Columbus is a melting pot of cultures, backgrounds, and tastes. There is virtually no part of the city left where one wouldn’t encounter pockets of immigrants determined to make it in the United States while still maintaining the traditional practices they grew up with, especially where food is concerned.
To that end, the Saraga International Market is a much-needed addition to the city’s shopping scene. Here, the slogan is “Food from All Around the World”, and all that food is stored in a massive, warehouse-like space. Saraga carries over ten thousand different kinds of international foods from six continents, all reasonably priced, even cheap by some standards.
The produce section of the store is located at the front, and it holds vegetables, fruits, and herbs from every corner of the planet, from China, to Madagascar, to Jamaica. Customers can choose from strange and familiar harvests priced significantly cheaper than the large chain stores. Limes and lemons are 3 for $1, exotic mushrooms can be bought for $2.99 a pound, and large stalks fresh sugar cane go for a mere $4.99.
In addition, the grocery is well-stocked and organized according to both region and type of product. Mexican chiles and sauces are housed together, Japanese spice packets can be found near the rice and noodles that would accompany it on the plate, and candy gets its own aisle, shelved by country of origin.
You can also purchase meats and seafood at Saraga. Everything from goat and whole oxtails, to jellyfish and starfish can be found there, both frozen and fresh, when in stock. There’s a healthy selection of butters, cheeses, and soy products as well in the cold section of the store, which is at the back.
Saraga means “living” in Korean, and it’s grown from a small travelling produce truck, to a 62,000 square feet grocery store in Indianapolis, to now three locations in the Midwest, two in Indiana and the newest in Columbus, which opened in March.
“I am so happy the Saraga is here now,” enthusiastic shopper Sal Singh gushes to me. “We went to the big one in Indianapolis and it was amazing. We filled our car up with all the stuff we couldn’t get in Columbus. I am so happy we don’t have to drive so far now”.
Saraga International Grocery is located at 1265 Morse Road, and is open from 8am-9pm every day. They have a pleasant and helpful staff, so stop by and try something new today. For a list of their weekly specials, visit www.saragafood.com.
Photos by Anne Evans.