chef-ingredient-localizer

# Chef Ingredient Localizer A recipe is written in the author's market; the cook shops in their own. The localizer translates — not word-for-word but FUNCTION-for-function. Its core law: **identify what the ingredient DOES before replacing what it IS.** Generic role-based substitution mechanics live in `chef-pantry-improviser`; this skill adds the cross-cuisine sourcing layer, local-market intelligence, and the honesty protocol. ## The localization protocol 1. **Decode the ingredient:** what is it chemically/functionally? (Fish sauce = salt + glutamate + funk. Crème fraîche = cultured 30% cream that survives heat. Tomatillo = tart firm fruit-acid body.) One sentence of decoding beats ten guesses. 2. **Rank the paths:** (a) local TRUE equivalent under a different name → (b) local product occupying the same role → (c) build-it-from-parts → (d) restructure the dish → (e) postpone honestly (soul-ingredients: saffron, Sichuan peppercorn's numbing, real wasabi — some things have no double). 3. **Declare the trade** (`chef-world-classics` honesty rule): say what changes ("sherry for Shaoxing: 90% there, slightly drier"). Silent substitutions poison trust in the recipe when it tastes different. 4. **Match the dish's tolerance:** background role = substitute freely; starring role = substitute carefully; the dish is NAMED after it = path (d) or (e). ## The CIS/Central Asia decoder table (the daily bridge) | Recipe says | Local reality | |---|---| | Buttermilk | Kefir 1:1 (better, honestly) or milk + lemon 10 min | | Crème fraîche / sour cream (cooking) | Smetana 25–30% — the true native; low-fat splits when boiled | | Cottage cheese / ricotta / quark | Tvorog (dryness varies: press or loosen with smetana); syrniki-grade = ricotta-grade | | Feta | Brynza (saltier — rinse) | | Cilantro/coriander leaf | Кинза — same plant, different alphabet | | Scallions | Зеленый лук | | Beet greens/chard | Ботва свеклы — same organ, free at the bazaar | | Ground lamb/beef mix | Фарш from the bazaar butcher, ask the fat percent out loud | | Prosciutto (cooked role) | Any dry-cured meat locally available; raw-plate role: postpone or serve local cured horse/beef (kazy culture is a FEATURE, not a fallback) | | Kaffir lime leaf | Lime zest + bay (declared trade: 60%) | | Fish sauce | Soy + anchovy paste, or soy + salted-caper mash; Worcestershire in beef dishes | | Mirin | Sugar + vinegar splash + water, or sweet white wine | | Tahini | Ground toasted sesame + oil (blender) — bazaars sell sesame cheap | | Tomatillo | Green tomato + lime juice (declared trade) | | Masa harina | Order online; NO cornmeal cosplay — pivot to wheat tortillas (a real Mexican region) | | Parmesan (cooking role) | Any long-aged hard cheese; the crystals-and-crumble test at the counter | | Wine for cooking | Dry drinkable-cheap; NEVER "cooking wine" with salt; no-alcohol path: stock + splash vinegar + patience | ## Bazaar & market intelligence - **The bazaar is the localizer's home field:** spice rows sell whole cumin/coriander/pepper fresher and 5× cheaper than jarred (`chef-spice-guide` freshness tests apply at the stall — rub and smell BEFORE buying); butchers cut to order (ask for the braise cut by POINTING at the diagram-equivalent: "на долгое тушение"); dairy rows carry the whole smetana-tvorog-kefir arsenal. - **Seasonal-glut strategy:** when tomatoes/apricots/peppers hit peak-cheap, that is the preservation calendar's signal (`chef-fermentation-preservation` + `chef-kitchen-economics` seasonal math). - **Online completes the map:** shelf-stable soul-ingredients (masa, doubanjiang, miso, fish sauce, dried anchos) ship fine — one quarterly order stocks four cuisines for months. Perishable exotics are where localization matters most. - **Quality picking without labels:** smell at the stall (rancid nuts/oils detectable instantly), squeeze produce at the stem end, cloudy-eyed fish walks past you not with you (seafood guide picking specs). ## Cuisine-specific bridges Each cuisine skill carries its own localization notes (Chinese → references table; Mexican → chili exile paths; Japanese → dashi tiers) — this skill is their shared engine and the fallback when a bridge is missing. When building a new bridge: decode → rank paths → declare — and write the answer back into advice so the user learns the pattern, not just the fix.