Italy travelers return to the U.S. with leather jackets, handbags, shawls, artwork, ceramics, jewelry, wine, and olive oil. I have brought home all of those. But what can you buy for under 14 Euro? TREASURES from the grocery store!!!
For just under 14 Euro, I have 8 cans of tuna in olive oil (for tonnato sauce), two tubes of triple concentrated tomato paste, two jars of noci sauce, and two bags of 00 flour!
I am as excited about these purchases as I am about other items I bought. I packed the rest and carried that flour home on the plane!
Other food items I bought on the trip seem to fall into two categories: salty and sweet.
I bought truffle paste in Alba, a salt-spice blend in Portovenere, and pink and blue sea salt in Bologna.
On the sweeter side, I have coffee with adorable little Bigaletti sugar packets, tiny hard candies, and soft amaretti from Mombaruzzo. We also ended up with two bottles of Brachetto in Brad's luggage.
Comments (7)
Quite the haul. Is it really impossible to buy oo flour in the US?
Next time I suggest you try the salt from Cervia - you were close. It was probably all over Bologna (and it is packaged in plastic).
Hey, where's the olive oil? well, it'd be last years anyway.
Enjoy.
Posted by Karen | September 29, 2008 9:20 AM
Posted on September 29, 2008 09:20
The best part of the trip, is what you can enjoy when you get home! Wonderful purchases!!!!
Posted by Deb R | September 29, 2008 9:37 AM
Posted on September 29, 2008 09:37
Funny when I go over to Italy I drag along american food products for my relatives in a 25" suitcase, but like you on the way home I fill it with all the Italian food products i love and are impossible to find here. I love those jar sauces you brought back.
Posted by Ida | September 29, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on September 29, 2008 14:39
Palma-Nice foods you brought back. I love opening a package of something I brought back from another country months later and having those memories flood over you. I still have 2 jars of chestnuts packed in a sugar syrup I brought back last year that I better use soon. That's all I have left besides the Porcini Mushroom Broth cubes. I'm sure you'll recount lots of great memories as you prepare meals using those items you brought home.
Posted by Cindy Ruth | September 29, 2008 8:12 PM
Posted on September 29, 2008 20:12
Lovely products, Palma! During my trip, I went a little crazy on the lemon side, buying everything I could get my hands on that contained lemon (no wonder my suitcase was so heavy!)
Posted by sandrac | September 30, 2008 6:35 PM
Posted on September 30, 2008 18:35
My friend just called from Italy. She is flying back to the US in three days. She has 4- 1.5 liter bottles of fresh pressed olive oil she got from the town she stayed in. She is asking me if she is allowed to travel with the oil. Can it be packed in her luggage and be brought back to the US? Is she allowed to bring it back in her luggage? I cannot find any information on the net. Please help & hurry. Thanks Judy
Posted by judy saso | October 25, 2008 11:48 AM
Posted on October 25, 2008 11:48
Judy,
Your friend can bring back olive oil...no problem! Tell her to wrap it well in her checked luggage!
Posted by Palma | October 26, 2008 8:46 AM
Posted on October 26, 2008 08:46