The Internet has truly brought the Mediterranean home to North Americans. Products, implements, pots and pans, tools, and foodstuffs that once required a trip to a far-off ethnic neighborhood—or even to the Mediterranean itself——are now at our fingertips, requiring nothing more than a valid credit card and a double-click of the computer mouse. The following are some of my favorite sources but when in doubt—Google will find it for you.
For specialized kitchen tools and equipment (paella pans, baking stones, couscoussières, yogurt strainers, etc., etc.):
The Baker’s Catalogue (kingarthurflour.com) for special baking equipment, pans, and tools
The Bridge Company (bridgekitchenware.com), New York City’s premier supplier of kitchenwares of all kinds
La Tienda, Williamsburg, Virginia (tienda.com), for Spanish cooking equipment, earthenware cassolas, also table and glassware from Spain
Sur la Table stores nationally (SurLaTable.com)
Tagines.com for Moroccan earthenware and other tagines
Williams-Sonoma stores nationally (williams-sonoma.com)
For all sorts of food products, from extra-virgin olive oils to salts to cheeses to pasta products to grains and beans—you name it:
I’ve noted, where relevant, a site’s home base—a personal visit is always the best way to see the gamut of products. And where a site is specialized in a particular cuisine I’ve also taken note. Otherwise, these are good general suppliers of a great variety of high-quality Mediterranean ingredients.
The Baker’s Catalogue (kingarthurflour.com) for a wide variety of flours and many other baking ingredients
Chefshop.com (notably, a great variety of ground and crushed red chilies)
Dayna’s Market (daynasmarket.com), for Middle Eastern foods
Formaggio Kitchen, Cambridge, Massachusetts (formaggiokitchen.com)
Kalustyan’s Spices and Sweets, New York City (kalustyans.com), for mostly Middle Eastern (also South Asian) ingredients
La Tienda, Williamsburg, Virginia (tienda.com), for Spanish foods, including jamón serrano and, new to the market, jamón de bellota
The Mozzarella Company, Dallas, Texas (mozzco.com), for cow’s milk mozzarella (fior di latte), goat’s milk ricotta and feta, and other specialty cheeses made on-site
Murray’s Cheese Shop, Greenwich Village, New York City (murrayscheese.com), for fine imported and specialty cheeses
The Olive Oil Source (oliveoilsource.com) for extra-virgin olive oils from all over the world
Rockridge Market Hall, Oakland, California (markethallfoods.com)
Theoliveoilsecret.com is not a site for purchasing olive oil but is full of good information that should be in every potential olive oil purchaser’s pocket.
Titan Foods, Astoria, Queens (titanfood.com), for Greek foods, located in the capital of Greek America
Todaro Brothers, New York City (todarobros.com), for Italian ingredients
Vivande Porta Via, San Francisco (vivande.com), for a small but choice selection of Italian ingredients
Zingerman’s Deli, Ann Arbor, Michigan (zingermans.com)