THE general consensus is there's a lot to get excited about in terms of food in Ireland right now.

We've got more Michelin-starred restaurants, more inspirational chefs, more farmers' markets, increased interest in indigenous, artisan products and an array of exotic ingredients widely available. Dining out has become the nation's favourite pastime and across the board, we're thinking and talking about food at an unprecedented level. Yet despite this obsession with all things culinary-related, ironically enough, the actual food shopping experience itself has never been so dull.

Notwithstanding that lucky demographic who have the luxury of making friends with their local butchers/greengrocers/fishmongers etc, the majority of us shop for our food in homogeneous food markets, where few surprises await.

Their retail geographies tend to be identical. Walk in to a supermarket and the first thing to greet you is flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, which apparently we have associated with freshness and goodness, making us spend more. Looking for the basic necessities? You'll have to walk to the back of the store to find the meat, bread and milk. And ever wonder why the drinks section is usually the last aisle before checkout? The reasoning is that after you've picked up your nice, healthy dinner ingredients, you may treat yourself to a bottle of wine, but booze certainly isn't the first thing you'd pick up when you start your shop. Possibly the last time something exciting happened in supermarket land was when Tesco introduced their self-scanning tills.

Layout aside, the food items in various supermarkets don't vary dramatically. The ready-made meals are depressingly formulaic. When you've eaten one supermarket's take on chicken korma, you've eaten them all. Nor does the fresh food offer much diversity for the curious cook - these aisles are awash in over-packaged vegetables, cellophane wrapped herbs and the ubiquitous rocket. So can we bring back some much-needed magic to food shopping? The answer can be found in speciality ethnic stores that are now an established presence on the Irish shopping scene. From Turkish to Hungarian, Russian to Nigerian, you can now buy the ingredients for any global dish imaginable and globe-trotting Irish customers are keen to try the dishes they've eaten on their travels in their own kitchens. But there's no ignoring the fact that for the uninitiated, these shops can be somewhat intimidating and an alien world devoid of our normal supermarket reference points. We asked five shop managers to give us the inside track.

ORIENTAL EMPORIUM 30 Abbey St Upper, Dublin 1 IT'S the juxtaposition of the familiar and the strange that make Asian food stores so fascinating, if a little confusing at the same time. You may recognise the Kikkoman soya sauce, bunches of coriander and Koko noodles, but what about the crispy green tea rolls, silken tofu grass jelly drinks and frozen beef balls?

In her wonderful book, The Asian Grocery Store Demystified Linda Bladholm explains the layout of Asian stores:

"Asian markets are generally stocked according to the principles of balance, " she writes. "Hot, spicy, chilli sauces and curry pastes are all in one place; salty items are together in one row, and bitter, sour or sweet things are in other sections."

That Irish customers might know what ingredients they are looking for but not know where to find them in the store is a common enough occurrence says Fiew Foo, manager of the busy store, situated across from the Jervis Shopping Centre.

But navigational difficulties aside, Irish stoppers tend to know there stuff. "You have the Irish people who have been travelling abroad and who try to copy our cooking and recipes from foreign countries, " Foo explains. As ever, there are always some exceptions. "Some of them are complete, total, absolute novices, " he says. "There was a lady who came in last week and she said 'I don't know what I'm getting, can you help me?' I said, 'If you don't know what you want, how can I help you?'" he laughs.

"Then someone would actually ask me what to cook for 20 people and then pick the ingredients for them."

Foo, who is originally from Malaysia and who has lived in Ireland for 28 years, says about 70 per cent of his clientele are ethnic and the rest are Irish. The shop is open four years this coming November and its frozen seafood - which comes from countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia - is the biggest seller, followed by sauces and rice.

