Earthy Delights, which supplies many well-known restaurants, also carries other exotics, like olives or spelt and kamut grains. The company also markets signature lines for chefs such as Charlie Trotter, who offers his recipe for Lobster Tabbouleh on the Earthy Delight web site. My search for a peppermill that will last more than one year continues. Penzey's Spice Company offers a Zassenhaus peppermill , made in Germany, that comes with a 10-year guarantee and a supply of Indian Tellicherry peppercorns. Zassenhaus also makes a brass Turkish coffee mill , available from Sweet Maria's Home Coffee Roasting Supplies.
Dates are a popular holiday treat in many traditions.
Legend has it that Mohammed ate a date each night to break the Ramadan fast. Dates are harvested close to the Christmas holiday and appear in many baking recipes. Fruitful Gifts owners John and Liz Wake, agricultural economists by training, rescued a rare variety they believe to be related to the Egyptian Hayani date from near extinction. Their dates have a rich, buttery flavor you don't expect in a dried fruit. Other fruits and nut gift tins and baskets are also available for ordering.