If you’re reading this blog, you probably have at least a minor interest in things culinary and are somewhat curious about edumacating yourself more on Mid-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
Now, I know I have been giving you recipes to try out on your own, but I have not yet told you where to go to buy the ingredients you need, such as the essential spices or the Labneh yoghurt or the cheapest Tahini, or the best deal in town on Pita bread!
Well, the wait is over. The time has come to open Ali Baba’s Cave and reveal the treasures of authentic – and inexpensive – Middle-Eastern food items and where to find them.
Don’t be scared! While the experience is certainly exotic, you won’t be going into a real cave, and no, there won't be a scary Bin Laden look-alike waiting for you by the door, waving you in with a flashlight. And once and for all, I assure you that the cashier will not scream out “Li Li Li Li Li Li!” at you upon checkout. That’s ALL in your head.
Au contraire, mon frère. If anything, your pantry will thank you for transforming it into a multi-cultural gastronomic stockroom. You’ll get to expand your culinary horizons by cooking something new and exciting, and impress yourself, your family and your friends with lesser-known but delicious creations. More easy recipes to follow in the next post. Stay tuned!
When you get to your local specialty store, I want you to pretend you’re at the Souk in Marrakech, or at the Farmers Market in downtown Beirut. Close your eyes for a second, and let the smells of the spices and fresh produce take you there!
So I have researched for you a list of places where you can grocery shop for authentic Mediterranean & Mid-Eastern goods to make all those great meals. If you know of additional such stores in your area and would like me to add them to the list, email me the full location info and I’ll be happy to update it accordingly. I have also included online stores at the bottom of this post, for added convenience.
Happy Shopping!
Maroun Antoine Alsayah
California –
Parkside Farmers Market
555 Taraval Street (at 16th Avenue)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 681-5563
Samiramis Imports, Inc.
2990 Mission Street (at 25th Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 824-6555
International Food Bazaar
2052 Curtner Ave
San Jose, CA 95124
(408) 559-3397
Farm Fresh Produce of Santa Clara
805 Scott Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(408) 260-7710
Fairuz Middle Eastern Market
9124 Foothill Blvd.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
(909) 948-4312
Italian Middle-Eastern Market
13246 Riverside Dr.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 995-6944
Alabama -
Nabeel's Cafe & Market
1706 Oxmoor Rd
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205) 879-9292
Arizona –
Baiz Market
523 North 20th Street
Phoenix, AZ
(602) 252-8996
Connecticut –
Fattoush Market
272 Meriden Road, Suite 1W
Waterbury, CT 06705-2002
(203) 753-2221
Vivianne Middle East Food
36 Tamarack Ave Suite 4
Danbury, CT 06811
(203) 798-8804
Georgia -
Dania's Gourmet
26 Peachtree St NW
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404) 588-0069
Illinois –
Middle East Bakery & Grocery
1512 W Foster Ave
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 561-2224
Kentucky –
Afg Middle East Grocery Store
2018 Brownsboro Rd
Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 891-0912
Massachusetts –
Alladin Imports
472 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 354-8238
New York –
Holon Middle East Grocery Store
527 Kings Hwy
Brooklyn, NY 11223
(718) 336-7758
Kalustyan's
123 Lexington Ave. b/w 28th and 29th Sts.
Manhattan, NY 10016
(212) 685-3451
Middle East Market
1919 S State St
Syracuse, NY 13205
(315) 478-6253
Washington State–
International Foods
3021 E. Mission
Spokane, WA
(509)466-4784
Byblos Deli
14220 NE 20th St
Bellevue, WA 98007, USA
(425) 455-4355
Washington DC Area –
2M Mediterranean Market
Dumbarton Square Shopping
7103 Staples Mill Road
Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 262-9950
Below are some of my favorite Online Food Stores
www.cedarsky.com
http://shamra.com
www.buylebanese.com
http://aldoukkan.com
www.zamourispices.com
www.daynasmarket.com
Note: Click on photos to enlarge.
4 comments:
I can't wait to go shopping!
Maroun,
great stuff! But you know blogs are only good for naked pics and perez like gossip ha ha! Good stuff and I like you receipes
From Eli in DC
Mmmmm...I need to come over for dinner STAT! See you monday night! :-)
i'm plan to try your tabbouleh recipe this weekend. i'll let you know how it turns out. just a thought... would you consider putting pronunciation markers in your food blog?
ie: ta·bou·leh \tə-ˈbü-lə, -lē
you know from experience that people struggle with it... if i hear foie gras pronounced "foyee grass" in the office one more time...
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