Gifts with good taste - food souvenirs
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:03 AM
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Gifts with good taste - food souvenirs
Bring Back Gifts With Good Taste
By Andrea Sachs
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 21, 2004; Page G06
For gifts that are authentic and go well with wine and a slide show, bring back foods and beverages indigenous to a particular country, state or island. When shopping for edible gifts, though, don't forget that they must clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Look for such permissible products as specialty chocolates and candies, wine and other bottled drinks, bread spreads, dried herbs and spices, and prepackaged meats and cheeses.
Prices range from a couple of bucks for sundries you can find in grocery stores or markets (jams, spices, biscuits, cheeses) to double digits for wine, liquor and caviar, to hundreds of dollars for premium goodies, such as high-end Italian balsamic vinegar.
Here are a dozen countries and a sampling of their foodstuffs that are made locally but can be consumed globally.
Australia
Vegemite is the thick, yeasty, tar-colored bread spread that Americans don't get -- in more ways than one. For less squeamish tastes, the country has 69 wine-growing regions, but the best-known vintages come from Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Barossa Valley in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia and Yarra Valley in Victoria. Pick up a bottle of Penfolds Grange, a robust shiraz or a smooth port. Part of the Foster's family, Victoria Bitter is an iconic Aussie beer.
In the weird meat category, there's dried or jerkied emu, kangaroo and goanna (lizard -- talk about tough meat). For condiments and spreads, look for cabernet paste, good with blue cheese and crackers (try the Maggie Beer brand); fig jam from Hunter Valley; and Verjuice, a stand-in for lemon juice or vinegar.
Brazil
Make an original caipirinha cocktail with cachaca, the sugar cane-distilled alcohol, plus some sugar and limes. Pao de Queijo, or cheese rolls, are as tasty from a mix as they are from the bakery; look for the Yoki brand in supermarkets. For gourmet coffee, stand-out blends include Bom Dia gourmet suave, Cafe Brasileiro, Cafe Pele and Cafe Damasco. Bring back a box of Bis, small chocolate wafers, or a travel-friendly version of the rain-forest cupuacu fruit, blended into jams and chocolate.
France
Skip the brie and Beaujolais, and sample some of France's regional finds. Among them: Maille mustard from the company's Dijon or Paris shop; Brittany's galettes de Pont-Aven, a buttery cookie; Drome's nougat de Montelimar, a confection made of nuts and lavender honey; and Perigord's foie gras and truffles -- sold separately or indulgently mixed in one can.
In Languedoc, cassoulet of Castelnaudary, the hearty meat-and-beans dish, is sold ready to transport. Normandy is the hub of salted-butter caramels and alcohol-tinged apple cider, while Ardeche has the lock on chestnut cream, tasty on cake or straight out of the container.
India
Consider such popular Indian condiments as mango or lemon pickles, mango chutney or the ultimate curry chaser, papads or papadams, dried lentil chips spiked with Indian spices. Among sweets, often sold in elegant hand-crafted boxes, are sugary petha from Agra, West Bengal's milky cham cham and sandesh, and the carroty gajar ka halwa of northern India.
Bakharwadi from Maharashtra, theple/thepla from Gujarat and bhujia from Rajasthan -- are crunchy,delicious snacks.
Ireland
Pick up some premium Irish whiskey, such as Jameson's Middleton Very Rare. Pair it with smoked Irish wild salmon and Irish brown bread (look for the mix made by Odlums or Hogan's). Soda and potato breads are also unique to the Emerald Isle, and cheese-and-onion Tayto chips are considered the "Original Irish Crisp." And for dessert: a box of Butlers chocolates from the classic Dublin chocolatier.
Italy
Many "Made in Italy" products can be bought in U.S. supermarkets, but not all. Lavazza espresso is unique to this country of strong-coffee drinkers, as is Amaro Averna, a Sicilian after-dinner liqueur. Limoncello, squeezed from Sorrento lemons, comes from the Amalfi Coast, and tortellini from Bologna is world-renowned. For friends you really like, you can drop a couple hundred or more on vintage balsamic vinegar from Modena. Another indulgence: white truffles from the Piedmont region or black truffles from Umbria.
