Ingredient fetish [General]

2009 Sep 11
One thing I haven't done (and regret) is bring home spices / ingredients from abroad when I've travelled overseas. Wish I had. The market in Palermo was mind blowing. Customs makes me nervous and I feel like it's not worth the risk of having my bag tossed for a jar of capers or some dried figs. A colleague was given a hard time for some jarred foie gras.

Have you ever brought stuff back? Anything you are particularly proud of / fond of?

2009 Sep 11
I brought back herbes de provence, truffle oil, lavender honey, some pastes and spreads, Rose (wine), liquers, lavender syrup and olive oil from the south of France when I went for my honeymoon. I love the herbes, but sadly haven't used the truffle oil yet. Any suggestions on that end?

2009 Sep 11
When I was in the Middle East I loaded up on herbs at a market in Tel Aviv. I brought back the most awesome mace pods and some really great paprika.

As for the truffle oil, I usually add a tiny bit to mushroom risottos and earthy soups. I've also found that it goes great drizzled over a frittata.

2009 Sep 11
I have had pretty good luck as a food smuggler...some of my favourite things that I try to keep a secret stash of include: Dominican Rum (Brugal Extra Viejo of course), Mofongo Snax (a Dominican mix of yucca, plantain and pork rinds...the greatest junk food on earth), homemade lemon and myrtle liqueurs, Corsican cheeses (ideally Brebis - a hard, raw sheep's milk cheese) and wild boar charcuterie (lonzo, coppa and saucisson sec) that would make your hair curl.

Sadly, all my contraband is slowly running out...time to travel again!

2009 Sep 11
(Disclaimer: not an import specialist, and not a designated authority for any legislation related to meat import.)

If you know what you're getting beforehand (or if you have net access when you're there), you can use the CFIA's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) to check what import requirements exist for the product(s) in question.

www.inspection.gc.ca

It's not the smartest reference in the world (believe me), but it's better than nothing.

(I ran it through the system, and Italian foie gras shouldn't be refused entry because it's A) already cooked and B) for personal use. CBSA people aren't, however, known for their critical thinking skills.)

2009 Sep 11
Uncooked meat is the one thing I would never consider bringing across the border. Especially the cured stuff like sausage, even if it is hell of tasty.

Having worked in emergency management in the food regulatory world, someone accidentally bringing foot and mouth disease into the country via uncooked meat is a scary prospect. That was probably the absolute worst case scenario we would worry about and plan for.

2009 Sep 11
A variety of spice blends from the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Curaçao (and curaçao from curaçao - duh!), Philly cheesesteak from Philadelphia (the customs officer in Ottawa laughed hysterically when I told him what was in the container), someone smuggled some nduja back from Italy for me (which is delicious, might I add, and I can't find anything close to it in Ottawa), clothbound ultra aged cheddar from Vermont, tiny hot peppers from some small place in Quintana Roo, a variety of casked ales from England, truffle oil.

2009 Sep 11
Coffee and tea from Costa rica, Indonesia and Kenya. Hot sauces from the US and South Africa.

2009 Sep 11
Spices and seasonings from the southern USA... there are lots of "condiments" that we can't get here.

2009 Sep 11
Another vote for the AIRS system at CFIA--immensely useful.

2009 Sep 12
I have brought back all kinds of goodies:

Canned pate fois gras
canned salsifies
tagine spices
mexican tres leches cake mix (lame, I know)
churro mix
mexican cheese- before they asked about dairy products
capers

not to mention tons of stuff from the US.

I love interesting foodie finds. The only thing that makes me sad is when I run out of the special ingredient.

2009 Sep 12
Always bring fun and different food back. When abroad I only bring back canned, vacuum sealed, or sealed jars (they get heavy!) I found some awesome different mixes, pickles and condiments in Pennsylvania dutch country, all kinds of good stuff in Mexico, canned pates and terrines in France, olive oil and dried herbs/spices from Italy, preserves and what not in Britain. Yummy belgian chocolate and coffee! Probably the most interesting was preserved pickled pork lips from louisiana--very different...We stay away from meat, cheese and produce and have never had a problem.

