A little taste of Italy

[jgm]

I have a friend who travels to Italy several times a year as part of his employment. I'm itching to ask him to bring me something. . .anything. . .but I have no knowledge of what's practical to carry on a plane, how much money I should send with him for it, or what would be a pain in the ass to try to get through customs.

I'm not sure which city he travels to, but he visits a major factory there.

So I'm thinking... olive oil? cheese? This guy is a good guy, and a good friend, but not a close friend. He's not a foodie, but always appreciates a good meal.

Does anyone have suggestions for what I could ask him to procure for me? I don't want to lean on the friendship too heavily; I also don't know what kind of freedom of movement he has. What's readily available and travels well?

[orangeman747]

I was recently in Italy... so here are a few tips.

While olive oil seems to be a go to for this kind of thing, unless he can find a really high quality, unique olive oil, it is usually easier to buy some good imported olive oil here at a gourmet food shop, especially with all the "liquid on a plane thing" now.

One thing I found easy to bring back is unique spices and dried goods. The quality of dried oregano, dried mushrooms, seasonings, dried hot peppers, etc... is much higher than they are here in the US and are quite tasty and easy to bring back. Also not that expensive.

Cheese is also fun to bring back and I don't think there is a big customs problem with that but just make sure that it is something that will be fine if not refrigerated for a while (full wheels of cheese can be 100's of euros, so I would recommend just part of a wheel if you ask him for one)

Finally, I think that Italy has some of the best jams, preserves, etc... of anywhere in the world, especially if they are bought from a local, organic farm in Italy. I would HIGHLY recommend having him get you some of them (a lot, as I was so sad once they ran out)...

Hope this helps!

Will

[jgm]

Cheese is also fun to bring back and I don't think there is a big customs problem with that but just make sure that it is something that will be fine if not refrigerated for a while (full wheels of cheese can be 100's of euros, so I would recommend just part of a wheel if you ask him for one)

Finally, I think that Italy has some of the best jams, preserves, etc... of anywhere in the world, especially if they are bought from a local, organic farm in Italy. I would HIGHLY recommend having him get you some of them (a lot, as I was so sad once they ran out)...

Hope this helps!

Will

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Both of these sound pretty good, but I need specifics - names, brands, etc. I'd like to give him a range of about 4 or 5 products (if you can't find A, get B--that kind of thing). I don't want to place him in the position of having to go to a dozen places to get exactly what I want, or to have to try to figure out what's good quality and what's touristy-crap. I also need to know how much money to send, to purchase the product and to deal with Customs. I haven't been to Italy since 1973. . .

[Pontormo]

JMG: Where is your friend travelling?

I also don't know how familiar you are with either Italian food or this forum. Were you a regular visitor here, at least, you'd know how much your friend's destination matters. Preferred ingredients differ from region to region, town to town, even when major cities are concerned. They often depend on what's grown or produced locally and that case, you're not always dealing with brands.

I'd suggest learning more about regional specialties by reading through either Kevin72's personal year-long thread in which he's cooked his way through Italy, or if your friend is going to one particular place, browsing the individual thread that's relevant.

For example, if s/he's going to Milan, read the topic on Cooking & Cuisine of Lombardia (Lombardy). If you don't know the region of the destination(s), it's easy to find via Google. In fact, there is a lot of information online concerning local specialties. If you spend some time reading the threads we spent over a year developing, you'll notice a number of good links to Web sites that various regions create to inform English-speakers about foods.

You'll note that you can order a great deal online--including from US distributors whose customers live in cities poor in more than the standard supermarket fare. For example, I might buy olive oil from Zingerman's or one of the well-known Italian importers (who are mentioned in cookbooks, on Mario Batali's own web site, perhaps, and by eGullet members here). I would NEVER ask even a close friend to cart back a heavy, bulky or fragile item that could ruin a suitcase full of clothers even if wine, oil, etc. were permitted on overseas flights.

Generalized suggestions of supermarket items: small can of tuna packed in olive oil. A small factory-sealed bag of organic (biologico) farro (a type of grain; you can research its use here). Dried porcini from Italy (vs. China) which are less costly there than here. Artisanal dried pasta--though your friend may not know what you mean and it can be bulky and hard to pack without breaking. Cf. thread on Favorite Pasta Shapes in this forum for further information. As discussed, De Ceccho--a brand better than most, if not necessarily "artisanal"--manufactures a greater variety of pastas to sell to Europeans than we get here; the pasta itself is superior, too, since they don't enrich the grain with additives.

Edited September 3, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[moosnsqrl]

Dried [fill in the blank] definitely - especially porcini and other funghi - since they weigh little, are considerably less expensive and of higher quality there.

The Italians (a generalization, of course) do wonderful things with hazelnuts that we haven't picked up on. I love hazelnut crema for an easy dessert 'helper' (since I'm not crazy about desserts and don't like to fuss with them). The only brand I have any loyalty to is Serego Allighieri but I wouldn't make anyone look specifically for that - it's only sold on-premise I think, anyway, but most producers/agricultural cooperatives do something similar. And fig preserves are also primo there and harder to find here.

Table linens are unbreakable, relatively light and easy to pack amongst other things and they're so lovely and, again, relatively inexpensive for what you get, compared to here (IMHO). And pasta cutters/molds/stamps are wonderful little pieces of Italy that also travel well.

I (of course) bring back olive oil but I'm not sure I would ask anyone else to - given the decent availability here now, travel restrictions, weight, possibility of breakage/leaking.

Some pastas might travel ok, too - depending on shape and packaging. Rice - again, we can get quite a lot of it here now. Ditto farro.

How does your friend feel about buying an extra ticket and sitting next to a giant prosciutto on the plane?

[hathor]

All good advice, but beware of US Customs regulations. Dried cheeses are ok, dried meats, like salami are not. I'm not sure at all about honey or jams or even dried pastas.

Do not ask your friend to bring back specific brands, as most of the artiginal stuff, that you would want, is locally made.

[weinoo]

All good advice, but beware of US Customs regulations. Dried cheeses are ok, dried meats, like salami are not. I'm not sure at all about honey or jams or even dried pastas.

Do not ask your friend to bring back specific brands, as most of the artiginal stuff, that you would want, is locally made.

←

I've never had trouble bringing back anything in cans or jars - I always like to load up on various tunas, anchovies, etc. As Judith says, cheeses like parmesan and pecorino aren't a problem - make sure they're vacuum packed.

Dried pastas, too, are ok. Dried mushrooms, spices, etc., as mentioned above, are all good.

No meat - unless you're a sneaky person - and then the dogs may get you!

[hathor]

All good advice, but beware of US Customs regulations. Dried cheeses are ok, dried meats, like salami are not. I'm not sure at all about honey or jams or even dried pastas.

Do not ask your friend to bring back specific brands, as most of the artiginal stuff, that you would want, is locally made.

←

I've never had trouble bringing back anything in cans or jars - I always like to load up on various tunas, anchovies, etc. As Judith says, cheeses like parmesan and pecorino aren't a problem - make sure they're vacuum packed.

Dried pastas, too, are ok. Dried mushrooms, spices, etc., as mentioned above, are all good.

No meat - unless you're a sneaky person - and then the dogs may get you!

←

Yeah, I've brought that stuff back as well, it's just that I'm not exactly certain what the current US Customs regulations are. They change from time to time and I haven't looked recently.

I'll try and find a link so that anyone who is interested can see what is acceptable.

And IMHO, you should probably carry a print out of the what's acceptable when you go thru Customs, as I've seen some stuff get confiscated that should have been acceptable.