One Italian tradition is dipping cantuccini biscuits from Siena into a glass of Vin Santo, the cherished wine from Tuscany's Chianti region. At Christmas time, panettone is chock full of dried fruits and dates, unlike the paltry American version.
Japan
This country is big on seafood, noodles, sake and sweets -- all of which you can bring home in some form or another. Take back snackable sea life, such as dried fish flakes, seasoned roasted nori or seaweed and shrimp-flavored chips. Also popular are prepackaged udon and soba noodles. Look for sakes by Takara Nigori and Takeno Tsuyu, and high-quality green teas encased in decorative metal containers. Sweet bean paste cakes are for dessert adventurers; for more traditional candies, there's Pocky's straw-shaped biscuits dipped in strawberry or chocolate, and the ultra-kitschy Hello Kitty and Pokemon candies.
Netherlands
A stiff cocktail requires a shot of jenever (gin), bessen jenever (berry-flavored gin) or beerenburg, an herbal liqueur. Black licorice, called Dutch Drop, puts a salty twist on Twizzlers. Stroopwafels (caramel-filled wafers) are sold in pretty tins and go well with a hot beverage (locals place the cookie atop the steaming cup and let the tastes meld). Hagelslag and muisjes are crumbled onto bread and come in flavors such as chocolate and anise.
Serve fries the Dutch way, with mayo or French fry sauce, sold in plastic bottles and tubes by such local brands as Calve and Remia. Before you jet off, stock up on Old Amsterdam cheese and matured black edam, sold at the airport.
Russia
What else but vodka and caviar? For vodka, Russian Standard (Russky Standart) and Stolichnaya are the brands to buy; Stoli's range of flavors (lemon, strawberry, vanilla, etc.) will impress any top-shelf snob. Plus, they're cheaper over there. The best caviar comes from the Caspian Sea region, but you can find equally good osetra, beluga and sevruga in metropolitan areas. Be sure to purchase at official stores (only 250 grams per customer) and ask for a receipt, so that your pricey eggs aren't confiscated at customs.
The country's premium chocolatier, A. Korkunov, packages its cocoa goodies in florid boxes and tins as stunning as a Faberge egg.
South Africa
Australia has vegemite, South Africa has marmite -- equally thick and brown and yeasty. Upgrade a Slim Jim habit with spicy strips of Biltong beef jerky or Droewors, dried herbed sausage sold in handy gift packs. Mrs. Ball's peach chutney is a timeless favorite; the chili chutney is avant-garde. Both, though, go with rooibos tea (Afrikaans for "red bush"
, known for its health kick -- and strong flavor. Or stock up on Cape Town wines (red, white or sparkling) and Beacon chocolates.
Thailand
Many hotels and public places ban durian, alias the "stinky fruit," but when it's all tarted up, no noses will be the wiser. Try the fruit as a paste, chip or hard candy. Less odoriferous are tamarind fruit (dehydrated, chewy, wet slab snack, etc.); luk choop, a jellied bean and coconut dessert molded into fruit shapes; and pandanus leaf candy. Canned sticky rice puddings come in such flavors as mango, coconut, black rice and durian.
Bet you didn't know Thailand had vineyards. The proof is in a bottle of Monsoon Valley (red, white or rosé. Nonalcoholic choices include bottled drinks made of chrysanthemum, grass jelly and pennywort leaves, and Krating Daeng, the Red Bull of Siam.
Turkey
The people of Turkey are big drinkers -- of tea, coffee, wine and raki, an anise-flavored alcohol sipped with meze, or small platters of appetizers. You can find many flavors of tea as well as ground coffee at most outdoor markets. Pair your coffee -- scented with a dash of cinnamon or cardamom from the thousands of spices sold at Istanbul's Spice Bazaar -- with a cezve, a long-handled cylindrical pot. Raki is sold nationwide in markets and kiosks. For wines, look for vintages from Kavaklidere Winery, founded in 1929.
All those groves in the Aegean region mean buckets of olives for martinis and nibbling, and gallons of olive oil for drizzling, saucing and sauteing. Turkey is also famous for its sweets, nuts and nut pastes. Check Istanbul's ritzy Bebek neighborhood for the best marzipan, and Bursa for chestnuts.
