It was the promise of great Turkish cooking that that sent SE designer Tracie and me on a field trip to Paterson. While New York has some great Turkish food if you know where to look, most of it leaves some room for improvement. Could Jersey do us one better?
South Paterson’s Turkish sector is far more condensed than New York’s, with a tight cluster of restaurants, kebab houses, bakeries, and groceries. Short diversions will take you to late-night diners, WPA-era outdoor markets, and Hispanic stores selling treasures like dirt-cheap key limes and Peruvian pepper paste.
In short: come for an afternoon and you’ll find more food than you can handle. Looking for an introduction to the city’s Turkish scene? Here’s an afternoon itinerary to get you started. Paterson is full of markets to stock up on Middle Eastern provisions, but AK Market’s selection is especially impressive. There’s a full compliment of yogurts and cheeses, including hard-to-find nabulsi, a salty semi-soft cheese flavored with nigella seeds, and Istanbuli, a cream-cheese like spread flavored with grassy green chili. Among the dry goods you’ll find excellent hazelnuts, especially fresh and aromatic, alongside all manner of other nuts, legumes, grains, and spices available in bulk at low prices.
