Grocery Shopping in Macedonia
Basically, there are four places you can buy your food in Macedonia: The supermarket, the corner store, the green market, and the pazaar. They all might carry the same products as the others, but generally, shopping is targeted accordingly.
The supermarket is where you can buy all of your grocery shelf staples, toiletries, and home goods. Pretty much all of the ones I have been to have a special healthy food section where you can find a bunch of specialty health food items by a brand called Vitalia. This is where I like to ogle the bottles of maple syrup, which I havenāt gotten the nerve to drop the cash for more than once, multigrain rice cakes, ACV with theĀ āmotherā in it, unsweetened muesli, and products that Iām not quite sure how to consume likeĀ āmaltexā and bee pollen.Ā
There are also tons of ingredients for baking, snack foods like cookies, candy, chips and bagel chips, and popcorn. Pate is commonly eaten here, and most volunteers avoid it, but I think it tastes really good. I donāt really want to think about what itās made out of though.. Tuna is also common. Itās almost all canned in oil, usually sunflower or olive oil. There are also lots of different kinds of juices and sodas.
Teas are popular here, and you will see a lot of varieties of tea bags. the usual teas are mint, thistle, green tea, black tea,Ā āmountain berriesā, cranberry, and apple cinnamon. At first I was really overwhelmed with the tea selection because I didnāt know what all of them were or which brands to pick. After trying a bunch of different ones and observing what types the cafes I like to go to serve, I like Franch and Good Nature based on the quality and types of flavors they offer.
Items I like to buy: eggs, pasta, rice, yogurt (which is liquidy but unsweetened), wheat bread, granola, rotisserie chicken, seasonings, chocolate, and condiments like mustard, ajvar (red pepper spread), cream cheese, and peanut butter. You can also buy pork, beef, and cheese at the supermarkets or at butcher shops or specialty cheese stores.
The corner stores carry all sorts of soft drinks, waters (still water and sparkling mineral water are both popular here), snack foods, chocolates, and sometimes alcohol, bread, yogurt, produce, and home supplies. The selection is usually not as good as at the supermarkets, but they are more conveniently located and have easy to access snack foods and beverages when you are on the go.
The green markets are some of my favorite places to walk by in town because they are bursting with beautiful, fresh, and colorful produce. They are the produce markets you can shop at 7 days a week and they carry all of the in-season produce. Itās basically if the produce section of the supermarket in America were itās own individual store. All of the fresh produce you want will be there: cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic, leeks, green onions, carrots, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, oranges, mandarines, lemons, grapefruits, apples, bananas, pears, pineapples, kiwis, and more. If you are lucky there will also be avocados! Whatever is in season will be sold at a great price at the green market. The one near my house also sells dried prunes, dates, apricots, rice, beans, eggs, honey, and nuts. Itās a vegetarian paradise!
The pazaarĀ (yes, pronounced with a P here) is a place that I have visited in Skopje and in my hometown only a couple times. Itās not near my house and itās only open on Saturdays when Iām usually either working or traveling. Each town has a day when the pazaar is open and itās basically like a farmerās market with all of the fresh stuff sold at the green market, but either cheaper or fresher, Iām not sure because I have so seldom gone. Here and at the green market you buy most items by the kilo, so it helps to know how much a kilo is (2.2 lbs!). It might seem like a lot of produce, but itās not, and you can buy by the half kilo too.
There are other places to buy food, like the butcher shop I mentioned before, bakeries, and specialty shops. Butcher shops usually sell beef and pork cuts and sausage. Albanian butcher shops will usually exclusively sell beef products because most Albanians here are muslim and donāt eat pork. Bakeries sell tons of different kinds of breads and sweet and savory pastries, my favorite being burek. The doughnuts arenāt bad, but they are pretty basic by American or Korean standards. Specialty shops vary from town to town, but they will sell things like honey, cheese, or specific health foods.
If you are a new volunteer, I strongly recommend you explore what kind of shops are around in your community, and walk around so that you can see what kind of products are offered and at what prices. Knowing what kind of food you can eat can give you a sense of comfort and familiarity with your surroundings. Itās also a big confidence booster when you can shop all on your own using only Macedonian or Albanian. Want to know if your favorite foods or ingredients are available here? Just ask!
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