KT

In addition to bringing back the obvious and respectable (Belgian chocolates, Italian porcini, etc.), I've indulged in one of my guilty pleasures. I like chocolate sprinkles (a/k/a jimmies) on my ice cream. Of course, this is considered laughable and childish, and a little packet of low-quality sprinkles is expensive in the US. But in the enlightened Netherlands, where kids eat them (hagleslag in Dutch) on toast for breakfast, you can buy them in nice big boxes, and they taste better than the US version, too.

elaine

In Paris, Monoprix stores sell groceries, cheap clothing, housewares, odds and ends.<BR>The grocery dept has wine, cookies, teas,crackers, jams, etc plus even fresh cheeses,produce, and bread if you want to have a picnic in your hotel room.<BR>I think part of the fun of buying<BR>"cheap" brands of anything in local stores (even "foreign" toothpaste can be fun) is just that the labels and names are unfamiliar to us visitors. In London I buy the real Cadbury's candybars for everyone!<BR>Then of course there are the fancy gourmet stores like Hediard and Fauchon in Paris with gorgeous packaging on their products.<BR>Someone discovered last year that there is a vendor here in the US that sells<BR>Angelina's famous hot chocolate mix<BR>(famous in Paris, that is). Boy, did that make a good gift!

Nan

I buy little jars of the local spices in the grocery stores of Europe. Nice little gifts and great for me too.

Barb

On a recent trip to Italy I brought back truffle paste, dried porcini mushrooms, porcini bouillon cubes from Siena, sundried tomatoes, and limoncella from Sorrento, pesto, trofiette, anchovies and schiachetta & biscotti from Cinque Terre and olive oil, balsamic and chianti, which I bought at Peck in Milan. Wish I had brought back more porcini. I am now having fun using all these things with suggestions from this forum.

mia

Oh Barb! That list of things you brought back sounds like the makings of a wonderful pasta sauce! I must be hungry~When we travel, I never think about cooking,I will have to be more thoughtful about that from now on, but I do love to bring home the sweets and teas found in London and Paris..I have quite a collection of tins now.Hediard,Fauchons,Harrods,& Maxims I found in the Duty Free shop at the airport so I got a bunch for gifts..and mustard is a great one from Paris also..

Doug

When I'm ready to leave Germany, I always stuff my spare pair of shoes with bottles of Hela Curry catsup. Nothing like it for your fries. I also bring back a year's supply of Fa men's deodorant and Afri-Cola.

mia

What is Afri-cola? M

John G

I don't know why, but I love those little individual packaged icecreams that you can buy at the grocery store in Spain. While in Spain, I had to have my fix of one every single day. I don't know if they taste any better than you can buy in the US, or if it was just the "atmosphere" that made them taste so good.

cdf

Branstons? is that the way it is spelled? Pickle mix-we had pickle and cheese sandwiches in a pub in London, and in Richmond, they were so good, I brought home 2 jars...it never tasted as good here as in England,and now I found that they sell it in the States...so John, atmosphere has a LOT to do with it

Philip

When I was in London in November, some stores were selling tapioca and vanilla pudding in small pottery jars. They were only 1.25, I ate the pudding and brought the little jars home with me.

Marty

I have recommended this several times on this forum, but it is the best thing I have ever bought in Europe---supermarket or otherwise. Everyone I give it to (very few, because it is hard to part with)agree. In the soap section, in a Venice grocery store, I bought tall tins of bath cream called Tesori d'Oriente in the zenzero (ginger) fragrance. There is absolutely nothing like to be found in the US. We are returning to Venice for our 4th trip in February--supposedly for our 20th wedding anniversary and to experience Carnivale, but I think I am really going for that bath cream!

ja

In Mexico/Central America - coffee, beans if I can get them, otherwise ground, and never the "export" brands, but whatever the people who work in the supermarket say they like best. And, since I am an organizing NUT, I buy some type of containers (baskets, glasses, plastic fridge/leftovers containers) to organize my stuff after unpacking, and I always squeeze my treasures in to take home with me. I take skim milk to work in an 8-oz. plastic tumbler with a lid that I bought for 50 escudos in Portugal!<BR>ja<BR><BR>

Barb

I second Elaine's comments about Monoprix in Paris--their private brand milk and dark chocolate bars were heavenly! I brought some back for everyone at work since they were about 5 francs (less than a dollar) each. Also, Monoprix carries great lipsticks and other cosmetics; the Bourjois brand (sold here at major dept stores for 14 dollars) is made in the Chanel factories and cost about 8 dollars there. Speaking of Angelina's: it's my absolutely favorite lunch spot in Paris. We brought home the hot chocolate mix--I just fixed the last of it yesterday--maybe I should pop over to Paris for more.

Deena

Did you know that there is a branch of Fauchon in New York? it is expensive, but I love the little cookies with the chocolate backs!

richardab

Here are my chouce of greatsuper market finds by country...<BR><BR>Germany - Jams and Mozart Candies<BR><BR>France - Soaps, Dijon Mustard and Sea Salt<BR><BR>Italy - Coffee<BR><BR>Netherlands - Spices and herbs<BR><BR>UK - Candy and Tea<BR><BR>Happy Shopping

kavey

I buy toiletries such as Fa deodorant and shower gels...<BR><BR>Coffee from France for Pete's filter machine thing.<BR><BR>Oils, vinegars and all sorts of food products...<BR><BR>Crockery... (eggcups, mugs, plates...)<BR><BR>Stationery (French supermarkets do lovely stationery)<BR><BR>Chocolate and other sweets<BR><BR>Biscuits, particularly in France where the range is just superb. UK is catching up and we can now get wonderful biscuits, but I remember in the days of digestives and rich tea biscuits and even then France had aisles and aisles of biccies.<BR><BR>Cakes, usually madeleines. Brioche. Love it. Fresh from the deli, so might not work for US visitors.<BR><BR>As others, anything which catches my fancy, pasta sauces, herbs, ready mixes for various dishes.<BR><BR>Ohh ohh ohh french cidre, the sweet not the dry, which is much softer and more appley than UK cider, and Pete does go for the wines.<BR><BR>Also CHEESE gromit!!<BR><BR

Maurice

My father brought home from Scandinavia somewhere a bottle of cleaning fluid. It seems by the pictogram on the bottle to be windshield washer fluid. It's labelled "Super-Piss".

ksf0827

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hike

Took a night train from Geneva to Venice. On the train we were served with a breakfast pack (a croissant, orange juice, tarallini), a hot coffee, and a bottle of water. Nice surprise because there was no mention of it on the ticket or anywhere.<BR><BR>Taratillini, this simple snack made of just wheat flour and olive oil was light and tasty. The brand was Dolce Bont&agrave;. I entered a few supermarkets in Venice and bought altogether 5 big bags of the same brand and of different ones. Actually i'm writing this while muncing some. Would be perfect if I had a glass of prosecco. Anybody else know this ring like (size too) Italian snack?

adoptionisfab

Netherlands - De Ruijter chocolade hagelslag Puur. Dark Chocolate sprinkles!