This North Carolina Turkish Market Has Pistachio Baklava, Fresh Simit And Shelves Full Of Imported Treats

You walk in planning to buy one thing.

Realistically, you are probably leaving with baklava.

Since opening in 2017, the family-run North Carolina market has specialized in Turkish foods while expanding its shelves with other international products.

Saturday mornings are especially dangerous.

Fresh simit arrives with that golden sesame crust, and suddenly breakfast plans change before you have even made it past the entrance. Then comes the baklava, which has a remarkable ability to make “just one piece” sound like something said by a person who has never met pistachios.

The shop began because one Turkish family missed the flavors of home.

Now the rest of us get to benefit from the homesickness.

Come curious. Leave with a bag that says your pantry has officially gone international.

Start With A Piece Of Pistachio Baklava Before You Browse

Baklava is not limited to a single tray here.

The current dessert menu offers several pistachio-filled baklava variations. Choices include double-pistachio mini baklava, fıstık sarma or dolama rolls, Diyarbakır-style burma, and triangular pistachio baklava.

Chocolate mini baklava adds another choice for anyone interested in something less traditional. The variety makes pistachio one of the clearest themes of the dessert selection rather than an occasional specialty tucked into the corner.

Some pieces are compact enough for a quick sweet after lunch, while larger shapes work better when several people are sharing.

Turkish baklava styles can differ noticeably in shape, filling, and proportion of pastry to nuts, so choosing more than one kind is an easy way to compare them without leaving the same counter.

Availability may shift as batches sell through, making the display worth checking even for repeat visitors. The market’s menu also pairs dessert orders with complimentary tea, creating an easy way to slow down for a few minutes before returning to the grocery aisles.

For anyone arriving mainly because of the title’s pistachio promise, the current menu gives that craving several legitimate places to start.

You Can Pick Up Fresh Simit For Breakfast At Home

The sesame-covered ring known as simit has long been one of the baked goods associated with this Cary market.

Recent customer information continues to mention fresh baked goods and simit, while earlier shoppers specifically noted that fresh batches were prepared on Saturdays.

Because baked items can change from day to day, checking ahead is the safest plan when simit is the main reason for the trip.

What makes the bread distinctive is its balance of a chewy interior with a sesame-heavy crust, giving it a different character from the softer loaves found in many American bakeries.

In Turkey, simit is commonly eaten at breakfast or picked up as a portable snack, often alongside tea. At home, it works just as easily with cheese or a simple spread, and a brief warming in the oven can refresh the texture if it is not eaten immediately.

The market’s broader selection makes building around the bread straightforward because dairy products and olives are stocked nearby.

Even without turning breakfast into a complicated project, simit offers one of the easiest ways to bring a recognizable Turkish staple home from the store.

Its continued appearance in shopper reports also helps explain why baked goods remain part of the market’s appeal.

Check The Shelves For Turkish Snacks You Rarely See Elsewhere

Bright wrappers and unfamiliar brand names make this part of the store especially easy to get lost in.

Turkish chocolates, biscuits, sweets, dried fruit, nuts, drinks, and other specialty groceries have been part of Turkuaz Market’s selection for years, creating plenty of low-commitment ways to try something new.

A package of wafers or cookies can be a much easier introduction than buying ingredients for an unfamiliar recipe, and savory choices prevent the section from leaning entirely sweet.

Refrigerated Turkish-style sausages and other specialties extend the possibilities for shoppers looking beyond packaged snacks.

Imported inventory can change as shipments arrive, so the exact assortment is not guaranteed to stay identical from month to month. That rotation is part of the appeal because even regular customers can stumble across something they have not noticed before.

The larger Cary storefront also gives the imported selection more space than the market had in its earlier location. There is no need to understand every label before making a choice.

Picking one small item simply because it looks interesting can be enough to turn an ordinary grocery stop into a taste test waiting to happen at home.

Bring Home Tea Coffee And Pantry Staples Straight From Turkey

A small cup can open the door to a much bigger part of Turkish food culture. The store has carried black teas from Turkey’s Black Sea region, finely ground Turkish coffee, traditional cups, and tulip-shaped tea glasses since its early years.

Turkish coffee is prepared differently from standard drip coffee because the grounds are extremely fine and remain in the cup rather than passing through a filter. Tea follows its own serving tradition and is commonly poured into small clear glasses.

