Persian Market in San Diego
My friend @fatehamericano is the founder and administrator for FB group the SD Halal Foodie Authority. He is the main source of my Persian/ Arabian things in San Diego.
So one day, I asked him about the best Persian market. He said Atlas Supermarket in Poway used to be his favorite, but it’s closed now as they are planning to move, which we still don’t know where at this moment.
For this reason he recommended Balboa International Market. He also recommended Harvest International Market and Valley Foods in El Cajon, but I will write about these in some other opportunity.
Balboa International Market
According to Yelp, Balboa International Market is the best Persian market in San Diego.
I realized I came to this Muslim place with my tight yoga pants, but it should be OK right? I am not heading to the Musk…
First, let’s wander inside the store
OK, I am inside the store. Let’s check from the left side of the store!
Look at this variety of spices. This reminds me of Indian market. You know until recently for me India and Middle East are two different places, and they are. But they are located next to each other and they share similar dishes. (Oh, I am craving for biriyani now)
Olive oil. Oh I can’t read…! I wish I could. It is supposed to be read from right to left, right? Amazing…
I found the Polish honey. But why Polish?
Jam, jam and jam!
From the left, fig jam, carrot jam, and quince jam. You know I didn’t know this fruit called quince until I moved to San Diego. And it is a bit funny.
One day I was in Balboa Park with friends and one of the friends explained me that the street around the park is after tree names, like upas, spruce, ivy, quince, etc. Until then I thought quince was number fifteen in Spanish. (It’s spelled the same way, pronounced differently)
More variety of fruit jams.
Kabob take out
Tiny take out corner. Kebab Koobideh is the Iranian kebab. But this time I didn’t take out. In my experience, food tastes better from restaurants than these take out from super market.
(And next time I visited I did try their take out dishes. Their best is chicken kebab. Salad was fresh. It’s reasonable.)
We share tea culture #Asia #silkroad
So, inside the Persian store I didn’t find any Japanese items, but I saw Korean corn tea. I love corn tea. It has rustic aroma and flavor. It is nice to reconfirm they have tea culture, and we used to exchange goods and cultures through silk road.
I didn’t take photos but they did have a selection of tea, of course.
I found this tea glass near the register. Back when I was studying in San Diego, a Turkish friend used to invite me to her apartment and served tea in this tiny glass cup. My little memories from that moment.
Arabic cheeses
Yes, Persian culture are influenced from other Asian cultures, but also they are absorbed European cultures. They are located in the crossroad.
I have no idea which cheese are good. I like visiting this type of place with someone from the culture.
Today’s highlight: Persian flatbreads bakery
Look. At. This…!! Today’s highlight was these Persian flatbreads. My friend @fatehamerican explained me that Pita was eaten in Turkey and other Arabian counties. Persian countries like Iran or Iraq don’t eat Pita bread.
He recommends Sangak bread. In this photo it is the largest flatbread located 4th from the left.
It is enormous…!!
The bakery owner speaks fluent Japanese
The man at the bakery asked me if I spoke Farsi, and I said no I don’t. Then he asked me where I am from. I said I am originally from Japan, then out of nowhere he started to speak to me in fluent Japanese….!
Actually this man was the owner of the bakery. Mr. Saiid is originally from Iran, then he lived in Tokyo for 25 years running an Iranian restaurant in Shinagawa, a pizza place in Ueno, and also sold some Persian carpets there. (He must be rich…!)
It was so random and funny that we spoke in Japanese in this Persian market.
An extrovert who is good at “deep talk”
Lately I read lots of books. I wish I could update my reading notes on this blog but unfortunately I don’t. I keep my reading notes either on my journal or my J blog.
According to the book “Sorry I am late, I didn’t want to come”, the bakery owner was a true extrovert who is good at “deep talk”.
At the bakery, the owner did not stick to small talk, and ventured to lead some deep talk. Like this:
He: How old are you?
Me: 40 lol
He: Still young, still young. I am 49. What about your husband?
He: Where do you live? I live in La Jolla. It is expensive there. It is cheaper living in Ginza (Tokyo’s expensive area).
He: Do your kids speak Japanese? Are there Japanese schools in San Diego? My kids don’t speak Japanese…
He: Do you have lots of friends here? I do have lots of Japanese friends here. They are my customers. They come to buy bread here.
(Remember, all this conversion was done in Japanese… wow)
I thought, someone like him is called extrovert. And this type of person are typical business owner type that we imagine.
I thought, someone like him is called extrovert. And this type of person are typical business owner type that we imagine. (Of course, I know there are a bunch of introvert entrepreneurs out there, too)
I was pretty much impressed by his energy that drove him to have his business both in USA and Japan.
Tasting sangak bread
Soooooo, I drove back home happily with this huge sank bread on the passenger seat. Oh, by the way, the bread was $3.99. I saw some Persian looking customers buying three of them. It seems to be a staple for them.
According to Mr. Saiid, sangak bread is eaten for a breakfast. You heat them up, and spread butter or/ and jam of your favorite. You see lots of sesame sprinkled on the flatbread, and you can imagine how flavorful with that.
As I touch this fresh bread, it is a bit sticky and as you put some piece in your mouth, you notice it has good texture to it. I believe it contains rice flour or some kind.
I ended up consuming great amount of this bread alone… lol
This can be a great gift when you visit your friends. (I actually brought some for a friend when I bought extra bread in my second visit). In the next visit I would love to try sangak pizza.
Balboa International Market
5905 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111