What do you bring home from France?

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I always approach a visit to France with malice of forethought: what am I going to suitcase home this time? It occured to me that it would be interesting to find out what all of you consider important enough to shop for and lug home. My stash has been very personal and makes me laugh; all of these things have more to do with sentiment than with intrinsic value. A partial list:

Kilos of herbs de provence (I now have a surplus in my freezer)

lavender

ble

tarbais beans (indepensible for great cassoulet)

BarLeDuc

Cherry Marnier (the available only in France cherry version of Grand Marnier)

Languedoc garage wines

Sel gris and Fleur du sel

Piment d'Espelette

Flocantes (flocantes are a "Gascon callison", made with prunes, almonds and armagnac, topped with royal icing)

Antique French as well as new Provencal and Basque linens

Sauce spoons and antique cheese forks

19th C. glass confiture containers, crockery fois gras pots, Feliz Potin confiture crocks

armagnac, topped with royal icing)

Chocolate and Annick Goutal

[Beachfan]

Wine from whatever wine area I visit

Liquers if encounter some interesting artisinal liquers (like Chestnut liquer from the Dordogne)

Maille mustard - types that aren't available in the US

A cheese or two

Chocolates

Tins of fois gras

Art noveau glass now and then

Arche shoes (usually 5 pairs or so)

Hediard jam

[cabrales]

French books on restaurants and culinary history not available over the Internet, usually out-of-print

Menus from restaurants visited

Souvenirs from restaurants' boutiques, usually at certain restaurants outside of Paris if visited (e.g., dinner and presentation plates, but purchased in small quantities, aprons, foodstuffs)

Certain cigars (I don't usually smoke, but I like Romeo y Julieta Cedros N°3)

Petit Bateaux cotton T-shirts

If the designs are appealing, Cerrutti and Max Mara clothing, Joseph pants and sometimes Louis Vuitton handbags or shoes

By Terry cosmestics (Barneys now carries the non-custom part of this line)

Annick Goutal shower foam

[hollywood]

Generally, when asked this type of question, I refer to a standard response about foie gras, wine, etc. The other day, however, I was in the store adjacent to American Rag & Cie on La Brea (in LA) and noted various totem items of the sort I also like that sort of evoke the spirit of the place. Things like Ricard pitchers, match strikers, etc. And I have always coveted one of those official signs designating a place a one star hotel. Beyond that, having sufficient funds, I'd run over to Galerie Document and snatch up some stone lithos, e.g., Mucha, Cheret, Lautrec.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Verveine. I can't find the sachets in the U.S. so I bring them back five or six boxes at a time. If you are talking about dried piments d'Espilette, tru the Gratful Palate catelog as they sell some great dried and ground AOC piment by the jar.

[Fat Guy]

Laguiole knives. You can get them here but they're cheaper there, and the selections are better. Also those cheap Opinel knives -- my standard utility knife for travel, and hard to find in the States.

Kitchen toys from E. Dehillerin.

Raw-milk cheeses aged less than 60 days.

Honey.

All sorts of stuff I could get on Madison Avenue but that winds up being so much cheaper in France it's worth the schlep, e.g. soaps and such from L'Occitane.

The occasional Charvet necktie.

Note: I buy a lot more stuff in London than I do in Paris, and that includes food and related products.

[lizziee]

I didn't think you were allowed to bring in cheese. Can you?

[Gavin Jones]

Catherine Deneuve.

Sorry meant to write cheese.

[Fat Guy]

I didn't think you were allowed to bring in cheese. Can you?

You are not allowed to bring in any cheese that would be illegal to produce here. And yes, you can do it pretty easily. I don't actually know of anybody who has had any trouble.

[Beachfan]

I do as suggested by Jeffery Steingarten. I declare them It seems to work.

F-G, so what do you bring from London?

[Bouland]

The USDA publishes a booklet that descibes what is legal to bring back to the U.S. in my experience, people think the law is more restrictive than it really is. Pretty much all French products can be brought back legally except for some meat products. (I bring back goose fat, but the USDA has never found problem with that at the border because it's rendered.)

[Fat Guy]

Raw milk cheeses aged less than 60 days are forbidden. 21 CFR Section 1240.61(a) sets out the relevant standard, and please don't make me dig for the complete set of citations! (Even that booklet specifies that cheeses must be "fully cured.") The ban was implemented in 1987, according to the notes I made when I wrote an article about this. Make no mistake: It is a crime to import these cheeses. As I said, however, I've never heard of any tourist being fined for such an infraction.

[Fat Guy]

F-G, so what do you bring from London?

As much as I can carry!

Start a new thread and I'll enumerate.

[Wimpy]

Margaret: thanks for starting this thread! This questions is close to my own heart as I am about to embark on a two week trip to France in 7 days!

I am fortunate compared to you US and Europe based egulleteers in that customs in the Philippines (where I live) is extremely lax in the importation of food (technically restricted, but they never really check). With this in mind, here's my list. I welcome suggestions!

1) Bresse chicken frozen (never had, heard all about it, and want to share with fellow gourmand back in Manila)- at least one (is there a particular place to get it from in Paris that's recommended?

2) Cheeses: need to expand my horizon beyond the tried and true. Stinky cheese most welcome, unpasteurized uppasteurized! Need to bring plenty of ziplock bags to hide the smell.

3) Normandy butter: want to bring some (frozen) to try cooking with it, and see what difference it makes.