WHAT TO STOCK UP ON Lemongrass A pungent herb that is used in small amounts, it has a light lemon flavour which makes it an exceptionally good inclusion in curries, soups and seafood dishes Frozen dim sum Have a selection of these little Chinese dumplings in the freezer as the perfect standby party food or for a light lunch Herbs, spices and seeds Much cheaper here than anywhere else and you'll often come across harder-to-find things like fennel seeds here, for next to nothing Frozen eadamame (left ) Boil these soy beans until cooked, then toss in soya sauce and sea salt for a completely addictive and healthy snack THAI NOODLE SOUP Ingredients 2 tsp sunflower oil 1 small garlic clove, chopped pea-sized piece of Thai shrimp paste (blachan) 2 lemongrass stalks 2 kaffir lime leaves - or strip of pared lime rind 1.2 litres/2 pints of fresh chicken stock 75g/3oz dried medium egg noodles 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce 1 lime, juice only (about 2 tsp) medium-hot red chilli, seeded and finely chopped 2.5ml/tsp light muscovado sugar 50g/2oz fresh spinach or pak choi, cut into 2.5cm/1in wide strips handful fresh coriander leaves Method Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and shrimp paste and fry gently over a medium heat for one minute. Meanwhile, lightly crush the lemongrass stalks with a rolling pin or the blade of a large knife. To make the soup, add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and chicken stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, drop the noodles into a pan of boiling water; remove from the heat and leave to soak for four minutes, before draining. To refine the soup, strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, return to the pan and add the fish sauce, lime juice, red chilli and sugar.

Simmer for three minutes. Add the egg noodles and spinach, or pak choi and simmer for a further 30 seconds. Finally, ladle into bowls, dividing the noodles, and scatter over the coriander leaves.

LA BOTTEGA DI PAOLO No 5 Blooms Lane, Ormond Quay, Dublin 1 OF all the global cuisines, Italian is the one that we Irish have appropriated with the most enthusiasm. We know our pennes, our parmesan, our aged balsamic vinegar and our pestos. But of course, there's a lot lost in the translation. The Italians, for example would never eat a pasta as a main course as we would. They will have it as a primo piatto, or first course, followed by a second course of fish or meat, which no doubt goes some of the way towards explaining their svelteness and our burgeoning obesity crisis. Nor are we always particularly concerned with the provenance of the foods we use, but as your taste buds will attest, the supermarket varieties masquerading as Parma ham and the genuine deal, which comes from the Parma ham Protected Designation of Origin area are dramatically difference. Paolo Scalera, proprietor of La Bottega di Paolo in Dublin, says he offers an authentic Italian shopping experience to his customers, with a wide range of products used in everyday Italian cooking. "No one knows better than an Italian how to use his own native food, " he says. He sells cheese from all regions of Italy; meats like bresaola and rustic Italian sausages; fresh and dried pasta, a large selection of cold press and organic olive oils as well as vintage balsamic vinegars and Illy coffee.

Originally from Puglia in Southern Italy, he came to Ireland for a week's holiday 10 years ago and has been here every since.

"We have a large community of Italians and they would be most of the business in here, There is also a large amount of Irish people, as well as Spanish, French, German, East European and American. It points to the fact that Italian cuisine is so popular worldwide, " he says of his client base. But the Irish, he thinks, are "the Mediterraneas of the North." Most of the products here are from small producers, with whom he has a direct relationship with and everything is imported from Italy. The bread may be baked in Ireland but the bakers themselves are Italian. "Many of our Irish customers are fans of Italian cuisine, many have been to Italy and may have tried new dishes there which they would like to try at home too, " he says. "Also, many customers are just pleased to have somewhere more relaxed to shop rather than the hustle and bustle of their local supermarkets."

WHAT TO STOCK UP ON Spelt pasta Great for those on a wheat free diet Bresaola (left ) Air-dried, salted beef that's low in calories and ideally served dribbled with olive oil, lemon juice, freshly-ground black pepper, Parmesan shavings and rocket salad Cacciatorini in truffle oil For the perfect aperitif try these dry sweet small sausages infused with a delicious truffle flavour Tinned clams Add to cooked pasta, freshly chopped parsley and chives, with zest of lemon and a splash of white wine for the classic dish spaghetti alla vongole PAOLO'S PENNETTE AL TONNO E FUNGHI PORCINI Baby penne pasta with tuna and porcini mushrooms Ingredients 20 g dry porcini mushrooms 2 tbs olive oil 1 packet pennette pasta 1 bottle passata 1 tin tuna in olive oil (125g) half onion salt & pepper Method Soak the porcini mushroom in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain the mushroom and fry in olive oil with the onion for 10 minutes on low heat. Then add the tuna tin and the passata and season. Cook the pasta in plenty of water following the cooking instruction.

