Here at Milk Street we have rediscovered more flavorful pantry items including flours, vinegars, oils, and salts. At the top of our list, however, is sugar. This raw, unrefined sugar from Colombia packs a complex, earthy flavor that’s terrific in everything from tea, coffee and cocktails to oatmeal or grapefruit. The bittersweet flavor also does well in savory applications, like a pot of Mexican beans or tomato-based pasta sauces. It will become your sugar bowl standard.

Cooked in small batches by hand, this well-rounded hot sauce has a bright, bold heat and a vegetal quality akin to red bell pepper, followed by a lingering smokiness. It’s made with a blend of amarillo and panca chilies, both native to Peru and grown by Incan farmers. Paqu Jaya brings out the chilies' fruity notes with mangoes and rich Amazonian honey, balancing the sweetness with savory garlic. The final product is a multifunctional hot sauce that can be used in just about anything—whether as a condiment or an ingredient for cooking.

Ají amarillo is the name for both an indigenous Peruvian chili pepper and the hot sauce it's made into. This medium-hot version of the famous condiment is delicately balanced between sweet, spicy and earthy flavors. The chili itself tastes fruity, floral and slightly vegetal, with an intense yet fleeting heat. To make this vibrant sauce, the peppers are cooked with mangos and oranges, emphasizing the chili's fruity notes while adding natural sweetness. Since amarillo chilies are rarely sold fresh in the United States, this hot sauce's concentrated flavor makes it perfect for incorporating Peruvian flavor into your everyday meals, and thanks to its thick consistency—think Sriracha, not Tabasco—just a little goes a long way.

Ají amarillo is an orange-gold chili pepper from Peru, known for its fruity-floral flavor and intense heat (up to 20 times hotter than the jalapeño). It's hard to find on the international market, so we were excited to discover that Paqu Jaya sells these dried chili flakes. They're so fresh that just upon opening the jar, you'll be able to smell the peppers' aroma, and they retain a vibrant golden color—it's the closest you'll get to fresh amarillo peppers. The chili flakes are fruity and bright with a savory, spicy finish; they have a good amount of heat but aren't too fiery, so you can savor their botanical depth. For a distinctive amarillo flavor anytime you want it, this ground chili is a great shelf-stable ingredient to keep in your pantry.

Artisanal company Paqu Jaya is on a mission to share Peru's one-of-a-kind chilies with the world, partnering with small village farmers to support local Peruvian economies. Panca chili peppers are one of the most commonly used varieties in Peruvian cuisine, with a subtle fruity flavor, medium heat and deep earthiness that borders on smoky. We tested several panca chili concentrates side by side, and Paqu Jaya's Panka Chili Concentrate was the clear winner with its smooth consistency and vibrant color.

Use this concentrated paste in marinades for grilled meats, or swirl it into soups or sauces; it's also a great medium-hot tableside condiment if you like spice. Or try an equal volume of the concentrate as a substitute for chopped chipotle peppers or adobo sauce in recipes.

• Net Weight: 225 grams
• Ingredients: Panca chilies, salt, citric acid
• Place of Origin: Peru

These Peruvian chili flakes are some of the brightest and freshest we've tried, with an aroma like a fresh Fresno chili. Along with a medium spice level and lingering heat, Limo Chili Flakes have a distinctly fruity flavor that borders on tropical or citrusy. If you don't have fresh chilies on hand, try a sprinkle of these vibrant chili flakes instead. Peruvian company Paqu Jaya is on a mission to share one-of-a-kind native chilies with the world, partnering with small farmers to support local Peruvian economies.

The chili flakes' fruitiness pairs well with fresh herbs such as cilantro; try Paqu Jaya Limo Chili Flakes as a finishing touch for our Spaghetti with Cilantro Yogurt in place of Aleppo pepper, or sprinkle some atop our Shanghai-Style Scallion Noodles. You can also substitute some for the fresh Fresno chili in Portuguese Shrimp Mozambique or Spicy Beef Salad with Mint and Cilantro (Larb Neua).

• Net Weight: 35 grams
• Ingredients: 100% dried limo chilies
• Place of Origin: Peru

Artisanal company Paqu Jaya is on a mission to share Peru's one-of-a-kind chilies with the world, partnering with small village farmers to support local Peruvian economies. Native to Peru and Bolivia and ubiquitous in their cuisines, the rocoto chili pepper has a unique apple shape and bright, fiery red color when ripe. Paqu Jaya's jarred paste retains a fruity, vibrant aroma and bold heat that hits the back of the throat; we were impressed by its punchy fresh-chili flavor and balance between vegetal and fruity notes. Fruity rocoto chilies pair well with fish and seafood—try tossing in Peruvian Ceviche. Use this concentrated paste in marinades for grilled meats, or swirl it into soups at the end of cooking for a bright accent; it's also a great tableside condiment for roast chicken or vegetables.

• Net Weight: 225 grams
• Ingredients: Rocoto chilies, soybean oil, salt, citric acid
• Place of Origin: Peru

Artisanal company Paqu Jaya is on a mission to share Peru's one-of-a-kind chilies with the world, partnering with small village farmers to support local Peruvian economies. Ají amarillo is perhaps the most famous of Peru's indigenous peppers, known for its orange-gold hue, fruity-floral flavor and intense heat (up to 20 times hotter than the jalapeño). Paqu Jaya's Yellow Chili Concentrate is one of the brighter and fresher-tasting ají amarillo products we've tasted, with a potent flavor, medium heat and smooth, almost creamy texture. It's a versatile paste that can lean savory—think garlic and onion—or you can play up its natural sweetness, like in mango or pineapple salsas. We like it as a bright enhancement for delicate chicken or white fish; try pairing it with the lime juice in Peruvian Ceviche.

• Net Weight: 225 grams
• Ingredients: Yellow chilies, salt, soybean oil, citric acid
• Place of Origin: Peru

This bright, yellow-orange hot sauce has a nice spice that isn’t too aggressive—a friendly heat. The main attraction is the passion fruit flavor—it’s so bright and fresh, you could be scooping a spoonful of the seeds right from the fruit itself. And the fruity flavors of the chili peppers mingle in behind the passion fruit as well. This is a really special sauce—a bit spicy but a celebration of passion fruit. Add a tropical twist to your hot sauce collection.

The earthy, smoky-sweet scotch bonnet pepper is relatively difficult to find in the U.S. and this bright red sauce features the pepper’s flavor at the forefront. This classic Dominican extra-hot sauce isn’t for the faint of heart though—the heat is instant and lingering—but you’ll get that distinct vegetal-smokey, yet fruity scotch bonnet flavor. Scotch bonnets are used all over the Caribbean, and there really isn’t a satisfying sub for them. For those that want to be transported to the tropics, in search of the true flavors, this pepper is a big part of that. Jalapeños are incorporated here too to balance out the intensity, and make it much more palatable than many hyper-spicy hot sauces out there. Most are all about cramming in heat with no attention to flavor, while this one is complex and delicious.

This straightforward, use-everywhere hot sauce is a great example of how simplicity is often best. While many jalapeño-based hot sauces don’t taste fresh and lose their distinctive flavor, and also use preservatives that make them cloudy and bitter, this sauce’s jalapeno flavor is almost as bright as biting into a fresh pepper. It’s mellowed a bit, so the effect is more juicy and pickled. It has a really nice amount of heat, which won’t blow out your palate by any stretch, but it has a warming, slow creep of heat. The garlic isn’t overpowering, it just adds a good foundation to keep the vinegar and jalapeño grounded. Plus, the heat doesn’t stay around too long, so you can enjoy drizzling it on throughout the course of your whole meal.