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The Best Snacks Come in Cans and Jars

When you go to a wine bar and order some plates to snack on, you might not realize it, but most of those tasty snacks come in a can or jar. Those tasty, tangy piquillo peppers smeared over toast? Canned. Briny sardines covered in shaved radish? Canned, too. Whether they’re tinned or preserved in small glass jars, these shelf-stable foods bring flavor to your meals at a moment’s notice. And it’s all just one yank of a pull tab, or twist of a jar, away. Shop online and you can stockpile a case of tuna-stuffed peppers or spiced beets for more refined snacking.

The delicate Spanish peppers are fire-roasted before being stuffed with fatty Spanish tuna. Its gently smoked flesh levels up any cheese-and-cracker game. Swap the Ritz for a toasted, sliced baguette and look at you making tapas.

Its product description claims that “even stubborn beet skeptics” have been won over by these spiced gems. This Brooklyn-based producer softens the veg’s usual earthy flavors with a mélange of ginger, lemon, cider vinegar, and allspice. They taste almost autumnal. Eat these tender beets with tangy goat cheese or toss them into a salad.

Traditionally, these syrupy cherries top gelato, but they’re not just for dessert. These sour stone fruits are less cloying and more complex than American maraschinos. Use them to top creamy Brie or spoon some into Greek yogurt.

From $19 for 5

Take a tip from all the best tapas places in New York and start snacking on tinned fish. These mild sardines hail from Galicia, Spain, an area renowned for its seafood, and their purveyor packs these little guys when they’re at their freshest. Try them on an open-faced sandwich with lots of butter.

These extra-large beans, which are lightly brined in water and salt, feel right at home alongside a spread of vinegary giardiniera and olives. Enjoy this bar snack like the Portuguese do: Guzzle down a cold beer while popping the tender beans out of their thin skins.

Think of this peppery Calabrian spread like a spicier alternative to tapenade. The Italian maker Delizie di Calabria pulses together hot Calabrian chili peppers, eggplant, artichoke, and porcini mushrooms, producing a chunky, slightly smoky condiment that’s perfect smeared over crusty bread or as a dip for veggies.

A bulb of licorice-y fennel doesn’t exactly scream afternoon snack, but in rice vinegar with ginger, orange zest, and fiery Thai chiles, these pickles are as crunchy and refreshing as the cucumber variety. Try them in your next burger.

This salty, umami-rich snack raises the question: Why haven’t we been eating olives stuffed all along? The buttery, extra-large Manzanilla olives are an ideal vessel for carrying bites of mild white Spanish anchovies into your mouth.

If you long for lazy afternoons on the French countryside, this country pâté is for you. It’s already picnic-ready — just add a bottle of wine, a baguette, and some crunchy cornichons.

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The Best Snacks Come in Cans and Jars