By Andrea Sachs
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 21, 2004; Page G06
For gifts that are authentic and go well with wine and a slide show, bring back foods and beverages indigenous to a particular country, state or island. When shopping for edible gifts, though, don't forget that they must clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Look for such permissible products as specialty chocolates and candies, wine and other bottled drinks, bread spreads, dried herbs and spices, and prepackaged meats and cheeses.
Prices range from a couple of bucks for sundries you can find in grocery stores or markets (jams, spices, biscuits, cheeses) to double digits for wine, liquor and caviar, to hundreds of dollars for premium goodies, such as high-end Italian balsamic vinegar.
Here are a dozen countries and a sampling of their foodstuffs that are made locally but can be consumed globally.
Australia
Vegemite is the thick, yeasty, tar-colored bread spread that Americans don't get -- in more ways than one. For less squeamish tastes, the country has 69 wine-growing regions, but the best-known vintages come from Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Barossa Valley in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia and Yarra Valley in Victoria. Pick up a bottle of Penfolds Grange, a robust shiraz or a smooth port. Part of the Foster's family, Victoria Bitter is an iconic Aussie beer.
In the weird meat category, there's dried or jerkied emu, kangaroo and goanna (lizard -- talk about tough meat). For condiments and spreads, look for cabernet paste, good with blue cheese and crackers (try the Maggie Beer brand); fig jam from Hunter Valley; and Verjuice, a stand-in for lemon juice or vinegar.
Brazil
Make an original caipirinha cocktail with cachaca, the sugar cane-distilled alcohol, plus some sugar and limes. Pao de Queijo, or cheese rolls, are as tasty from a mix as they are from the bakery; look for the Yoki brand in supermarkets. For gourmet coffee, stand-out blends include Bom Dia gourmet suave, Cafe Brasileiro, Cafe Pele and Cafe Damasco. Bring back a box of Bis, small chocolate wafers, or a travel-friendly version of the rain-forest cupuacu fruit, blended into jams and chocolate.
France
Skip the brie and Beaujolais, and sample some of France's regional finds. Among them: Maille mustard from the company's Dijon or Paris shop; Brittany's galettes de Pont-Aven, a buttery cookie; Drome's nougat de Montelimar, a confection made of nuts and lavender honey; and Perigord's foie gras and truffles -- sold separately or indulgently mixed in one can.
In Languedoc, cassoulet of Castelnaudary, the hearty meat-and-beans dish, is sold ready to transport. Normandy is the hub of salted-butter caramels and alcohol-tinged apple cider, while Ardeche has the lock on chestnut cream, tasty on cake or straight out of the container.
India
Consider such popular Indian condiments as mango or lemon pickles, mango chutney or the ultimate curry chaser, papads or papadams, dried lentil chips spiked with Indian spices. Among sweets, often sold in elegant hand-crafted boxes, are sugary petha from Agra, West Bengal's milky cham cham and sandesh, and the carroty gajar ka halwa of northern India.
Bakharwadi from Maharashtra, theple/thepla from Gujarat and bhujia from Rajasthan -- are crunchy,delicious snacks.
Ireland
Pick up some premium Irish whiskey, such as Jameson's Middleton Very Rare. Pair it with smoked Irish wild salmon and Irish brown bread (look for the mix made by Odlums or Hogan's). Soda and potato breads are also unique to the Emerald Isle, and cheese-and-onion Tayto chips are considered the "Original Irish Crisp." And for dessert: a box of Butlers chocolates from the classic Dublin chocolatier.
Italy
Many "Made in Italy" products can be bought in U.S. supermarkets, but not all. Lavazza espresso is unique to this country of strong-coffee drinkers, as is Amaro Averna, a Sicilian after-dinner liqueur. Limoncello, squeezed from Sorrento lemons, comes from the Amalfi Coast, and tortellini from Bologna is world-renowned. For friends you really like, you can drop a couple hundred or more on vintage balsamic vinegar from Modena. Another indulgence: white truffles from the Piedmont region or black truffles from Umbria.