Having the drinks and the appropriate serving pieces in one place makes experimenting at home much easier for beginners. Complimentary tea is also offered with food or dessert orders, so visitors can taste part of that tradition before deciding what to buy.

Nearby shelves expand quickly into everyday cooking ingredients such as rice, grains, spices, and concentrated pepper pastes. Those staples make the market useful beyond specialty treats because they can become part of regular meals at home.

Someone planning to pick up one box of tea can easily leave with enough ingredients to inspire an entirely different dinner.

Look For Cheeses Olives And Spreads To Build A Better Snack Board

The refrigerated cases make it possible to put together something satisfying without turning on the stove. White cheeses, labneh, olives, Turkish-style sausages, and other chilled specialties have all been part of the market’s broader selection, giving shoppers plenty of options for an informal meal.

Thick labneh works especially well as a spread, while a crumbly cheese can anchor a plate with bread and a few savory accompaniments.

Pepper paste from the pantry section adds another useful ingredient for anyone interested in cooking later, since a small amount can bring concentrated flavor to rice dishes, soups, or meat-based recipes.

Imported labels may not always explain every flavor clearly in English, making staff guidance helpful when choosing between several unfamiliar products.

That can be particularly useful with cheese because saltiness and texture vary widely between styles.

Instead of trying to recreate an elaborate Turkish breakfast all at once, a few carefully chosen items can provide an easy introduction. Warm bread with a good cheese is enough to start.

Add another item on the next visit, and the refrigerated section becomes much less mysterious surprisingly quickly.

Try A Sweet You Have Never Seen In A Regular Grocery Store

Boxes and bags beyond the pastry counter offer another side of Turkish dessert culture. Turkish delight has been associated with the market since its early years, sharing shelf space with chocolates, biscuits, packaged candies, and other imported treats.

Lokum can come in many flavors and fillings, with textures ranging from soft and simple to versions packed with nuts or coated on the outside.

That variety makes it an easy product to sample without committing to the richer pastries in the dessert case.

Imported beverages provide another interesting pairing, including ayran, Uludağ mineral water, and fruit-flavored sodas on the current drink menu. A boxed sweet also travels better than fresh pastry if the market is one stop during a longer day around Cary.

Gift giving is another easy use for the section because many Turkish confections already come in decorative packaging that needs little extra work.

Stock changes naturally with imports, so familiar favorites may sit beside something completely unexpected on the next visit.

That unpredictability rewards browsing slowly. The most interesting purchase may turn out to be the one you had never heard of when you walked through the door.

Give Yourself Time Because The Imported Aisles Reward Curiosity

The larger Harrison Avenue storefront gives shoppers more room to wander than the market’s earlier Cary location.

Turkuaz Market now operates at 329 N Harrison Ave, Suite E, Cary, NC 27513, keeping the business close to downtown while allowing its grocery selection and prepared-food operation to spread out.

Current hours run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday extending until 8 p.m.

Those later weekend hours pair especially well with prepared-food service, while bakery availability can still vary depending on the day.

Shelves move easily between familiar cooking staples and products that may require a closer look at the label.

That mix makes a rushed visit possible, but it also makes lingering more rewarding. A shopper who arrives for one ingredient may notice coffee equipment on the next aisle or discover a new snack while heading toward the register.

The family roots behind the store remain part of its identity as well. Nearly a decade after opening, the market still feels designed for people who want to explore Turkish food at their own pace rather than simply grab groceries and leave.

Leave With Enough Turkish Favorites To Plan Your Next Meal Around

Dinner can take shape before you have even finished walking the store. The prepared-food menu currently includes beef döner made with organic halal beef, served on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as either a plate or sandwich.

Chicken shish kebab also appears among the offerings, although availability can vary by day. Beyond ready-to-eat food, the halal meat side gives home cooks a starting point for building their own meals, while Turkish sausages and refrigerated specialties add further options.

Rice, bulgur, spices, pepper paste, and other pantry ingredients make it easy to continue shopping around whatever protein catches your attention.

Breakfast can come together elsewhere in the store with bread and cheese, while dessert is already handled if a box of baklava made it into the basket earlier.

Nothing requires planning an entire week around Turkish cooking, but the selection makes that possibility surprisingly tempting. Start with one meal and see where the shelves lead.

By checkout, a grocery run in North Carolina that began with a single craving can easily turn into breakfast for tomorrow, dinner for later, and something sweet waiting beside the tea.