[If you like stories about such things as nut honey and pomegranate molasses read on. If not scroll down for a short slide show, and click on the image to reveal a short description]

Is it possible to spend a morning shopping with a handful of foodies and return home with two bags filled with many many good things, only to write a list of items you didn’t buy, but hope to on your next return?

After a mini gastronomic tour of Auburn, Sydney’s little Turkey I returned home thinking about the many items I left behind. You see, I have one simple rule for these foodie excursions; bring as many shopping bags that you are willing to carry. I knew I’d be faced with big decisions on Saturday; there would be boxes of turkish delight, bottles of jams and nut honey, fresh turkish bread, dondurma, nuts, legumes, sweets to consider. Those jars multiply quickly when you are faced with such options as quince or red currant. And if you are swayed with neat bags of legumes and grains then it is easy to see that a few bags could easily weigh a girl down. So I folded up two black canvas bags with every intention of filling it up with some goodies. An easy amount to carry when I also knew that the day was going to end with dondurma.

I met up with Bowb, Helen, Sarah and Sue at a sweet shop. We walked along Auburn Road; stopping intermittently for za’attar on fresh bread, bánh mì, and a look-see here and there. But we had plans for turkish delight and I had told the girls about Arzum Market which I had been to only a couple of times.

To get from Auburn Road we crossed a few streets and went over a bridge to Station Street for sweet things. RT Delight used to have one store front with a neon light which beamed the words Authentic Turkish Delight at all hours of the day. The neon sign is still there, but the business which started in 1974 has expanded considerably. It now includes a swish front shop with glass cabinets filled with truffles, creme chocolates and many forms of turkish delight. I came away with two chocolate truffles and a box of hazelnut and coconut turkish delight which is being savoured very slowly with black tea as I write this. The truffles were good and the turkish delight which comes wrapped in plastic and boxed was just alright. If you do want fabulous turkish delight and happen to be in the area; may I suggest Byblos Pastry in Lidcombe. Their turkish delight comes in big cubes (you may be tempted to use it as a small paper weight) and studded with pistachio pieces.

Next we ventured down Rawson Road where two girls dressed in faux fur hooded coats were eating ice cream from the new parlour on the corner. One was balancing a full shopping trolley and eating her ice cream at the same time. I admired her tenacity and dedication to her cone and shopping. I looked at my folded black canvas bags with mild shame secretly wishing I lived in a city where shopping carts are the norm and not just for nana’s.

Arzum Market is amazing and by far one of my new favourite places to shop. You may feel slightly overwhelmed when you enter as there are many many good things on show. As I walked in with Bowb I was swayed this way and that with a spread of noveltly treats. Such things called puffs, browni, kolumbo, bananko. See it is easy to be swayed just by the names! I eventually left all these behind, determined not to give into sugar just yet. I ventured to the far end of the shop where bags of legumes and spices can be found. I was tempted to buy so many jams, but I have flashes of the overpopulated shelves at home so I only picked one jam and one honey. Eventually I came away with the following:

Starting clockwise we have a box of pashmak which was reasonably priced in comparison to the gourmet packaged stuff you find at various deli’s these days. Pashmak the Persian equivalent to fairy floss, and is made with sesame oil and sugar. Usually it comes without food colouring but it can come flavoured with saffron or chocolate for example. It is tightly woven into balls and is a delight to have with ice cream or on its own. To the right is a box of turkish sweets, followed by quince jam, which I popped open as soon as I got home. The jam is full of quince pieces which I relished with much glee with turkish bread, purchased from Buket Cake Shop. Buket Cake Shop also sells sweet and long pieces of turkish pide which would be lovely for a impromptu picnic.

Underneath the jam is a bag of fine bulgur, also known as cracked wheat. I have been on the look out for fine bulgur for ages, as I’d like to replace rice with the wheat for a nuttier tasting pilaf. The black eyed peas are already drafted for an upcoming soul food dinner I have planned. On top of the peas is a bottle of whole nut honey, which brought about much in decision on my part. I was torn between the honey which featured whole pieces of walnuts, peanuts, pistachio, hazelnuts and a jar of honey which was just as visually appealing with its swirls of ground nuts. Helen was helping me with my decision, and when I saw Bowb balancing her own items I could see she had chosen the ground version. I turned to the shop keeper and asked him which was his favourite; alas he had not tried either of the two and then brought out a jar of plain honey and tore a few pieces of turkish bread for us to sample. Charmed by his kindness and the sweetness of the plain honey I decided on the whole nut honey for now, and the plain honey for later. Imagine; toasted sourdough with butter and whole pieces of pistachio, all sweetened by the honey. Bliss? Evet!

To the left of the honey, is a bottle of pomegranate molasses or grenadine which is fabulous in cocktails which include rum. The girls also gave me ideas for its use; a marinade for roasts, a dressing for salads and as I found out last night it is also great as a coating for the fruit in a crumble. And finally to the left a little novely item; Chocolino. As the writing on the box reads the contents are cereal flakes made with chocolate. More specifically semolina, chocolate and other things which make the end result thick and smooth. Yes, I am aware that the little bear on the front is for the children, but there is reassurance that the cereal when made with hot milk and stirred to a smooth consistency can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike. They also suggest adding nuts, raisins and cream which would make it taste even more like a chocolate pudding!

As you can see we did come away with gems from Arzum Market. I want to return this weekend so I can buy the big steel frame for grilling a whole fish or butterflied chicken, the plain honey, nuts, turkish coffee pots, cured sausages and for the chocolate cake named Browni. We also stopped by the Indian grocer for various items. I came away with a tin of ghee, pistachio biscuits fresh okra, baby aubergines and a little tube of tumeric handcream. It has a faint smell of tumeric, and reminds me of the incense filled temples in Sri Lanka.

We ended our gastro tour at Mado Cafe. The whole placed is fitted with copper art, rugs and Turkish wares making it feel you are dining in Istanbul; not an cafe in western Sydney. The intimate booths, with tables adorned with rugs under glass is the perfect place a nourishing bowl of red lentil soup. The soup arrived with chilli flakes, a wedge of lemon and turkish bread. It was just what I needed as I had already consumed a bánh mi earlier in the day and wanted something light. Paired with a refreshing glass of ayran it was a lovely lunch. The girls shared an array of platters which looked delicious, especially the lamb dish which I sampled.

We were entertained by a large group children who were there for a birthday party. Imagine; having a birthday in Aladdin’s cave! I ended my lunch with Cay (black Turkish tea) which comes in a small tulip fluted cup with two sugar cubes. I had a sample of the shared desserts which included dondurma (Turkish ice cream) and charred pudding. It may be similar to a caramelised rice pudding which goes by the name of Kazan Dibi, and its definitely something I’d go back for. It was like eating toffee and drinking a cold glass of milk at the same time; except the pudding bit was thick, oozy and sticky in a comforting kinda way.

As we left I gave in to the stretchy dondurma which sits in a glass cabinet facing the street, and decided to buy some to share with The Boy (oh, the tricks we play on ourselves!). Dondurma, is Turkish ice cream made from salep and mastic. Salep is the flour made from dried orchid pieces and mastic is made from a shrub by the same name, producing a brittle resin. When both are combined it makes for a sticky texture in the ice cream which is pretty resilient to melting as I found while waiting for The Boy to pick me up. Lucky for me, he wasn’t in the mood for ice cream so I relished the mulberry and turkish coffee flavours on the drive home, already thinking of when I can return next for the apricot flavour and also another visit to Arzum Market.

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