Once the pasta is cooked toss everything together and serve!

MADINA ASIAN STORE Moore Street Market, Dublin 1 IN amongst the numerous rices and jars of mango pickles in lime, you'll find the odd anomaly in Madina Asian Store, such as tins of Baxter's vegetable soup and some Polish products. "Basically, we try to cater for everybody, but not in vast amounts. Mostly we do South Indian, which is more vegetarian and North Pakistan food, " Adnan Hameed explains. Madina is run by Hameed, his two brothers, and his parents, who are originally from Pakistan. His grandfather moved to Navan, where the family still live, some 40 years ago and started out in the clothing business before moving into restaurants and then going back into clothing again. Now the family's interest is food, with a restaurant on Mary Street (also called Madina) and a cash and carry venture in Smithfield. A large amount of customers to the shop are Irish. "They're very keen to get a different taste. I say that they're sick of cabbage and potatoes, " Hameed jokes.

Do people ask for advice on the various products? "Yes, big time. They come in and they say they want to cook for eight people and what would I recommend. It's quite interesting for me." Madina's biggest seller is meat. "Because it's halal [meat slaughtered in accordance with Islamic laws] and you don't get many halal places, we have Somalians, Sudanians, Kenyans, Pakistanis, North Indians, Malaysians, Indonesians coming in. Then there's the rice as well - basmati, large bags bought by students, chapatti flour?" Hameed says that while there are now many Asian shops in the country, Madina's vegetable selection is unique. It stocks a lot of Thai, Phillipino, Chinese, South Indian and Pakistani vegetable varieties. "It's the summer season - well, it's supposed to be anyway - so there are a lot of mangoes coming over now as well as drumsticks, long beans, morning glory [water spinach], okra, which is always a good seller and chilies. We have 10 different types of chillies."

WHAT TO STOCK UP ON Hibiscus flower tea A tart but delicious tea ideally garnished with a slice of lemon and sweetened with a little bit of honey. Equally nice hot or cold Okra This lantern shaped vegetable is a great source of Vitamin C, as well as being low in calories. Steamed or saut�ed (ideally whole as it becomes slimier the more it's cooked), it's a great accompaniment to tomatoes, aubergine and peppers Kaffir lime leaves (left ) Add to traditional Thai soups such as tom yum, or as a fragrant addition to curries, stir fries and salads Drumsticks Tastes a little like asparagus, use these pods to make sambar, a traditional broth made with tamarind. It's also used in curries, dals and kormas MASALA DOSA Ingredients 1 tsp skinned split black lentils or urad dal 2 tbsp vegetable oil pinch of asafoetida (dried gum) 1 tsp cumin seeds tsp brown or black mustard seeds 8-10 curry leaves 3 medium dried red chillies, stalks removed tsp turmeric 1 medium Spanish onion, finely sliced tsp salt 1 tsp root ginger, peeled and finely grated 600g/1lb 5oz white or red potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled 1 medium tomato, roughly chopped 20g/1oz coriander leaves, finely chopped 2-3 chapattis or naan breads, to serve Method Pick over the lentils and remove any small stones. Soak the lentils in a cup of hot water for five minutes. Heat the oil in the frying pan. Add the asafoetida, then the cumin and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves, lentils, red chillies, turmeric and onion and mix. Fry over a medium heat for four minutes, then add the salt, ginger, potatoes, tomato, and coriander leaves and mix well. Grill the chapattis or naan breads for a couple of minutes on each side. Place the potato mixture on top of the breads. Roll up and serve.

BALKAN FOODS Tyrconnel Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8 REFLECTIVE of the growing demographic, a proliferation of East European shops has appeared in Irish towns and cities in recent years. But despite our relative proximity to these countries, we're probably less acquainted with their wares than we are with foods from the Far East.

