No need for adventurous cooks to settle for Americanized versions of their favorite ethnic recipes.

Although sometimes a bit of a challenge to find, authentic ingredients for many international foods are sold in markets, shops and delicatessens throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area. Tucked away on a shelf in a tiny store may be the straw mushrooms, Jamaican jerk spice blend, fish paste, sweet black-bean sauce, asafetida or yellow curry paste that you need to achieve the genuine taste of a foreign dish.

If you'll only be satisfied with the real thing, start your search at a local grocery store that may sell basmati rice for an Indian pudding, cannellini beans for minestrone and padang peanut sauce for a Thai pasta salad.

At gourmet markets such as Eddie's Supermarket, Graul's Supermarket, Fresh Fields, Gourmet Again or Sutton Place Gourmet, you may be able to find dried sea vegetables for Japanese sushi or Indian buttermilk soup to make sauces for dumplings, spinach greens and rice.

And if an obscure ingredient is still elusive, try one of the ethnic markets listed on this page. This list is just a sampling of local groceries that may be able to supply items from fresh lemongrass and wasabi paste to garam masala and chickpea flour.

Asian

* Asia Food, 5224 York Road, 410-323-8738. Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, noodles and Chinese tea are among the Chinese, Thai and Japanese products available at this large market.

* Bamboo House, 5722 York Road, 410-323-1900. Korean and Japanese ingredients are stocked in this grocery.

* Dae Sung Oriental Groceries, 2213 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, 410-561-4467. This Korean specialty shop also sells Japanese and Chinese products.

* Oriental Gourmet Store, 636 Frederick Road, 410-788-2277. Oriental carries ingredients for sushi, fish eggs and other items for Chinese, Thai, Philippine and Japanese recipes.

* Philippine Oriental Food Store, 8019 Philadelphia Road, 410- 866-7907. While the majority of the products sold here are for Philippine cooking, this grocery has an international flavor with items needed for African, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai and Spanish recipes. Shop for rice stick noodles and Chinese eggplant.

* Thai-Philippine Oriental Foods, 523 Gorsuch Ave., 410-243-6193. Stocked with everything from lemongrass to shrimp with heads on and goat meat, this market is a true find for fans of Thai, Philippine, Chinese, Korean, African, Jamaican and Spanish foods.

Caribbean

* EKO Food Store, 5007 Harford Road, 410-319-9550. This supermarket has Caribbean and African products as well as some Oriental items. You can find sauteed beef and pig's tails, dry and wet jerk seasonings, and curry with leaves.

* West Indian Imports, 5318 Park Heights Ave., 410-664-1818. Pick up everything you need for a taste of the West Indies, from red peas to oxtail to pineapple soda. Goods from Cuba, England and Nigeria are also available.

European

* Kirchmayr Chocolatier, 6223 N. Charles St., 410- 323-7705. Finish off your international meal with sweets from this confectionary shop that specializes in European candy, from liqueur chocolates to truffles. Known for its chocolate-covered strawberries, which are made only on Saturdays.

German

* Egon Binkert Meat Products, 8805 Philadelphia Road, 410-687-5959. German sausages and lunch meats are made on the premises, including Westphalian-style ham, landjager and bratwurst with garlic.

* Mueller's Delicatessen, 7207 Harford Road, 410- 444-4860. Now in its 51st year, this fourth-generation family business is known for its Tilsit cheese and homemade liverwurst, weisswurst and beerwurst as well as its imported and local German breads.

Greek

* Atlantic Foods, 7810 Harford Road, 410-668-9722. Shop here for Greek and Italian cheeses as well as extra-virgin olive oil made from Kalamata olives. Pastas and homemade Italian bread also sold. On weekends, homemade Greek Village bread is available.

* Greek Town Bakery & Deli, 4705 Eastern Ave., 410-276-8052. Dimitrios Trikoulis offers Greek pastries, breads and cakes, along with olives, cheeses and products from Greece, Italy and Spain.

* Greek Village Bakery, 4711 Eastern Ave., 410-675-8155. Specialties here are Greek breads, cakes with rum flavoring and baklava and kataife mixed together. Greek cheeses and olives are also sold as well as some Italian and Spanish products.

Indian

* Bombay Bazaar, 1524 W. Pratt St., 410-233-6303. A fine selection of pickles, chutneys, spices, beans, rice, homemade Indian desserts, samosas and ready-to-eat frozen foods is available.

* Himalaya Spices & Gifts, 8833 Belair Road, 410-529-3421. Offers spices, pickles, oils, snacks, lentils, bread and Indian movies.

* Shyam Foods, 1724 Woodlawn Drive, 410-265-5119. Try the Indian ice cream and Asian vegetables along with lentils, spices, pickles and sweets.

International

* Babushka Deli, 11985 Reisterstown Road, 410-833-3985. Products from Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Russia, India, Turkey, Israel and Greece are available here. Known for its cheeses, desserts, chocolates, meats and fine caviar and lox.

