Best place for bulk spices in Cairo?

December 23, 2011 3:37 AM

Where is the best place in Cairo to purchase spices in bulk, assuming I can't speak Arabic and want a few hundred grams of, say, dukkah, saffron, sumac, anise, za'atar, or ras el hanout? Happy to go to a supermarket or something, but I'm also happy to attempt to bargain!

I'd get them here, but there aren't any Middle Eastern markets near me (I'm in a mid-sized city in Poland). I'll be in Cairo for about a week, then will move on to Alexandria for a few days if that's a better bet. Thanks!

posted by mdonley to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Watch out for the so called "saffron" that may be shovelled into a bag for you at an unbelievably cheap price. well that happened to me in Morocco - maybe its different in Egypt.
posted by mary8nne at 4:19 AM on December 23, 2011

You should probably check out the Khan al-Khalil bazaar, but be prepared for hustlers/faux guides.
posted by HopperFan at 8:42 AM on December 23, 2011

Also, fake saffron is everywhere. Here's how to be on the lookout for the real stuff.
posted by HopperFan at 8:45 AM on December 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all! In the end I hit up the Carrefour in the huge Alexandria City Center Mall (not in the city center, but about a 15 EGP taxi ride away) and got my fill! Worked a charm.
posted by mdonley at 12:13 PM on January 22, 2012