Customer Favorites

Maras is a bright, deep red pepper with a medium, balanced, lingering heat.  On most tables in Istanbul you will find small bowls of both Maras and Urfa pepper. Use just as you would ground black pepper, but with far more interesting results.

All of us at Formaggio Kitchen just love this pepper! For more on this and Urfa pepper, visit our travelogue.

Please note our spices are listed by volume, not weight, unless otherwise specified.

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When visiting Ihsan's family in Istanbul, we always stop at the covered bazaar and buy a bag of Urfa peppers to take home.  Now we have them brought to us in even larger quantities by a dear friend.

Urfa has a beautiful deep red color and a smokey, slightly sweet flavor. It's a staple on dinner tables in Istanbul. We use it everywhere--in rubs, as a distinctive flavoring for pastas, in soups and stews. It is less spicy than other chile peppers, but provides a more lasting build of heat.

Please note our spices are listed by volume, not weight, unless otherwise specified.
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As featured in the May 1, 2006 New Yorker article Carnal Knowledge: How I Became a Tuscan Butcher by Bill Buford, in which he describes his experience producing this salt blend with Dario Cecchino, famed butcher of Tuscany: "...indeed aromatic and...having been finely pulverized...very snowlike. But, for the next six hours, we poured fluffy salt into tiny one-and-a-half-ounce jars. Weren't machines invented to do this sort of thing?"

This jar holds a finely ground Italian sea salt infused with fragrant herbs, including rosemary and lavender, native to the hillsides of Chianti. Yet another unique product from Dario Cecchini.

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Please note: this product is sold by the pound. A full loaf is approximately four pounds, and a one-pound piece is approximately a quarter-loaf. For example, if you order a quantity of 2, this means you will receive half a loaf.

We receive our shipments of this bread weekly on Wednesday. This means orders received prior to Wednesday at 12:00 noon EST will be shipped overnight on that Wednesday for Thursday delivery. Orders received after Wednesday at noon, will be shipped the following Wednesday. If you have specific shipping requirements, please call 1-888-212-3224.

For people who know and love bread, the name Poilane is associated with the pinnacle of traditional levain-style bread. We started working with Lionel Poilane in the mid 1990s by flying his bread in each week to support a small, but growing group of customers who had developed a taste for his bread on their trips abroad.

The sign "Ici Pain Poilane" went up in our window and since then we have had a steady demand for this amazing bread. This Levain is their most traditional and best known bread. The name comes from the natural leavening agent of the same name. This is a natural yeast that slowly leavens the bread and produces a loaf that is beautifully fragrant, dense, yet porous, and keeps very well (for a week if refrigerated). In addition to this loaf, we bring in their currant loaf and their walnut loaf. Learn More

Produced by the Marino family in the town of Cossano Belbo, in the Piedmont region of Italy. Mulino Marino uses exclusively organic grains for their flours. For everything but their type 0 and type 00 flours, they use ancient millstones that have been passed down from generation to generation. The stone grinding preserves essential components that add to nutritional value and flavor of the flours. Learn More

Formerly known as "The Dual Major," the Formaggio Favorites collection is our most popular sampler, and for good reason! It is the perfect balance of cheese and charcuterie - everything you need for a delicious treat. We include three half-pound pieces of our most popular cheeses: a nutty French Comté, the ever-popular Calcagno from Italy, and the classic Stilton from England. These cheeses are paired with a two-pack of smokey Landjäger, an authentic Spanish chorizo, and a link of Olli Salame Toscano. We include a bag of crunchy Italian Taralli to round out the sampler!

In the event an item included in this collection is not available, we will substitute a similar product of equal or greater value.

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When travelling to Barcelona, Ihsan and Valerie happened upon a small shop stocked with a multitude of striking white cans full of potato chips. After tasting them, they discovered the source and made contact to see if we could bring them to the United States. Three months later, we brought in our first shipment.

The potatoes are of the name-controlled Xinzo de Lima (Kennebec) variety which is carefully selected for the perfect balance of sugars and starch. The potatoes are cooked in olive oil and have a light dusting of salt.

Featured in the Wall Street Journal.

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An excellent oil for an amazing price! First cold pressing of 100% Arbequiña olives harvested exclusively from the 14,000 trees of the Espuny family on their estate in Andalusia. Pleasantly sweet & buttery, light, fruity & delicate: perfect for drizzling over grilled fish and vegetables and using for your marinades and vinaigrettes. Learn More

Produced by the Marino family in the town of Cossano Belbo, in the Piedmont region of Italy. Mulino Marino uses exclusively organic grains for their flours. This very fine flour is ground on rollers (not stone ground) so that it can attain a very delicate texture. Learn More

Give the gift of choice! Formaggio Kitchen gift cards are available in various denominations, and are redeemable online or in any of our stores. This eGift Card is the fastest way to send your gift! Immediately after placing your order, an email is sent to your desired recipient with your gift note and the gift card credentials. Perfect for a last minute gift for your favorite food lover! Please note, no physical card will be sent when the eGift Card is purchased. If you would like to have a physical gift card sent in the mail, please check out our physical gift cards. Learn More

Pasta made from hard durum wheat, rough texture, which preserves a nice al dente texture. These pastas also have a very nice nutty flavor to them. Try them "Al Burro": Toss the hot noodles with softened butter and grated parmigiano - simple and delicious.

This spaghetti looks almost like a whole wheat pasta as it has a light brown color with flecks of wheat. It is a spaghetti with a medium thickness. The noodles are about 16 inches long.

