Here are some local delicacies to look out for in popular holiday destinations.
All that good living on holiday can be hard to leave, but you can bring some of your holiday memories back home in the shape of food. From herbs to olive oils, cured meats to honey, we pick some of the tastiest products to take home from your travels.
There are a few rules for bringing back food products to the UK. If you’re travelling within the EU, you can bring back any fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy or other animal products such as fish, eggs and honey. There are restrictions on weight though and stricter rules if you’re travelling outside the EU such as no meat or dairy products. You can check the latest guidelines at the GOV.UK website.
France
French cheeses are deservedly renowned but if you want to bring back something other than brie, Camembert and Roquefort, consider Comte cheese from France’s easterly Jura region or Cantal from the Auvergne mountains. Soft cheeses include Pont l'Evèque from Normandy and delicious blue cheese Bleu d'Auvergne. Other foods worth bringing back include gourmet pâtés and original Herbes de Provence
Spain
One of the most prized products in Spain is jamon iberico or Iberian ham. This is the rich, cured, fatty ham from the black Iberian pig – the words de bellota mean it’s free range. Serrano ham and chorizo sausage are also easy to take home. Smoked Spanish paprika is another favourite. The one to look for is pimentón de La Vera from the small town of La Vera, which comes in mild and spicy forms. Genuine arroz bomba paella rice is also worth picking up, as is saffron, the notoriously expensive spice. Padron peppers, Manchego cheese, marzipan and olive oil are other ideas.
Portugal
Portugal’s linguica smoke-cured pork sausage, seasoned with garlic and paprika, is always a winner while chouriço is a variation on Spain’s chorizo sausage with less paprika and more garlic, pepper and wine. Good piri-piri sauce is easy to buy in the UK but if you find a deli/homemade variety on holiday, that’s worth a taste. Portuguese cornflour and sweet breads are delicious and cheese lovers will enjoy Serra da Estrela goat’s cheese from the northern Dao region.
Italy
Warning: you may need an extra suitcase as Italy is a food lover’s haven. While products such as dried porcini mushrooms and truffle oil are easy to find back home, it’s still tempting, and often cheaper, to buy in Italy. Traditional fruitcake panforte is another favourite, and you may find bargains on Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino cheese. Less obvious food souvenirs include anchovy paste, porcini bouillon stock cubes and even Italian tuna in oil – it’s a cut above the rest. If you’re buying olive oil, make sure it’s from 100% Italian olives such as Lucini olive oil.
Greece
An abundance of wild flora and regular sunshine is why Greece produces particularly fine honey – some of the best versions are produced from thyme (thimari in Greek). Olive fans should look for the large purple Kalamata olives from the southwest Peloponnese region as well as Amfissa olives from the hills of Delphi. Likewise, the olive oil is worth taking home. Look out for brands such as: Laconiko from the Laconia region; 39-22, which uses Koroneiki olives; and Tsounati oil from Crete.
Turkey
Spices are at the heart of Turkish cooking and spice markets are everywhere so pick up cumin, sumac, oregano and Urfa or red flake pepper. Loose spices are usually fresher than the packaged ones – just follow the locals to see which stalls they rate. Dried fruit and nuts are also big in Turkey especially hazelnuts, dried figs, raisins and apricots. You can usually try before you buy too. Of course, Turkish Delight or lokum is a favourite but instead of packaged sweets, buy fresh from a specialist shop. No meat or dairy products from Turkey as it’s outside the EU.
Thailand
Chances are you loved the local food, perhaps even took a Thai cookery course. Restrictions will apply to some foods (no meat or dairy) but items worth picking up include palm sugar, ground roasted chillies, tamarind paste, curry pastes and laab mix, referring to the northern Thai dish of laab/laap. You can buy a bag of the ground spices and use it to flavour minced pork with lime juice and fish sauce. Freeze-dried fruit is another option, such as pineapple, mango and jackfruit, great for adding to cereals and yogurt. Dried fish is also permitted.
USA
The USA does a pretty good line in sweet treats with more varieties of peanut butter than you ever thought possible. Maple syrup, local honeys and jams are also worth considering, especially from the roadside farmers’ market-style shops which are a common sight especially outside the major cities. Pecan and macadamia nuts, loved by Americans, are often cheaper out there too. Barbecue ‘rubs’, a mix of spices for meat and fish, also make a good take-home souvenir.
Netherlands
The Netherlands loves its cheeses. Gouda, Edam and Alkmaar aside, the cheese markets are a good place to pick up other varieties such as nutty Maasdammer, artisan Boerenkaas or Frisian Clove cheese. If you like salted herring, look for the Hollandse Nieuwe label. This means it’s the first young herring of the season and has been cleaned, filleted and salted in a traditional way. For the sweet-toothed, stock up on stroopwafel, which are waffle biscuits stuck together with caramel and eaten warm or cold.
What do you like to bring home from your holidays? Tell us in the comments section below.
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