Slices of life, both written and photographed.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Fascinating Day Trip to Watertown, MA

Inside Sevan International Food Market in Watertown, Massachusetts



Taking day trips is one way to add fun and excitement to life!

On a day trip to Watertown, MA,  a friend and I visited two Armenian markets. We drove over to nearby Cambridge and ate lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant, Sofra.  It's obviously extremely popular with the locals and that's always a great sign. I had a very unique cauliflower soup that, among other ingredients, had ginger in it. A moussaka lamb and eggplant dish was tasty right down to the last morsel.
My friend had a wrap that included spinach and three kinds of cheese. She also bought two desserts. One had a ricotta cheese filling and flaky top. The other was an Egyptian bread pudding. This restaurant serves dishes with an incredible range of tastes and textures. It would take a long time to sample all the unique and yummy offerings!



Apparently there is a large Armenian population in this town which is not far from Boston.  The markets we visited are, Arax and Sevan International Food Market, and oh, we had a delightful time!  It's so fascinating to see what other cultures have to offer.  I love trying anything new. 

At Sevan, I bought two boxes of tea. One was St. Dalfour's French organic strawberry rose green tea. (The package read it was packed in Sri Lanka.)  Once home, I made myself a cup and it was like sipping tea in a field of strawberries!

I also bought a box of Almad's English mango black tea.  It sounded tropical. I'll be trying that soon!

We tasted braided white cheese with nigella seeds (black caraway) made by Fiore di Nonno. It tasted a little bit salty but good on small rounds of  Lebanese bread that resembled pita.

          While in Arax, I also picked up a visually gorgeous jar of  Turkish balli cerez (brand name Omak Gida),  a honey and nut confection. On the jar it read that it was for "everyone who wants to be young with a strong mind and nerves.... for every old man who dreams to have his youth back."  Thought my husband would get a kick out of that!  How could anyone pass it up?  It includes honey, bees milk, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, caraway, pine seed, walnuts, peanuts, coconut, radish seed, glucose, black cumin, apricot seed, and pollen!   (Don't know whether it restores a person to youth  or not but thought it was worth a try! ha!)

Both of these photos were taken inside of Sevan International Food Market.

Let's see, I also picked up a package of Iranian Tazah apricot gelatin dessert since my husband loves apricots. Can't wait for him to try that! Also got a package of zaatar from Lebanon. It's a delicious mixture of thyme,seasonings, sumac, sesame seeds, and salt. The Lebanese people eat it on pieces of pita bread dipped first in olive oil, then the zaatar.  

The day in Watertown, and lunch in nearby Cambridge, will definitely be remembered for a long time to come!

WHAT WAS THE LAST FUN DAY TRIP YOU TOOK?

7 comments:

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Looks like wonderful time!

Chatty Crone said...

Just wanted to say isn't it fun to go to places like that? I didn't value it so much when I was younger, but now I love it - what an education you recieve. Then you had lunch and were with a friend - you can't do better then that.

We have the DeKalb International Farmer's Market, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Trader Joes, and things like that - I think the first one was more like yours.

I am so glad you enjoyed spending the day with your friend.

Did your husband like his treat?

Sandie

Linda O'Connell said...

Sounds like a culinary delight.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Hi Susan, your blog is so colorful and inviting. I love your header! Am I behind the times and you've had it like that or is it brand new? Honestly, sometimes I don't know which way is up and which is down. :) That market looks like a wonderful place to visit and such a lovely restaurant. Of course, I am living with all the foods you mentioned and the decor is quite familiar. There are several Armenian girls here at school. Many foods in the Middle Eastern countries are the same, with their own little twist depending on the country, and are called by different names. Zaatar is different if you get it from Lebanon or Jordan or Palestine. A Jordanian family opened up a cafe in Michigan near my aunt and cousin. I plan to pay a visit there this summer. Maybe I can even speak a little Arabic with them. HA! Very little. Hope you have a great day! Tammy

Susan said...

Hi Girls! Thanks for the visits and comments. Loved them!

Tammy, the header is NEW!!!! I'm so excited. I took all the photos and my daughter put a new template and then devised the header, with me at her elbow. ha! Young people are so WITH it on the computer. I love to write and take photos but I'm not techie on the computer, itself. Wish I were.

Take care, everyone! Sincerely, Susan

Donna said...

My mouth is watering!! Your description of the food sounds so GOOD! So glad you and your friend had a lovely day in Watertown and Cambridge!!... Donna

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