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When travelling in Barcelona, Ihsan and Valerie happened upon a small shop stocked with a multitude of striking white cans full of potato chips.  Learn More

For five generations, the Cravero family has been hand-selecting young wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano from the finest farms of Emilia-Romagna, and transporting them to their maturation caves in Bra, a mountain village in central Piedmont.

When we visited the Cravero family, they showed us their shipping journal from the 1860s. It was a hand-made and leather-bound tome with aged vellum pages filled with perfect Italian script. The tradition of selecting Parmigiano from three farms and shipping them to their customers has been closely looked after by the men of the Cravero family. Today, Giorgio runs the family business with his wife Barbara and young son Giacomo. Giorgio is a smart, good-natured and very funny man who has complete dedication to, and faith in his product. We first experienced his family's Parmigiano at the Slow Food Cheese festival in the town of Bra, Italy, where his family resides. While each wheel will vary with the season, we select our "riserva" wheels for their depth of flavor that develops only after a full three years of aging.

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From the land of a thousand cheeses comes our Taste of France Cheese Collection - it's our favorite way to introduce people to the wonderful world of les fromages de France! This collection includes four cheeses of different milks and regions of France. We include goat, cow, and sheep's milks to provide the broadest experience. The total weight of the cheeses is approximately two pounds.

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In our minds, the best cheddars aren't aged in plastic.  Real cheddar is carefully wrapped in layers of cloth and aged in a cave so that it releases moisture and develops a deep concentration of flavor.  

Venerable Vermont cheddar producer Cabot Creamery teamed up with the Kehler brothers at Jasper Hill Farm to produce our favorite American cheddar, Cabot Clothbound.  When the 40+ lb. wheels are but a few days old, they are sent over to the Cellars at Jasper Hill, where they are bandaged and aged anywhere from 10-14 months, until the classic Cabot Clothbound flavor profile comes out: sweet, fruity, savory, and nutty. 

Our cheese mongers work very closely with the Cellars at Jasper Hill to have the best-tasting wheels of Cabot Clothbound on our cheese wall.  The end result is a rich, buttery English-style cheddar with notes of caramel and toasted nuts. Enjoy it with a dab of apple cider jelly and nice brown ale.
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Salty Oats cookies are made by Teri Horn on Cape Cod, originally as a way  to satisfy a craving she had while kayaking.  These big and hearty cookies are a staff favorite.  Their "subtly sweet, curiously salty" flavor is highly addictive.

The Original oatmeal raisin cookies are made using organic oats and Maldon sea salt..

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Our house-made olive mista is a customer favorite.  We mix specialty olives from France, Italy, Spain and Greece together in a colorful blend that is a striking and mouth-watering. Great to keep on hand for any occasion.  Learn More

At summer's end fresh rosemary and sage are mixed with coarse Italian sea salt in an age-old method of preserving the seasonal flavors. Sprinkle on grilled fish or meats, toss with a vinaigrette or with steamed, buttered vegetables.
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Salty Oats cookies are made by Teri Horn on Cape Cod, originally as a way to satisfy a craving she had while kayaking. These big and hearty cookies are a staff favorite.  Their "subtly sweet, curiously salty" flavor is highly addictive. The Original oatmeal raisin cookies are made using organic oats and Maldon sea salt. The Cocoa cookie is made with organic oats,  Valhrona cocoa, Callebaut bittersweet chocolate and Maldon sea salt. Her Pecan Chocolate Chunk cookie is for the nut and chocolate lover, and as the newest variety, has quickly developed a strong following of its own! For those of us who have trouble choosing, this bag includes two of each variety!
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The Alziari family has been making olive oil and olive oil based products in Nice, France since 1868. These beautiful bars of soap are a long standing staff favorite. Softens skin and rough hands. Perfect for the bath or the kitchen sink.

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Affineur Rodolphe le Meunier sends us his delicious goat cheeses such as couronne de Touraine and Galet du Cher, and he also sends us his incredible butter. This is a traditional churned (“baratte”) butter made using fresh Normandy cream, hand-molded, stamped with the likeness of a cow and wrapped in distinctive gold foil. Each batch is sprinkled with French sea salt and then hand molded to preserve the delicate texture, aroma and flavor of the butter. Traditional European butter style with high-percentage of butter fat which is particularly good for baking, but equally exceptional slathered on hot toast!

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These Gallego sardines are caught off the coast of Galicia in the Northwest corner of Spain. Traditonal methods are used to catch these little fish to limit any damage to other species. The sardines are prepared by hand and the results are a moist, tender fish with wonderful flavor. Learn More

Give the gift of choice! Formaggio Kitchen gift cards are available in various denominations, and are redeemable online or in any of our stores. This item is a physical gift card that is mailed directly to the recipient with your gift message handwritten by our team and delivered via US Postal Service first class mail. Transit time is usually a few business days from date of order. If you need something sooner, consider our virtual gift card which is delivered via email directly following purchase confirmation. Learn More

We have looked for an exceptional taralli to import for a number of years, and we were extremely happy to come across Tarallificio Anna Signorile.  Other imported taralli we've tasted in the U.S. pale in comparison to the addictive texture and flavor of these traditional Pugliese treats.  Wherever you go to eat in Puglia, a bowl of taralli will be the first thing on the table - they offer a great way to whet the appetite and to get a sense for the quality of the meal to come.

These taralli have simple ingredients: Tipo 00 flour, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, vegetable oil, salt, and natural yeast.  They are cooked to perfection so that they have a great crunch and a lasting flavor. These taralli have a wonderfully natural hint of fennel.
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