One Italian tradition is dipping cantuccini biscuits from Siena into a glass of Vin Santo, the cherished wine from Tuscany's Chianti region. At Christmas time, panettone is chock full of dried fruits and dates, unlike the paltry American version.
Japan
This country is big on seafood, noodles, sake and sweets -- all of which you can bring home in some form or another. Take back snackable sea life, such as dried fish flakes, seasoned roasted nori or seaweed and shrimp-flavored chips. Also popular are prepackaged udon and soba noodles. Look for sakes by Takara Nigori and Takeno Tsuyu, and high-quality green teas encased in decorative metal containers. Sweet bean paste cakes are for dessert adventurers; for more traditional candies, there's Pocky's straw-shaped biscuits dipped in strawberry or chocolate, and the ultra-kitschy Hello Kitty and Pokemon candies.
Netherlands
A stiff cocktail requires a shot of jenever (gin), bessen jenever (berry-flavored gin) or beerenburg, an herbal liqueur. Black licorice, called Dutch Drop, puts a salty twist on Twizzlers. Stroopwafels (caramel-filled wafers) are sold in pretty tins and go well with a hot beverage (locals place the cookie atop the steaming cup and let the tastes meld). Hagelslag and muisjes are crumbled onto bread and come in flavors such as chocolate and anise.
Serve fries the Dutch way, with mayo or French fry sauce, sold in plastic bottles and tubes by such local brands as Calve and Remia. Before you jet off, stock up on Old Amsterdam cheese and matured black edam, sold at the airport.
Russia
What else but vodka and caviar? For vodka, Russian Standard (Russky Standart) and Stolichnaya are the brands to buy; Stoli's range of flavors (lemon, strawberry, vanilla, etc.) will impress any top-shelf snob. Plus, they're cheaper over there. The best caviar comes from the Caspian Sea region, but you can find equally good osetra, beluga and sevruga in metropolitan areas. Be sure to purchase at official stores (only 250 grams per customer) and ask for a receipt, so that your pricey eggs aren't confiscated at customs.
The country's premium chocolatier, A. Korkunov, packages its cocoa goodies in florid boxes and tins as stunning as a Faberge egg.
South Africa
Australia has vegemite, South Africa has marmite -- equally thick and brown and yeasty. Upgrade a Slim Jim habit with spicy strips of Biltong beef jerky or Droewors, dried herbed sausage sold in handy gift packs. Mrs. Ball's peach chutney is a timeless favorite; the chili chutney is avant-garde. Both, though, go with rooibos tea (Afrikaans for "red bush"
, known for its health kick -- and strong flavor. Or stock up on Cape Town wines (red, white or sparkling) and Beacon chocolates. Thailand
Many hotels and public places ban durian, alias the "stinky fruit," but when it's all tarted up, no noses will be the wiser. Try the fruit as a paste, chip or hard candy. Less odoriferous are tamarind fruit (dehydrated, chewy, wet slab snack, etc.); luk choop, a jellied bean and coconut dessert molded into fruit shapes; and pandanus leaf candy. Canned sticky rice puddings come in such flavors as mango, coconut, black rice and durian.
Bet you didn't know Thailand had vineyards. The proof is in a bottle of Monsoon Valley (red, white or rosé
. Nonalcoholic choices include bottled drinks made of chrysanthemum, grass jelly and pennywort leaves, and Krating Daeng, the Red Bull of Siam. Turkey
The people of Turkey are big drinkers -- of tea, coffee, wine and raki, an anise-flavored alcohol sipped with meze, or small platters of appetizers. You can find many flavors of tea as well as ground coffee at most outdoor markets. Pair your coffee -- scented with a dash of cinnamon or cardamom from the thousands of spices sold at Istanbul's Spice Bazaar -- with a cezve, a long-handled cylindrical pot. Raki is sold nationwide in markets and kiosks. For wines, look for vintages from Kavaklidere Winery, founded in 1929.