* Big Boy's World Wide Food Market, 218 N. Paca St., 410-685-4080. Shoppers will find ingredients from cow feet to oxtail, for Spanish, Latin American, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Philippine, African and West Indian cuisine.

* Global Food Market, 4707 Harford Road, 410-254-7212. Ingredients for African, Caribbean, Asian and Spanish recipes are available here.

* International Food Market, 6970 Reisters-town Road, 410-358-4757. Russian herring, cheese from Finland, Hungarian salami, and Israeli candy are among the offerings at this store, where products from Canada, France, Italy and Greece may also be bought.

* Old World Delicatessen & Bakery, 9118 Liberty Road, Randalls-town, 410-655-5157. Known for its imported European beers and wines as well as Swiss, Belgian and Italian chocolates, this shop stocks a large assortment of Eastern and Western European products including spices, meats, cheeses and kasha.

Italian

* Casa di Pasta, 210 Albemarle St., 410-539-5383. This pasta factory in Little Italy sells fresh seafood ravioli, gnocchi, lasagna, homemade marinara and angel-hair pasta flavored with saffron.

* DiPasquale's Gourmet Marketplace and Deli, 3700 Gough St., 410-276-6787. Extra-virgin olive oils, fresh mozzarella and pastas of Italy are sold here along with gourmet items from Spain, France and Holland and a large selection of Spanish, Italian and French wines. DiPasquale's also has a store at 2419 Baldwin Mill Road in Fallston, 410-557-0103.

* Mastellone's Deli & Wine, 7212 Harford Road, 410-444-5433. In business for 50 years, Mastellone's makes its own fresh mozzarella and Italian sausage. Shelves are lined with Italian oils, pastas, wines and sweets.

* Roma Sausage Company, 3900 Claremont St., 410-675-0786. Italian mild and hot sausage, celery sausage and Polish kielbasa are manufactured by Roma.

* S'getti Gourmet, 3551 Chestnut St., 410-235-1222. Selections at this deli and grocery include olive oils, fresh pastas, sun-dried peppers, Italian bacon and prosciutto ham.

* Trinacria Macaroni Works, 406 N. Paca St., 410-685-7285. Buy different shapes of dried homemade macaroni by weight from open boxes. Also available are olives, cheeses, meats, breads, Italian wine, canned products and cookies.

Kosher

* The Knish Shop, 508 Reisterstown Road, 410-484-5850. This kosher gourmet shop has meat, vegetable, potato and kasha knishes; fresh chopped liver; first-cut meats; cheeses; and smoked fish.

* Liebes Kosher Delicatessen & Carryout, 607 Reisterstown Road, 410-653-1977. Since 1952, Liebes has sold kosher pastrami, corned beef and salami.

* Seven Mile Market, 4000 Seven Mile Lane, 410-653-2000. This 32,000-square-foot kosher supermarket has a full-service meat, deli and fresh fish department.

Latin American

* Caribbean Market, 1901 Fleet St., 410-675-1729. Ingredients can be found here for recipes of Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala, El Salvador and Jamaica.

* Perez Grocery, 530 N. Kenwood Ave., 410-732-1933. Here, shoppers will find fresh mangoes, green bananas, chorizos, chilies and other ingredients for foods from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Spain, El Salvador, Chili and Jamaica.

Middle Eastern

* Near East Bakery, 2919 Hamilton Ave., 410-254-8970. For more than 20 years, Fouad Kanaan has baked Middle Eastern breads here, including pita and sesame rings as well as vegetarian pies filled with spinach, broccoli, lentils, potatoes and basil. Spices, cheeses and homemade dips of hummus or tabbouleh are also sold.

* Orchard Market & Cafe, 8815 Orchard Tree Lane, Towson, 410-339-7700. Behind the restaurant is a small shop with pita bread, pomegranate paste, dry dill, tahini, basmati and Persian teas. Orders can be placed for some items not on the shelf.

Polish

* Broadway Meats & Deli, Broadway Market, 410-732-0972. Specializes in fresh Polish, Italian and country sausages.

* Krakus Deli, 1737 Fleet St., 410-732-7533. Specializing in smoked meats and Polish sausages, this deli also sells Polish jams, pickles, herb teas and breads. Polish newspapers, magazines and videos available.

* Victor Ostrowski & Son, 524 S. Washington St., 410-327-8935. Since 1919, this family business has been here. Polish specialties available include kiszka, or liver sausage, and krakowska, a garlic bologna, as well as white and dark head cheese, homemade Polish horseradish and golombki, a stuffed cabbage.

* Ostrowski's of Bank Street, 1801 Bank St., 410-732-1118. Inside a small retail area, shoppers can look through a glass window to watch smoked kielbasa, Italian and celery or sage sausage being made.

* Sophia's Place, Broadway Market, 410-342-6105. A market stall of Polish delights, this business has juniper-berry sausage, imported cheeses, dill pickles and homemade sauerkraut pierogi.

Pub Date: 8/16/98