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Friday, October 23, 2009

Mash Hassan Bakery and Market

A twilight visit to the Mash Hassan Bakery and Market in Sterling, VA yielded a bright selection of Persian treats, including seeded flat breads, nuts and dried fruits, cheeses, hard to find dried herbs, preserves, saffron ice cream, unique spice blends, and more in a brightly lit, friendly shop decorated with romantic images of serene, dark-eyed women--a Sufi influence, perhaps?



Saffron rock candy:

And varieties of ghee:


Look for the wonderful whole wheat and sesame bread by the cash register, right next to the fresh pistachios:
I came home with many things, including bright, fresh mint:
And dried apricot in a thick sheet:
Plus many of these pastries:

Today's bento with maple-Dijon chicken, with tarragon, mint, grapes,cheese, and bread from the market:
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4 comments:

  1. Happy Little BentoOctober 23, 2009 at 8:36 PM

    Thank you for this pictoral journey through your neighborhood! I LOVE your box, I already told you... would you tell me where you got it, please?

    ReplyDelete
  2. BentobirdOctober 24, 2009 at 6:51 AM

    Hi sherimiya!
    Thanks for visiting and for your comments!I'll enjoy seeing your happy icon here :)
    I found this box at the local Micheal's arts and crafts supply shop, in the unfinished wood boxes aisle...

    ReplyDelete
  3. JudyOctober 24, 2009 at 10:40 PM

    bentobird, did you prepare the box for food stuff? Or do you just use as is? And what do the numbers 2568 refer to in the picture above?
    I love this blog entry. Your pictures are fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  4. BentobirdOctober 25, 2009 at 9:53 AM

    Hi Judy!

    Thanks for stopping by. I prepared the chicken in a N.Y. maple syrup and grainy mustard glaze, rolled the goat cheese in sumac and pistachio, then tucked the mint, lady apple, radish flower, bread triangles, grapes and endive into the box. There's a small squash "ginko leaf" in there as well, supporting the handmade food pick made from an illustration from last year's Rumi calendar :)

    Speaking of calendars: according to FarsiNet, 2568 is the current year as calculated on the Persian calender:
    http://www.farsinet.com/noruz/ecard09.html

    (Am fascinated by the celebration of the Persian New Year holiday, Nowruz:)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz

    ReplyDelete