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01/22/2002 Archived Entry: "Middle-Eastern Pastries"

I just received the most amazing gift from Bill Gold, my dear friend Rozanne Gold’s father, and I thought I had to share it with you.

On Friday morning I opened a box and found a tin containing six pounds of buttery rich, slightly gooey Middle Eastern pastries. You know the kind: addictively decadent treats of phyllo dough and kadaif (the threads of dough) wrapped around or layered between Middle Eastern pistachio nuts (I am assuming they are Turkish), all doused with sugary syrup and butter.

When I investigated where Bill bought this gift, I was surprised at how easy they were to order and how inexpensive they are. They are from a company in Dearborn, Michigan (there is a very large Middle Eastern population there, and in nearby Detroit) named Shatila. Their phone number is (313) 934-1520. They also have a website: www.shatila.com. They charge $13 for a two-pound tin and $27 for a six-pound tin. Shipping is about $7 to New York, via UPS ground service, which takes two to three days. Shatila says the pastries last about three weeks in the tin, three months in the refrigerator, and six months in the freezer. They way my six-pound tin at room temperature is going, however, I give them only a few more days until they are all devoured. I did say they are addictive. Right?