Middle Eastern and North African ingredients

[chefzadi]

I know there are websites that list such places. But I'm looking for more personal information.

I will post my list of places where I shop a little bit later. I can't seem to access the file at the moment.

So where do you get your spices, merguez, couscous, grains, meats, vegetables, etc?

I would appreciate names and addresses. It would be interesting see the situation in different parts of the world.

Thank you.

[Chris Amirault]

Great topic. Farid, here in Providence RI USA we go to two shops, primarily:

Baroudi's Bakery, Smith at Chalkstone, great place for breads, olives, basic food stuffs, tobacco and charcoal, and excellent halvah.

Near East Market, 602 Reservoir Ave (Rt 2) in Cranston also has great groceries and a larger selection of produce than Baroudi's.

The proprietor of Baroudi's is Lebanese, and the proprietor of Near East is Armenian, if that is of interest.

I hope someone from Dearborn MI weighs in on this.

[chefzadi]

Thank you Chris.

I'm sure the information you provided is very helpful to those in your area. I really hope we get a good list going here.

In New York Zeitoun told me of this place:

Naseem, Halal and Mediterranean Grocery

25-65 Steinway St. Astoria, NY.

Apparently they have real Tunisian malsouka leaves perfect for making brik and basteeya.

I'll post my LA list, but really most of the ingredients for basic home cooking are readily available. Not my first choice but even the a starter range of spices can be found in regular supermarkets, trader joes and Whole Foods.

[Wolfert]

I hope someone from Dearborn MI weighs in on this.

If someone does pop up from Dearborn, please tell us where to purchase Jordanian sumac. I used to buy it from Petra Imports, but they seem to have disappeared. I've never found anything as good since.

Despite living 3000 miles away, I still purchase most of the Middle Eastern

products from Kalustyan in New York. The spices are fresh due to rapid turnover. And Aziz always has the 'latest' imports first. He was first to have toasted green wheat, Lebanese MYMOUNI brand Mulberry syrup, and Turkish sweet red pepper paste.

[AmyDaniel]

In New York Zeitoun told me of this place:

Naseem, Halal and Mediterranean Grocery

25-65 Steinway St. Astoria, NY.

Apparently they have real Tunisian malsouka leaves perfect for making brik and basteeya.

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AWESOME to know; thanks, Zeitoun!

[Abra]

We can buy many Middle Eastern ingredients in Seattle at PFI (Pacific Food Importers.) They have freekeh (not that I know how to cook it yet) and all sorts of carob and pomegranate molasses, Mymouni stuff, halvah, Turkish coffees and teas, shredded filo, and some spices.

[chefzadi]

Someone emailed me and to tell me about a few places in Kansas City, MO

Frozen merguez is available at the Mediterranean markets there. I know that several Whole Foods in LA carry it as well. Apparently other locations in the country do as well.

There is a Palestinian bakery there as well and of the cooks is Tunisian.

My Kansas City contact as promised to come back with addresses. I wonder if anyone here from KC knows of the places.

[Smithy]

When I can get to Minneapolis I go to Sindbad's on South Nicollet Avenue. It's been the only place I could find Egyptian domiata (domti) cheese this side of the Atlantic. I can usually find sumac, z'atar, blocks of tamarind and various interesting-looking things that I haven't tried yet.

Cub Foods in Duluth is starting to carry freekeh, pomegranate molasses, and other odds and ends in their Ethnic Foods (or do they call it World Foods) section, so our local choices are growing. For the best and freshest spices I still go to the Whole Foods Coop in Duluth, but I haven't found sumac, z'atar or tamarind there. Nor have I found those at the Oriental Grocery in Duluth, but I've found enough other surprises that I'm moving them up on my food radar for visits.

[kanljung]

There are a couple of stalls in the central food market (Stora Saluhallen) here in Gothenburg, Sweden which I usually go to. For merguez I go to a butcher called Araz Chark, which also is great for lamb in general. Then there is a stall called "Orientaliska Delikatesser". Here I get shelled pistachios and walnuts, turkish youghurt, bulgur and various other stuff. The place is currently undergoing a renovation and I hope that it will remain the same (or get even better) after this. I have my fears though, that it will turn into a bland all-purpose deli.

For spices I usually go to a shop called Curry House. It is basically an indian place but they carry a huge selection of spices and spice blends which they package themselves.

I'm still looking for a place where I can find freekeh and pomegranate molasses. There is a larger middle eastern grocery at the other end of town which I haven't had time to visit yet, but I have high hopes for that place.

[Pam R]

With the added bonus of needing my ingredients to be kosher... I end up bringing them all in from other places - then reselling them to the locals. So I guess some people come to me for middle eastern ingredients. In fact, just yesterday a Jordanian came in looking for oksher pepperoni/sausage. He can't get any halal, so he came to me. My next order from Toronto will include some, along with all the other meats.. including beef or lamb merguez.

For the last month or so I've been sourcing Israeli products to sell in my store - we have a growing Israeli group of customers that are looking for items that are common throughout middle eastern countries. So I make sure to have cous cous, halvah, t'china, Israeli pickled vegetables and whatever else I can get my hands on. The list of requests is growing, so I imagine this part of my business will grow as well.

As it stands right now though, I order almost all of my products from Toronto - and they are bringing them in from Israel and Europe if they aren't local.

[chefzadi]

I was thinking of you when I posted this.

So what is this place in Toronto?

[Carrot Top]

In this area the place to go is Oasis Market. Right here in Blacksburg.

Whatever they do not have, they will order.

[Pam R]

I was thinking of you when I posted this.

So what is this place in Toronto?

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Not A place, but many many places.

My poultry comes from Chai poultry (I believe they are shipping to California - so you can buy it too).

