Pistachios

If you want to go a taste stage further than the nuts you can buy at the Giant and Safeway loose or in cellophane sacks, try the range of different flavored pistachios for sale at Middle Eastern markets.

Yekta, at 1488-A Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301 984 1190, sells one variety with rock salt sticking to the shells, and a wonderfully sour version. They also sell them in packets already shelled if you are planning to use them for cooking.

So does Yasaman Bakery, in the Ritchie Center, 785J Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301 762 5416. They both also sell them ready-shelled which is perfect for home baking, but they're not so pronounced in freshness if you want them as cocktail nuts.

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