Marina Luneouski, the manager of Balkan Foods in Inchicore, was born in Moldova and subsequently moved to Poland, relocating to Ireland five years ago. The shop stocks a mixture of Polish and Romanian foods and she says that the meats are particularly popular with Irish customers. She points to the intriguingly titled Gypsy ham, the kielbasa (smoked, spiced sausage, smoked bacon and garlicky Zywiecka sausages from Southern Poland. How about flaki, which is essentially tripe with spices and seasoning? "Irish people never eat that, " she says. Her fridges teem with what is one of the most traditional of Polish foods, the pierogi. These crescent shaped pastry dumplings can be filled with anything from meat to potatoes or cabbage or sweet fillings such as fruit or cream cheese. The Polish diet is quite meat orientated, she says, but they also love their fish too.

"We have frozen panga, hake? but we do not have carp, which is very popular in Poland, because it is illegal to sell it in Ireland."

WHAT TO STOCK UP ON Bigos Poland's traditional hunter stew of cabbage and meat, usually served with rye bread and potatoes, accompanied by honey and mushrooms Oscypek A smoked cheese from the Zakopane mountain region that works well with meat Moldovan wines Particularly the indigenous ones like the crisp, white feteasca Alba and the full-bodied red Rara Neagra Borscht (left ) A beetroot soup, popular all over East Europe and Russia PIEROGI WITH SAUERKRAUT FILLING Ingredients Sauerkraut Filling 2 tbs butter 300g chopped onion 350g cups sauerkraut, drained and minced salt and pepper to taste Dough 3 eggs a carton of sour cream 650g flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 tbs baking powder Method To prepare the sauerkraut filling, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until translucent for about five minutes. Add the drained sauerkraut and cook for an additional five minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove to a plate to cool. To make the dough, beat together the eggs and sour cream until smooth. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into the sour cream mixture until dough comes together. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Divide the dough in half, then roll out one half to 1/8 inch thickness.

Cut into three-inch rounds. Place a small spoonful of the sauerkraut filling into the centre of each round. Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pierogi and cook for three-to-five minutes, or until pierogi float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon.

CARO COSMETICS Moore Street Market, Dublin 1 THE food at this Moore Street shop is predominantly African and Caribbean, but Chinese, Polish and Romanian customers are also catered for. Here, you'll find products like gari, the popular West African food made from cassava tubers, plantains, dried fish, iru (fermented locust beans) and black eyed beans, to name some of the typical products.

But according to the manager, Peace Bbogin, what predominantly attracts Irish customers here is the shop's hair extensions.

"The Irish are getting into extensions now, some braiding, but more extensions. They come to us and say that the Irish shops charge them Euro600 and we charge Euro150." Many cancer patients also visit here to purchase wigs.

"They go to the Irish shop and it's more expensive but the most expensive wig here is Euro80, and they are human hairs. For synthetic, they start from Euro40 to Euro50, " she explains. Cosmetic-wise, there is a large amount of skin-lightening lotions for sale - Bbogin points to one called Diana from the Lebanon - but she couldn't say what the best-selling cosmetic is. "It depends on the customer, " she says.

"Some of the Irish buy hair relaxants and a lot of them buy cocoa butter creams."

WHAT TO STOCK UP ON Palm nut soup Filling, thick broth made from the pulp of pounded, boiled palm nuts, to which cooked fish or meat is added Dried crayfish Gives an excellent depth to soups and stews Plantain crisps (left ) A great snack and, healthwise, a good source of potassium JOLLOFF RICE Ingredients half kg of steak (uncooked) 2 tbs of cooking oil coconut milk small can of tomato puree 2 large chopped onions handful of chopped green pepper salt to taste half tsp of ground pepper half tsp of thyme half kg of long grain rice one tin canned green peas (drained) Method Heat oil in large pot and add meat to brown. Remove excess fat. Add 750ml of water and one cup of coconut milk to meat. Stir in tomato puree, onion, green pepper, salt, pepper and thyme.

Cook to bubbling. Stir again. Make sure liquid is almost gone then reduce heat to about 3/4, then add peas. Leave to steam until all liquid is evaporated and rice is tender. If rice is still hard, add some more water.