My beef, lamb & veal (and all forms of it) come from Shefa meats.

My grocery items come from Supreme Foods, Kaufman Berenholtz and (hopefully) Food Fest. All 3 of these companies import foods from Israel. I've been trying to track down some Israeli cheeses (anybody who's been there knows that Israeli yogurt and white cheeses are amazing) and am close to getting them.

Then for completely non-middle eastern food I order directly from places like Eden Foods - for nori, wasabi, refried beans, agar agar. I've also ordered some coffee syrups in from North Carolina ... the internet it a wonderful thing you know.

In addition to using things myself for catering or prepped foods in my store, we have a retail space and we also wholesale ingredients to the local synagogues and the big hotels that have kosher kitchens. The retail/wholesale part is growing like crazy so I try to source more and more stuff all the time. IF I was big enough, I'd bring stuff directly from Israel - but I'm not. So I have to find companies that are already importing and go through them. It can be really frustrating, but I think it's worth it.

Edited August 17, 2005 by Pam R (log)

[helenjp]

I find Indian grocers often have supplies for middle eastern food. Trouble is, they have way too many other fascinating things too...

[bloviatrix]

In addition to Kalustyan's and many of the Manhattan kosher markets, I shop at the kosher Syrian markets in Brooklyn. The two I favor are Holon and Bat-Yam. Bat-Yam is at 525 Kings Highway. Holon is less than a block east. For pastries, I like Mansoura at 515 Kings Highway. There's also a place on Avenue M that I hit, but I can't remember the name.

I also find that the International Foods Warehouse in Lodi, NJ (on Rte 17 - if you do a search on the NJ board you'll find many mentions of it) is a good source. I tend to buy my basmati and bulgur there.

In Aventurra, Fl a good source for all the products (kosher) is Sara's Tent. It's in the Waterways shopping center

[Chris Amirault]

New place to list in the Providence area: Jerusalem Meat Market, 88.5 Rolfe Street in Cranston, serving lots of halal meats and a very good selection of other Middle Eastern goods.

[chefzadi]

Well I found all the fixings, except the couscous, at a Thai market for a fish dish cooked in a three tiered couscoussier. I even found a Thai three tiered, steel fish steamer that can easily be used as a couscoussier!

Thank you everyone for your input.

[Behemoth]

I just need to add this because it would amuse you -- the Korean market I frequent in Urbana actually carries the full range of middle eastern ingredients. (Including pita bread, yogurt, labneh, rose water, tahini...)

Weird, huh?

[scubadoo97]

I shop at the kosher Syrian markets in Brooklyn.  The two I favor are Holon and Bat-Yam.  Bat-Yam is at 525 Kings Highway.  Holon is less than a block east.  For pastries, I like Mansoura at 515 Kings Highway. 

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My favorite places when in NY. As a Syrian Jew I find they sell the things I grew up with.

Here in Pinellas County, Florida we have several Middle Eastern markets so which everone is in my area gets the bulk of my business.

[Carolyn Tillie]

One of the things I really miss about SoCal is the accessibility I had to Middle Eastern ingredients. I lived in Redondo Beach and over on Artesia Boulevard, there are no less than three stores in walking distance from one another. I'm sorry I don't remember exact names or addresses -- just that they were around Inglewood Boulevard.

Now here in NoCal, I am just beginning to explore an area in Berkeley that has several. of note is Indus Food Center at 1920 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley - 510-549-3663. There is another one that I frequent and when I tried to Google around, I found this great listing. Still can't find the one I was thinking of (starts with a Z) but I'll try to remember....

[Dejah]

Still can't find the one I was thinking of (starts with a Z) but I'll try to remember....

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Is it zatar? I visited a Penzey's in Chicago this summer and found zatar and sumac.

Now I just have to find more recipes to use them.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Still can't find the one I was thinking of (starts with a Z) but I'll try to remember....

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Is it zatar? I visited a Penzey's in Chicago this summer and found zatar and sumac.

Now I just have to find more recipes to use them.

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No, I was not referring to an ingredient, but an actual store that I frequent whose name starts with 'Z'.

Although when I moved to NoCal and couldn't find these stores, I had a friend who lives near those Artesia stores I mentioned ship me a bag of Z'atar!

[Dejah]

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Now I just have to find more recipes to use them.

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Although when I moved to NoCal and couldn't find these stores, I had a friend who lives near those Artesia stores I mentioned ship me a bag of Z'atar!

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Can you point me to some recipes using zatar? I will have a student from Turkey, and perhaps one from Saudi again this term. I received a generous bag of sumac from behemoth early in the year.I was glad to be able to replenish my supply.

[chefzadi]

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Now I just have to find more recipes to use them.

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Although when I moved to NoCal and couldn't find these stores, I had a friend who lives near those Artesia stores I mentioned ship me a bag of Z'atar!

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Can you point me to some recipes using zatar? I will have a student from Turkey, and perhaps one from Saudi again this term. I received a generous bag of sumac from behemoth early in the year.I was glad to be able to replenish my supply.

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Roast Chicken recipe I didn't call for zatar specifically, but the ingredients are there in the spices: sumac, sesame seeds and thyme.

I also post some recipes for Khobz (bread) and it is traditional to sprinkle on top of khobz. zatar is also added to bread salads.

[chefzadi]

I just need to add this because it would amuse you -- the Korean market I frequent in Urbana actually carries the full range of middle eastern ingredients. (Including pita bread, yogurt, labneh, rose water, tahini...)

Weird, huh?

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That does amuse me. You know what? The Middle Eastern Market near me sells all kinds of Asian and Mexican/Central American ingredients.

And the Korean market near me sells some Middle Eastern vegetbales and fruits.