AS a new book reveals the foodie flavours you should try before you die, Taste picks 15 of our favourites.

Consider yourself a bit of a foodie? Well, in that case, you might want to sink your teeth into The Food Lover's Handbook by Mark Price (Ebury, £14.99).

Price, who has more than 20 years' experience in the industry - most recently as MD of Waitrose, has penned the guide to the origins of 40 of the most popular foods, along with advice and recipes for cooking them, plus suggestions for more exotic ingredients you should sample before you shuffle off - kala namak salt anyone?

Here are our favourites from Price's prized list...

Iberico de Bellota jamon

The ever-trendy cured meat from free-range black Iberian pigs which have feasted on acorns (bellota) in Spain and Portugal. Price writes: "The wafer-thin slices of the ruby-red wonder have been described as one of the greatest food items in the world."

Jersey Royal potatoes

There's something deliciously nutty and creamy about a bowl of freshly cooked Jersey Royals - and you should be able to find them in your local supermarket when they're in season, too. According to www.jerseyroyals.co.uk, they get their unique flavour from "Jersey's rich, fertile earth and gentle climate".

Craster kippers

A breakfast staple at your staycation B&B no doubt, kippers hold a certain smelly place in the nation's hearts. These ones, says Price, are smoked in the traditional way at L Robson & Sons in Craster, Northumberland, whose smokehouses are more than 140 years old.

Tonka beans

They may sound like something dreamed up by Willy Wonka, but these small black beans produced in Venezuela and Nigeria are very real and, according to Price, smell of "almond, vanilla, caramel and clove", while they taste bitter but warming, like cocoa.

San Nicasio potato crisps

Forget your bog-standard fare, these crisps, from Andalusia in Spain, are "cooked in 100% extra virgin olive oil and flavoured with Himalayan pink salt".

Purbeck Ice Cream

Using fresh milk and thick double cream, this award-winning ice cream is made in Dorset and boasts Cracking Choc, a Purbeck take on Stracciatella, Dorset Marmalade and Mango Mango Ripple as new flavours for 2016.

Beurre d'Isigny

You don't have to hop across the Channel to indulge in Price's pick of the butters - this creamy French beauty's available at Waitrose for £1.89.

Forbidden rice or black rice

Legend has it, says Price, that only emperors in ancient China were allowed to eat this rice due to its rarity. Luckily, these days, it's more accessible and is a great source of antioxidants.

Kala namak salt

This rock salt, which hails from the Himalayas, has "a pungent smell due to the levels of hydrogen sulphide. It's used in Indian cooking and gives a savoury note to dishes".

Khorasan flour

Once grown for the ancient Pharaohs in Egypt, this protein and mineral-rich flour was used to make the world's most expensive cupcake - you can buy it from Doves Farm (www.dovesfarm.co.uk).

Silver tip jasmine tea

Another forbidden Chinese delicacy (for all but those in the imperial house apparently), these leaf buds are plucked at the point of unfurling, says Price and, carefully dried in the mountain sun and then scented at a jasmine farm.

Dutriez Bar-le-Duc jam

Another tick for our gourmet neighbours, this hand-seeded redcurrant jam has been made for 700 years in the town of Bar-le-Duc - and Mary, Queen of Scots was a fan, calling it a "ray of sunshine in a jar", writes Price.

Speyside Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix whisky

The specially named 2010 vintage was created when a huge snowfall in January of that year caused the distillery's roof to collapse, leaving the casks exposed for days. Price writes: "The final blend was bottled at 47.6% as a combination of the oloroso sherry and bourbon casks affected by the snow, and shows an unusually vibrant nose, with honey and chocolate on the palate, followed by sherry notes through the long, mellow finish."

Prunier caviar

Price calls this the "perfect introduction to the delights and mysteries of caviar". It'll set you back at least £55 for a 30g jar from www.caviarhouse-prunier.co.uk though.

Fragaria moschata strawberries

A soft, white-pink and aromatic strawberry, which is imported from the Netherlands, and says Price, has a very short shelf life, so eat 'em quick!