At the Ethnic Market: Iranian Pistachios

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes.

Many of you out there remember snacking on pistachio nuts whose shells had been dyed red. Heck, as kids half the fun was watching your hands change color. The other day we found some pistachios that are just as fun to eat, but decidely more grown-up. While browsing among the dried nuts and fruits at Mazal Kosher Foods in Forest Hills, we came across a bin of pistachios that seemed larger than the supermarket variety. The nuts were also studded with coarse salt. When asked by the shopkeeper to try some, Gothamist entered pistachio paradise. They had a wonderful roasted flavor and a lemony kick that combined with the coarse salt made them impossible to stop eating. Rather than continue noshing in the store we promptly purchased a pound. We can't wait to try them with cocktails at our next dinner party. Don't want to travel to Forest Hills to get your hands on some Iranian pistachios? No worries, they're also available in Manhattan at Kalyustan's.

Mazal Kosher Food, 63-66 108 St., Forest Hills, 718-459-5707
Kalyustan's,123 Lexington Ave., 212-685-3451