4) Chestnuts: can't get them here (except the small Chinese variety which pale in comparison).

5) Cured meats: salamis, sauccisons, maybe even boudins.

6) Creme fraiche- again, want to try for recipes calling for it. Does anyone know if it freezes well?

7) Foie gras d'oie and canard (maybe one each). They freeze extremely well.

Any more suggestions? I obviously can't bring that much home as I am constrained by baggage allowance. Part of the joy of good food is sharing it with friends who have the same passion. Hence the extraordinary effort to bring all that stuff over from France!

[cabrales]

Wimpy -- When you have a chance, could you discuss how you plan to transport frozen foods back to Asia (e.g., hoping items would not defrost)? Note that, for certain products (e.g., foie gras), there may be available non-tin packaging that does not require refridgeration (e.g., sealing in a special bag). Perhaps other members could advise.

[Wimpy]

Cabrales- I must admit that frozen fresh foods will pose somewhat of a challenge. My most recent successful venture was in bringing wagyu (japanese marbled beef) and tarako (salted cod roe) from Tokyo to Manila. Results were quite satisfactory when packed thusly:

a) brought newly bought tupperware-type containers to Tsukiji (bought in Tokyo- they're cheap), asked them to fill tarako directly (avoiding touching so as not to accelerate decay) and brought home to freeze thoroughly (parents live there). This, I hand-carried in a aluminum lined freezer bag used to carry ice cream from the super to the house but threw in two frozen cooler bricks.

b) as for wagyu, the butcher packs it very well, each 1cm slice (about 100g ea) in individual plastic pouches. The whole 1.5kg was then put in a styrofoam box filled with small frozen gel packs. I put that in my check in luggage.

The above were still frozen solid when I arrived home in Manila- fully 7 hours door to door I would say (actual flight time 3 1/2 hours). Not a drop of water to be seen/felt.

For France, the challenge is the longer flying time, but will endeavour to pack similar to above. For Bresse chicken and foie, I do have a hand carry cooler which should do the trick (Coleman makes nifty softcase ones). If you think about it, the check-in luggage is best for transporting frozen foods as the cargo section of the plane is not heated and at 30,000 feet, it is colder than a witch's you-know-what! It's the handcarry which poses more of a challenge, but temperatures in flight are hardly warm- it would cost the airlines too much to heat the cabin to "normal" temperatures.

If you like, I'll let you all know how my contraband fares on my return (Aug. 18th). Meanwhile, please let me know what other goodies I should to bring home! Also, if you know THE place to buy it (in Paris, please) or brand, it would help.

Finally, it goes without saying that this whole transportation of fresh frozen foods is only possible if you are staying in an apartment or visiting friends. If you're staying in a hotel, forget it, it's a pain in the A__ to convince/ask the hotel kitchen to freeze foods for you.

[hollywood]

Can you find dry ice in France? Might help.

[lizziee]

At www.SolutionsCatalog.com, you can order what is called the extreme cooler. I have used it to take frozen food on a plane for over 12 hours out of the freezer,. I just add a couple of those frozen ice packs to the "extreme cooler" and when I arrive the food is as frozen solid as when I first put it in.

The telephone # is 1-800-342-9988.

[PaulaJ]

The luggage area of the plane is not heated; this

will help you if you check your food-luggage.

Although I've been attracted by many of these items, I

stick to Hediard's galettes de Bretagne [a cookie], Normandy

caramels, thinly covered almonds and sometimes, macaroons.

Sweet to-o-oth!

However, right before leaving for the airport, I visit a traiteur

and put together a meal of bread, pate, cheese, poached salmon,

fruit tart,etc..........this helps the withdrawal.

[cabrales]

I'd appreciate hearing members' views on the potential effects of freezing on Bresse chicken flesh, foie gras, etc.

[Gavin Jones]

This is I think a really interesting question.

Those foods with significant water component will crystallise (i.e. form ice) & in consequence damage cell walls and hence the gastronomic quality of the food.

I would have thought with both Poulet de Bresse (mostly muscle) and foie gras lobes (mostly fat) that there would be very little potential structural damage to the flesh - and hence that freezing should be a perfectly sensibele approach to the transport. I wonder whether veins in the lobes are likely to split as a result of freezing.

On the other hand there is Markman's sad experience with a ripe Pont L'eveque which redistributed itself over a suitcase of John Smedley knitwear as a consequence of uncontrolled pressure changes en route...

[Fat Guy]

Freezing should be on a new thread, dontcha think?

[Gavin Jones]

I'm on the case, Gordo.

I hope bigbear has that right, and you're not G. Gordo. Lippy.

[Fat Guy]

Love ya!

[cabrales]

2)  Cheeses: need to expand my horizon beyond the tried and true.  Stinky cheese most welcome, unpasteurized uppasteurized!  Need to bring plenty of ziplock bags to hide the smell.

Wimpy -- On cheese, Steve P previously advised me to visit Bernard Anthony's store. I have not yet done so. I do not have the address for this fromagerie.

Consider sampling patisseries and chocolates from Pierre Herme while in Paris:

http://forums.egullet.org/ibf/index.php?s=...hl=pierre+herme

(Note the Kurova restaurant in the 8th arrondisement/district -- the one that includes much of the Champs-Elysees -- carries Herme patisseries, and, sometimes, very limited chocolate selections. )