All those groves in the Aegean region mean buckets of olives for martinis and nibbling, and gallons of olive oil for drizzling, saucing and sauteing. Turkey is also famous for its sweets, nuts and nut pastes. Check Istanbul's ritzy Bebek neighborhood for the best marzipan, and Bursa for chestnuts.
Oct 22nd, 2004, 04:01 AM
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Bonjour Flygirl,
From Japan, I usually bring back vaacum packed pickles, rice crackers (sembei), real wasabi paste (real grated wasabi root, not the colored horseradish you usually find in Asian foodstores), nori (seaweed for rolling sushis), wakame (schredded seaweed for miso soup), small containers of salad sauce (sesame is especially good), cubes of ready made curry sauce ("Vermont curry" or exactly "Baamonto Caree" - don't ask why it's so named, I have no idea), "Karashi" (hot mustard), spices for noodles, ...
You can find many of those in very beautiful boxes at the gift department of department stores and at the tax-free at the airport.
From Japan, I usually bring back vaacum packed pickles, rice crackers (sembei), real wasabi paste (real grated wasabi root, not the colored horseradish you usually find in Asian foodstores), nori (seaweed for rolling sushis), wakame (schredded seaweed for miso soup), small containers of salad sauce (sesame is especially good), cubes of ready made curry sauce ("Vermont curry" or exactly "Baamonto Caree" - don't ask why it's so named, I have no idea), "Karashi" (hot mustard), spices for noodles, ...
You can find many of those in very beautiful boxes at the gift department of department stores and at the tax-free at the airport.
Oct 22nd, 2004, 06:58 AM
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I've brought back curry powders and various spices from countries in SE Asia. These have been great hits with friends and family. Indeed, one of my sisters just "placed an order" for me to bring her back a particular kind of curry powder from Malaysia this year. I also bought some locally made cocoa in Malaysia a number of years ago and it was fabulous. Vanilla beans are another much appreciated gift (I've brought those home from Tahiti and from Indonesia). You can but nice sticks of cinnamon bark very cheaply in SE Asia - perfect to garnish a CHristmas drink.
Oct 22nd, 2004, 09:02 AM
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Great article - thanx, flygirl! I used to bring back unusual size/shaped coke cans from Seoul and Europe. I like to collect jams/jellies myself. Never eat 'em - just like the way they look in my cupboard! Used to bring back alchohol/wine, but what seemed like a light package when you start out triples in weight the longer you carry them around the airport. Warning: Don't go near Vegamite. Had a tiny tase in New Zealand and all I can say is YUCK! - carol
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:08 PM
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I agree on vegemite. I do not like it. Still keep it in fridge but probably will throw away soon.
Re: France - I bought different type of mustard Maile brand in Dijon only coming home seeing it everywhere in Stop and Shop.
Teas are my passion and I got differents once from HK.
sophia
Re: France - I bought different type of mustard Maile brand in Dijon only coming home seeing it everywhere in Stop and Shop.
Teas are my passion and I got differents once from HK.
sophia
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:10 PM
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Forgot to add.
In Asia there are Ichiban candy stores (Japanese). Intersting cookies and candies. They had sale, 2 lbs for 1 so I got all kinds of staff. They all are packaged well. Each cookie/candie in its own wrap. Except few which looked like white jelly, I liked the rest. Great for snacks.
In Asia there are Ichiban candy stores (Japanese). Intersting cookies and candies. They had sale, 2 lbs for 1 so I got all kinds of staff. They all are packaged well. Each cookie/candie in its own wrap. Except few which looked like white jelly, I liked the rest. Great for snacks.
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:44 PM
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sophia, you are so right - tea is a great gift to bring home. I have favorite tea shop in Hong Kong and one in SIngapore.
On a trip to Brussels last year, we took as a serious task finding the "best" chocolate. After considerable sampling, we decided on Pierre Marcolini and brought back gifts for firends and family.
On a trip to Brussels last year, we took as a serious task finding the "best" chocolate. After considerable sampling, we decided on Pierre Marcolini and brought back gifts for firends and family.
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:53 PM
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Kathie - my vote goes to Goldkenn. Got it in Geneva - but connected through Brussels that time and between the two, my carryon was filled to the brim with chocolates. Last chance to buy and all that. . carol
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