If you're a foodie and a traveler, chances are good you consider a great meal a must-have experience when you're away from home, and that you bring home pantry-stocking items as souvenirs. In my own cupboards I've got pesto from Liguria, candies from Croatia and Japan and lemon curd from England stashed away at the moment. Nick's got an interesting pantry in Bali, partly because of his and his wife's contributions to it, and also because of his guests' food-related gifts from their homes or travels.

What food items from far off places have you got squirreled away?

My cousin just brought me a turron from Spain, and thanks to this post I'll be finishing it off for breakfast!

I've got some Turkish coffee from Turkey and also don't mind picking up some packages of spices or soup mixes of unique local things so I can try to make them later (lentil soup in Turkey, some kind of stew in Hungary etc.)

Whenever I travel, an exploration of the local food forms a big part of my itinerary. And more often than not, I like to take home a thing or two from these places which I know (or think at least) I can't find back home.

Just recently, I took home some prickly pear cactus jelly from Arizona. I regret not taking any food stuff back from Mexico, as I didn't have time to go into a lcoal grocery. I've also brought home packets of Peruvian aji de gallina mixes (which a friend took to London from Peru for me, does that count ), Thornton's fudge from London, manchego cheese, Cola Cao and turron from Spain even if we can now get it easily here, Vanilla bean honey from SF... these are what I can remember now.

I'm currently on the lookout for lavender honey (for a tea cake I want to make), maybe I should plan a trip to Provence for some.

Oh man, one of my favorite topics. We bring back tons of stuff when we visit family in France and Belgium (i.e., when we have big suitcases to pack it all in).

Nothing too unusal, but here are a few random items off the top of my head, mostly from France and Belgium:

- fleur de sel
- vanilla beans (from Madagascar, where they cost 50 cents as opposed to ten bucks)
- tons and tons of chocloate
- various pates
- Foie gras
- (And of course TONS of wine and alcohol, but that's for another topic)
- some olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Italy
- duck fat (though that's usually in the fridge)
- jam
- cheese (also in the fridge)
- canned mackerel in white wine
- nougat (which looks similar to the turron Kate mentioned)

JV, I'm coming to your house to raid your pantry...

Love going to grocery stores when we travel. Markets are great, but groceries have the portable foods. In my cupboards:

tea from England
cocoa powder from Angelina's in Paris
eau de vie - vielle framboise (got an "ooh, c'est spécial" from the shopkeeper when we bought it)
sprinkles and cocoa from Amsterdam
Kaneel - cinnamon liquer - so good with apple dessests
Dominican rum
Rum, coffee, honey, guava marmelade from Cuba

Planning a RTW, keep telling my SO that his backpack is going to get heavy as we travel! Mine will be heavy too, from the fabrics I'll be collecting. I guess there will be lots of packages sent home .

quote:

Originally posted by KateL57:
My cousin just brought me a turron from Spain, and thanks to this post I'll be finishing it off for breakfast!

Here in Italo-America, we call them Torrones. I always buy them for our Christmas Eve feast, individually packaged in matchbox-sized boxes. Never realized they were popular in so many different countries! I've had them in France, as well.

Whenever I go to Ireland I absolutely must bring back the following:

Tesco Brand Custard Creme Cookies
Minstrels
Shepards Pie Spice Mix


One day I will discover a way to keep fish and chips fresh and then I will be oh so very happy.

A whole box full of Dutch salty liquorice (brought by a friend) as well as a bit of liquorice remaining from Greenland.

Kecap manis and sambal asli from Bali.

Powdered green tea sachets we nicked from the hotel, two packs of noodles, a bit of dried seafood (mollusks), rice crackers, a can of Kirin beer and a small bottle of sake from Japan.

A bit of left-over beef jerky and mango 'leather' I found in the bottom of my rucksack from Australia.

In addition, I have spices and condiments from all over the world, mostly bought in ethnic food shops in Reading or London.

I love bringing things home!! At the moment I have dulce de leche, olivada and paella spice mix from Spain, Foie gras, pates, saucisson, duck with beans, duck with cepes and lots of chocolate from France, and coffee from Venezuela...

Kath

ginger mints from the Gambia (West Africa)
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ginger n mints mmmmmmm

my trips are always gastronomic I bring home Ferreira Porto wine from Portugal (it's the only portuguese wine left, all the others are english or so), digestive biscuits with chocolate from UK (I wish we had them here in Italy..), sfogliatelle and a special chocolate (cioccolato foresta) from Naples and then a bunch of recipes I hear here and there, from nice old ladies of the place..I've got a few really good ones from Portugal with cod fish - that's their most traditional base for dishes! on the other side, when i go abroad for a long period, i always take with me some spaghetti and parmesan cheese..

saffron from Spain
paprika from Hungary
fleur de sol from France
bulls blood wine from Hungary
Molina and Cherry Vodka from Poland
Herbs de Provence from France
Leonidas chocolates from Belgium

Wine from anywhere it was tasty
Cold Pressed Olive Oil from Croatia
Hot sauce . . . hot sauce . . .hot sauce (ideally homemade)

We tend not to bring too much back (as we end up eating it before we ever make it home )

I just returned with several dried sausages from France. I love them. The grit, the grease, the white skin, the way that they cushioned the 3 bottles of Coteaux du Layon wine that managed to arrive in my softish luggage completely intact -- I am set for at least a few dinner parties or late night snacks.

Other foods that returned: a packet of Herbes de Provence, several boxes of little butter biscuits mated with hazelnut studded milk chocolate, and a bottle of cidre doux. I did have a dozen pains aux chocolats, all but 2 have been optimistically frozen for future use.

France. Fattening me up since 1993.