9 Ideas for Food Travel Souvenirs
Our souvenir haul from Italy was huge and it was all food!
It included a case of wine, three bottles of grappa, a bottle of lemoncello, and three half wheels of cheese. That may sound strange to you, but we’re foodies so our souvenirs tend to fall into the food and drink category. Our trip to Bavaria yielded four ceramic beer mugs and a bottle of Sporer schnapps. Thailand, a dinner table runner and collection of cookbooks. Colombia, a hand painted serving tray. Costa Rica, a collection of rums. Mexico, various tequilas and a few bottles of pure vanilla extract. Grenada, a variety of hard to find spices. New York City, Fat Witch brownies.
Each culinary delight or fine spirit is savored over time, reminding us of tastes beyond our borders. Often our delights are shared with friends and family as fine food and drink should be. I was excited to open a bottle of wine from the vineyard we stayed at in Italy with my parents, and Mrs. G. couldn’t wait to pop the cork off a pink prosecco with the neighborhood ladies.
Our collection of gourmand souvenirs just skims the surface of possibilities. Below are nine ideas for food travel souvenirs:
- National Liquor – Birch Liquor from Iceland, Fernet from Argentina, Aguardiente from Colombia
- Sweets – Chocolate from Brussels (Or almost anywhere), Macaroons from Paris, Dulce de Leche from Argentina, Tokyo Banana from Japan
- Spices and Salts – Saffron from Spain, Pink Salt from Peru, Merquén from Chile
- Truffles – Don’t just savor them overseas, buy a jar to bring home. They are much cheaper in France or Italy than in the States
- Cheese – Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy, Berner Hobelkaese from Germany, Maasdammer from Holland
- Coffee or Tea –Tea from London, Coffee from Costa Rica, Mate from Argentina
- Local Cookware, Drink ware, and Utensils – Olive Wood Utensils from Spain, Chopsticks from Korea, Rice Steamer from Thailand, Tandoor from India, Ceramic Tequila Glass Set from Mexico
- Bottle of Wine – Brunello di Montalcino from Italy, Pinot Noir from New Zealand, Chenin Blanc from South Africa
- Condiments and Jarred Sauces – Olive oil from Israel, Mole from Mexico, Ají Sauce from Ecuador, Local honeys
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Vodka from Poland, and Whisky from the UK!
Brilliant post! I love food and drink but always seem to go for something practical. I feel like you’ve freed me from my Type A chains to go ahead and go with my gut! That being said, we do have our own bottle of Brunello di Montalcino. We’re going to pop the cork on that bad boy the night before we fly out to Argentina!
(ps-we ended up eating at a place called Tacos-a-GoGo in Houston. I had tacos that were the closest to true MX tacos that I’ve ever experienced north of the Rio Grande!)
That’s a pretty special occasion for a pretty special wine. We have a few bottles saved for special occasions from our trip. But how do we determine a special occasion? I wanted to pop one for Mrs. G’s birthday, but she said no.
Hahhaha!! OMG! We’ve had the very same conversation in our house!! But since they won’t ship it, our hand is being forced. Of course, maybe we could take it down in our carry-on. Hhhhmmmm….
For some reason, your last comment landed in my spam filter. You should just drink the wine here. There is plenty of awesome wine in Argentina waiting for you. Or you could ship that wine and all of your leftover liquor cabinet bottles up to us!
Uh yes!! Why did I not think of that??
Nice! We have a few bottles of vodka from Lithuania in the house from my wife’s work trips. Like gold! Literally, they are filtered through gold. Think I’ll make a martini with that tonight. Thanks for the idea!
I just took a trip to Mexico and brought back traditional Mexican candy: tamarindo, cocadas, alegrias, and ate de frutas, as well as candied sesame seeds to sprinkle on salads. So good.
Oh and also a ceramic sugar bowl and salt shaker with a very similar pattern to your tequila set.
Traditional candies are always a treat to both try there and bring home. Be careful of those cavities though! Thanks for stopping by!
We brought back the biggest box of chocolate we could carry from Frederick Blondeel in Brussels and rationed them for a month. We also hand carried cheese from Scotland (complete with ice packs to keep it cool). The strangest thing we ever returned with was from England – 30 packs of a specific cat treat my sister could no longer get in the states. I’m plotting a a France or Italy trip and hoping to leave room to bring wine back.
I’ll admit. The cat treat sounds a bit strange, but I guess animals can be foodies, too! Check back next week when I’ll have some tips for bringing back souvenirs like wine. Thanks for visiting!