3ta7tz39

Our Summer Fruit Sugar is back! Designed to accent the flavours of summer, it’s perfect for sprinkling on ripe berries, stone fruits, rhubarb and more. Use it in crumble toppings, pies, stewed fruits for pancakes and waffles, or just on fresh-picked fruit with cream. It’s a delicious blend of maple and turbinado sugars with mint, ginger and freshly ground green cardamom. Available all summer long!

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/mthda5j

Need a gift for mom? If she likes to cook, she’ll love a Personalized Spice Set where each item was specially chosen with her in mind. We have gift boxes that will hold 2, 3, 4, 6, or 10 of our regular jars so there’s something for every budget!

The primary ingredient in our Achiote Seasoning is annatto seeds, which makes the blend bright red and gives it an earthy, citrusy flavour. Achiote Seasoning is usually used as a paste or marinade, so we recommend mixing the dry blend with some oil, vinegar and citrus before using (there's a basic recipe in the description on our website). It's great for marinated and grilled chicken or pork, tossed on potatoes for roasting, or as a seasoning for Mexican rice!

Get it here: https://tinyurl.com/3e6ehkte

We would like to share our favourite, simple crab cake recipe that produces great results with very little work. Our Baltimore Bayline Seasoning is a blend that goes perfectly with the flavour of crab and this recipe really showcases it!

For the best texture, use coarse lump crab meat. It can be fresh or tinned, but the larger the chunks, the better. Enjoy!

Baltimore Bayline Seasoning is available here: https://tinyurl.com/ad6rdaf7

Do you use poppy seeds in your cooking or baking? We have both black and white poppy seeds available.

Black poppy seeds (known as “Dutch Blue” seeds) are nutty and sweet, and have a stronger flavour than white poppy seeds. They are most commonly used in North America and Europe, usually in breads, bagels, cakes and other baking. White seeds are more common in India where they are roasted and ground, and then used to flavour and thicken curries.

Get them here: https://tinyurl.com/4x74dxfb

Welcome spring! Colourful new chalkboard art by Lisa Strecko at our Inglewood shop in Calgary.

Ivy works at our Edmonton location. She loves spending time in the kitchen teaching her partner how to cook, and Memphis Pork Rub was the seasoning that inspired him to learn. Ivy recommends Memphis Pork Rub for a pork roast & gravy, and it also makes a great Caesar rimmer!

It's available online here: https://tinyurl.com/bdcp598t