Good Food Souvenirs?

[stephietoronto]

I'm a first timer to Sydeny & Australia, besides going through good food while I'm there, I also want to take home some good eats to share. I love giving out food souvenirs.

Read all the past posts and did some research. So far on the list is:

- Tazmanian honey (any recommended brands?)

- Fig jam (we have figs here, but I've not seen fig jam).

Someone also recommended lillipini and riberries jam as well. I've never had those before so I will check that out, maybe try the fresh fruit myself too.

- I might also check out Simon Johnson. What would you recommend from there or from his private brand?

- And David Jones Food Hall (at Market Street). I know there's 2 brands of chocolate, Belle Fleur and Colefax, but I was in NYC recently and loaded up on a lot of good chocolates already (Jacque Torres, Kee). Is it still worth a visit?

Thanks in advance!!

(I would love to take home some fresh oysters too but I don't think they will survive a long +15hr flight!)

[Laksa]

(I would love to take home some fresh oysters too but I don't think they will survive a long +15hr flight!)

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They may if you pack them in ice in an insulated box. That's how a lot of travellers pack fresh abalone (a few years ago) to take home. They even sold abalones plus packing material at the airport.

Tasmanian soft cheeses are worth checking out.

Have you considered vegemite as a souvenir?

On my last trip to Australia, I brought back bags of chocolate bars and biscuits to give away. Violet Crumble and Crunchie bars are honeycomb candy (not really honeycomb) dipped in chocolate. Cherry Ripe bars are cherries and coconut in dark chocolate. And biscuits/cookies like Tim Tams, Iced Vo Vos and Kingston. (All hard to find the U.S. Not sure if they're widely available in Toronto?) I also brought back licorice allsorts, but they were the least popular item with my American colleagues.

I can go on and on about common, everyday Australian snacks and lollies... Passiona (soda), Caramello Koala (another good one to give away), Anzac biscuits, "Shapes", Twisties, Burger Rings, Picalilli.... but I won't.

These items hold nostalgic significance for me more than anything else. But most of them are uniquely Australian, and they're certainly different.

[anzu]

Honey and eucalyptus flavored candies (I really miss these myself!).

Not 'good' chocolate, but Cadburies Coconut Rough chocolate bars. These have toasted coconut mixed throughout together with the chocolate.

Kangaroo meat salami (not sure if these are available in NSW, though)

There are also various native Australian herbs, such as: sea celery, mountain pepper leaf, river mint (though this one seems pretty much the same as regular dried mint to me), kutjera aka desert raisins, wattle seed, etc. I found the most reasonable priced and largest range available in larger health food stores, the kind which also sell bulk grains, etc. loose. Some place like David Jone (if it has them) you would probably be paying six times as much for the same product.

Re fresh lillipilli (not lillipini BTW, unless they have a different name in NSW). My parents used to have a tree. They taste okay, but I really don't feel it's worth going to great lengths to get hold of fresh ones if you can't find them readily. Slightly sour is the predominate taste.

[arbuclo]

Some excellent suggestions, and I've been thinking how much I miss the wonderful selection of chocolate bars. Cadbury does loads of different flavour combos. Also there's Milo: http://www.nestle.com/Our_Brands/Beverages/Milo/

[Dim Sim]

Burnt fig jam by Maggie beer, www.maggiebeer.com.au ,from memory there is a store in the Queen Victoria market in Melbourne called curd and whey, they sell gift size jars of mixed bush spices and herbs.

[Tae.Lee]

organic ligurian bee honey from kangaroo island - unprocessed honey from the only pure strain left in the world..mmm..

http://www.organicchoice.com.au/pg.php?id=102

haighs chocolates.. adelaide based boutique manufacturer with stores in melbourne, i think they recently opened one in sydney.. they are one of the few manufacturing retailers in the world still making chocolates from raw cocoa beans.. they also have a selection with australian flavour centres..

http://haighschocolates.com.au/

my younger cousins from new york went mad for the stuff

Edited November 3, 2005 by Tae.Lee (log)

[loiosh]

Leatherwood honey

biscuits:

Tim Tams

Iced Vo-Vos

chocolate:

Cherry Ripe

Cadbury 'Snack' bars

spreads:

rosella jam

Vegemite

snacks:

chicken crisps

seasonings:

bush tomato

wattleseeds

lemon myrtle

King Island cheese?

