Mediterranean Market & Bakery

Lisa — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:34:22 +0000

Visiting this market is a little bit like stepping into an Arab souk — you’ll find plenty of colorful jars and bottles, an entire aisle of intriguingly aromatic spices, and a modest yet fresh selection of produce. If you’re as curious as food as I am, plan on spending a good chunk of time browsing through the nuts, seeds, meats, cheeses, jams, teas…you get the picture. Some of my favorite finds were canned fava beans, canned Moroccan sardines in tomato sauce, kishk (fermented and dried sheep’s-milk whey; sometimes you’ll also find kishk premixed with bulgur and/or other types of whey), cashew juice, pickled vegetables, six kinds of pomegranate molasses, and whole coriander seeds. Watching the gentleman in the bakery section spin out the dough for the pastry pies was pretty cool, too.

Mediterranean Market & Bakery
32839 Northwestern Hwy
Farmington, MI 48334
(248) 538-9552

Joe’s Produce

Lisa — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:22:25 +0000

Another beautiful produce market in Metro Detroit’s collection! Joe’s Produce has actually been in Livonia for over 50 years, but it just keeps getting better and better and more and more people keep talking about it. The produce bins are fully and neatly stocked — including a very respectable organic section — and the store also offers a nice assortment of cheeses and dry goods. I was delighted beyond belief to finally get my hands on a certain type of bean I’d had in Spain and absolutely loved but didn’t know what it was called. (Kind of hard to ask for “that bean I had as a wonderful appetizer in Cádiz but can’t find here.”) Turns out they’re called lupini beans, and they were modestly nestled in amongst the other, more-standard beans. Thank you, Joe!

The Cultured Cook » Markets in Metro Detroit

Mediterranean Market & Bakery

Joe’s Produce