2009 Sep 13
fish sauce in the late 1980's. why?!? lesson learned, never again! Since then: seaweed, scotch, lemongrass, and stuff mentioned above.

2009 Sep 14
Whenever we go to Barbados, we always bring back lots of fish. On our last trip we brought back 12 lbs of mahi-mahi, 10 lbs of yellowfin tuna and 50 flying fish filets. There is no limit on bringing back fish (only the weight limit of your airline - we've called Customs and checked ;-) ) The price of fresh fish there can't come close to what I've paid for yellowfin here...

We go to the fish market, have them clean and filet our fish, then we have them vacuum sealed and frozen. We then put the fish in a freezer bag (the silver ones you can buy at some butcher shops), then wrap the bag in some clothes/towels and put it our suitcase. The fish stays frozen for about 12 hours, which is plenty of time for us to get it home safely. In all the years we have been doing this we have only had one close call when Air Canada lost our bag - it was delivered the next morning and only one package was partly thawed. We cooked it that night.

On a trip to Menorca a couple of years back, we brought back saffron, almonds, fleur de sel, and lots of smoked paprika.

Mexico - 1/4 lb of mexican oregano, which ended up costing us only about $0.65 at the local supermarket.

Memphis - BBQ rub, Bush's baked beans, canned collard greens

We are heading off sailing in the Greek islands in a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to the bounty that awaits us there!

Better bring an extra bag :-)

J~


2009 Sep 14
Itchy Feet - Re: The Fish Sauce

I take it you just wondered "why" you ever thought this was important enough to take the time and trouble to purchase and stuff in your luggage. I however, for some reason, have visions of a broken bottle... and regretful (and stinky) mistake. Fishy story?

Jojo - While we are on the subject of fishy things (see my above note to Itchy)... I think I'd be afraid of the fish defrosting amongst my clothes. But now you got me wondering if one could pack this all up in a small cooler (even those disposable styrofoam kind) and ship the stuff back home. Kind of like how Air Canada will ship Lobster back from the East Coast. Most International Flights allow 2 pcs of luggage per person and "The Man" and I never seem to use our full allowance... we are considering going to the Caribbean over Christmas, so this sounds quite "appetizing". Thanks for the tip.

2009 Sep 14
F&T - the fish does stay frozen using those freezer bags. It's worth the effort to get fish that fresh at home - plus the price is right. We usually pay about $6 US/lb for the mahi-mahi and the tuna.

J~

2009 Sep 14
lol, F&T, you pretty much nailed the situation: wasn't quite as bad as a broken bottle, but enough leaked out (from the top) and its plastic bag to spoil the clothing around it, not to mention the backpack itself. pungent!!

2009 Sep 15
Jojo: "Mexico - 1/4 lb of mexican oregano"

Sure sure. "Oregano"


2009 Sep 16
Tee hee hee (cough, cough) :-)

It is really good to make Greek Dressing with - I'll have to bring home some Greek oregano for a comparison.

J~

2009 Sep 16
Mexican oregano is actually closer to lemon verbena (as per wiki)... different, but similar flavour. You can buy bags of it at La Cabaña - it's a necessity in making curtido, also great for pork marinades.

2009 Sep 16
Chim - thanks for the tip.

There is a wonderful succulent type of oregano plant I bought at the herb garden - it's called Cuban Oregano - wonderful, mild flavour and completely dissolves when you chop it up and cook it in your sauce.

J~

2009 Sep 17
Jojo - A-ha! Maybe it's the Cuban oregano that's put in all the resort food! That's why everything tastes like "Cuba spice." ;)

2009 Sep 17
I give up! LOL

2009 Sep 18
We traveled to Italy for our honeymoon and while in Tuscany we visited a winary that also produced some of the most beautiful olive oil I have ever tasted. I'm 1/2 way through the bottle we brought back and will be quite sad when it is finished. Guess I'll have to go back for more!

Beyond that I've only ever brought back wines and rum from various other trips.