Great article and it makes me hungry! Luckily here in Germany we also have a large Persian diaspora, so getting the ingredients or going to restaurants should be easy enough in my city. As someone married into a Turkish family I'd just like to add that Zaatar is not that common in Turkish cuisine, but more known in the Arabic speaking Southeastern Tip. I would guess it's more prominent in the British-Turkish context because many Turks in the UK are originally from Cyprus, which has a more "Middle Eastern" cuisine than Anatolia.
For those of us in South East London looking for Persian ingredients please excuse me mentioning our local Persian supermarket run by friends in Peckham - Persepolis. They may look like a restaurant but the story is bigger.
Utterly brilliant in every way - they started out as importers of Iranian produce in 1995, developed into a full blown beautiful local supermarket in 2001, slowly adding a table here and there for dinners since 2012. They also have 5 cookbooks under their belt. Everything Persian is also available online.
They’re deeply rooted in Peckham culture but have supplied herbs and spices to restaurants like Moro.
Again, apologies for talking about people I know but Persepolis is really exceptional and well worth supporting
I did see that - but thought they should perhaps be added to the list - some readers just skim. Sorry! Local independent shops are worth fighting for and supporting.
PS - loved the article by Amira and Vittles was recommended by a friend in Canada - many congratulations
Great article and it makes me hungry! Luckily here in Germany we also have a large Persian diaspora, so getting the ingredients or going to restaurants should be easy enough in my city. As someone married into a Turkish family I'd just like to add that Zaatar is not that common in Turkish cuisine, but more known in the Arabic speaking Southeastern Tip. I would guess it's more prominent in the British-Turkish context because many Turks in the UK are originally from Cyprus, which has a more "Middle Eastern" cuisine than Anatolia.
For those of us in South East London looking for Persian ingredients please excuse me mentioning our local Persian supermarket run by friends in Peckham - Persepolis. They may look like a restaurant but the story is bigger.
Utterly brilliant in every way - they started out as importers of Iranian produce in 1995, developed into a full blown beautiful local supermarket in 2001, slowly adding a table here and there for dinners since 2012. They also have 5 cookbooks under their belt. Everything Persian is also available online.
They’re deeply rooted in Peckham culture but have supplied herbs and spices to restaurants like Moro.
Again, apologies for talking about people I know but Persepolis is really exceptional and well worth supporting
They're mentioned in the intro!
I did see that - but thought they should perhaps be added to the list - some readers just skim. Sorry! Local independent shops are worth fighting for and supporting.
PS - loved the article by Amira and Vittles was recommended by a friend in Canada - many congratulations