Clearly, I'm just a bad blogger. I've been totally remiss in putting up a list of places where one can procure Persian oddities (read: ingredients) such as kashsk, leemoo-amoni, torshi and the like.
So, I respectfully submit to you a list of Persian markets in the Bay Area.
(And for those of you outside of the Bay, there are a couple of online sources listed at the bottom. Because, you know, as much as I would love to be able to provide resources across the country, I do still have to hold down my paying job).
San Francisco & East Bay:
U.N. Market (limited selection, but the only market in the city)
(415) 563-4726
900 Post St., San Francisco
Aria Super Market
(510) 337-9831
1533 Webster St., Alameda
Nick Market
(510) 526-7727
1007 Solano Ave., Albany
Zand Market
(510) 528-7027
1401 Solano Ave., Albany
Damavand Market
(510) 793-2606 37012
Towers Way, Fremont
South Bay:
Paak International
(650) 574-3536
1614 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo
Adel International
(650) 654-3340
165 El Camino Real, San Carlos
Etminan
(408) 226-5992 5754
Santa Teresa Blvd., San Jose
Norooz Bazaar
(408) 295-2323
1390 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose
Online:
Sadaf Food Company
Sadaf is the only company worth buying from online - any other online persian "markets" will be carrying Sadaf product anyway, so you may as well just go straight to the source.
Khoshkhorak
Prepared food, but I think they will send you "components" if you need them and can't find them elsewhere. (Disclosure: this site was started by my cousin who felt bad for all the kids in our family who had gone off to college and couldn't get Persian food. It's an interesting business model...)
Y'all can thank Jocelyn, Jen and a few others for reminding me what an important step I was missing!