You can buy kangaroo meat at the airport packed up for travel.

and don't forget wine...

Any expat Aussie friends from home will appreciate their favourite beer if they can't get it where you live.

[Shinboners]

,from memory there is a store in the Queen Victoria market in Melbourne called curd and whey,

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That is my favourite little deli at the Queen Victoria market.

They sell a wonderful half goats milk, half sheeps milk feta cheese. It's just bliss for the senses.

[Laksa]

Any expat Aussie friends from home will appreciate their favourite beer if they can't get it where you live.

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Expat Melburnians will appreciate Melbourne bitter and VB (Victoria bitter). I have never seen these two beers outside of Australia.

Rocky road and fruit flavored liquorice from Darrell Lea.

My relatives go crazy for Golden Boronia nougat from Perth.

Bundaberg rum will be something different for friends who drink.

[loiosh]

Any expat Aussie friends from home will appreciate their favourite beer if they can't get it where you live.

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Expat Melburnians will appreciate Melbourne bitter and VB (Victoria bitter). I have never seen these two beers outside of Australia.

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I always bring a slab of VB to the US with me. I've only had trouble checking it in once, and they just put it in a plastic bag and made me sign a waiver. Always gets a smile from the Qantas counter people. I thought some thirsty bag handlers would pinch it, but no worries.

[Dim Sim]

,from memory there is a store in the Queen Victoria market in Melbourne called curd and whey,

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That is my favourite little deli at the Queen Victoria market.

They sell a wonderful half goats milk, half sheeps milk feta cheese. It's just bliss for the senses.

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yes, wonderful selections of cheese, I will check out the feta, my favourite is woodside cheese wrights Edith's cheese , it is a goat milk cheese, I just love it. went there this morning and bought the king Island triple cream, yum. ooophs sorry back to the aussie things, some sort of Kangaroo or emu smallgoods, is there such a thing like kangaroo salami or smoked kangaroo, I know The Chicken Pantry at the Vic market sells emu sausages, as well as crocodile, emu, kangaroo, at one stage possum too. they have a big mural at the stall, which has all sorts of animals on it, I remember asking Janine the owner what other types of meat she sells, and she pointed at the mural, and replied,' all the animals you can see'. and she wasn't joking !

[loiosh]

ooophs sorry back to the aussie things,  some sort of Kangaroo or emu smallgoods, is there such a thing like kangaroo salami or smoked kangaroo, I know The Chicken Pantry at the Vic market sells emu sausages, as well as crocodile, emu, kangaroo, at one stage possum too.

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Yep. I've had emu prosciutto and roo sausages from a butcher shop here in Canberra. The Poacher's Pantry up near Murrumbateman has stuff like that as well, and the Clonakilla winery is nearby. Most overseas visitors won't make it up that way, but PP is a nice place to have wine and charcuterie on a sunny day (the service can be a bit leisurely though).

[Shinboners]

I know The Chicken Pantry at the Vic market sells emu sausages, as well as crocodile, emu, kangaroo, at one stage possum too. they have a big mural at the stall, which has all sorts of animals on it, I remember asking Janine the owner what other types of meat she sells, and she pointed at the mural, and replied,'  all the animals you can see'. and she wasn't joking !   

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The Chicken Pantry is another great shop. I bought a Peking Duck from there yesterday. I can't wait to roast it tomorrow.

[PCL]

Don't know why it took so long to register.

A very very very apt Aussie food souvenir would have to be a slab of lamingtons.

good luck hauling back a few frozen cases of emu and goanna sausages/pies to the US!...