Travel treats and goodies

As the holidays draw near, and our carb counting is put on the back burner, I can’t help but think of all the foods and beverages I have come to love during my travels.

What do you pick up when visiting some of your favorite destinations?

What do you have your friends/relatives pick up for you when visiting?

Here are some of our favorite must-have treats:

Macaroons and salted butter caramel from Laduree – Paris or London: Ladurée | Fabricant de Douceurs & Gourmandises
Pure vanilla extract from Mexico, Tahiti or Madagascar.
Amarula – from South Africa - a different kind of Baileys: Amarula - The Spirit of Africa
All of our friends visiting Singapore must bring back a tin of cookies for us from: The Cookie Museum
STROH - The Spirit of Austria | Rum from Austria - Home for all of our favorite Christmas recipes
Stroopwafels, a dutch specialty, are the perfect sweet for a cup of coffee or tea: Stroopwafels | worldwide delivery of stroopwaffles and equipment to bake caramel filled waffles for professional and home use.

Last but not least, (the list could be sooo much longer)a newly discovered chocolate experience, from Wisconsin of all places! Taste before you judge, the dairy state has more to offer than just cheese! DB Infusion Chocolates
My personal favorite – caramel apple pie (made with local cider).

Happy traveling, happy eating….

we're limited to carryon bags, so have to keep treats to a minimum. I can usually find a bit of space for spices, I brought 70 vanilla beans (that bag smelled great) from Bali, I hardly ask anyone to bring anything. Most of my peeps try for. Carryon. I did send vanilla sugar, chocolate dipped caramels and homemade marshmallows with f,amily for some gifts this week. Hope TSA didn''t confiscate any of those goodies!
It's funny that I've had amarula in South Africa but never here, I see it now locally, but I don't buy or drink it at home.

I find much of the goodies we like while we are in one country or another, or one island or another, taste best when consumed there where you find them. I used to love planters' punches while in the Virgin Islands, but we hardly ever drink them at home, not even in Florida. I love Nuernberger Lebkuchen, a German gingerbread cookie, but I rarely buy them here at our local German delicatessen store. I couldn't pass by LaDuree without stopping for some of their heavenly macaroons when we lived in Paris, but I have no problem walking right by them in the States. I learned how to make them in Paris, but here, back in the States, I haven't even attempted to use the recipe.

Dark chocolate, coffee, macademia nuts, real vanilla

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Dark chocolate, coffee, macademia nuts, real vanilla

---

'"these are a few of my favorite things..."

We brought back some truffled olive oil, dried porcinis, dried squid ink pasta and two truffle spreads from our recent trip to Italy. We always bring back some tequila when we travel to Mexico. We've brought dried hibiscus flowers and dried chiles in the past. Merquen (a dried chile powder) from Chile. Wine from Argentina, which I carried around in my backpack for two weeks. Boudin bread from San Francisco. We always have friends and relatives pick us up a loaf or three if they're traveling through SFO. Bagels from H&H Bagels in NYC. The list goes on and on . . .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Dark chocolate, coffee, macademia nuts, real vanilla

---

We are going to be in Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands shortly. Are you allowed to bring fresh Vanilla Beans into the country?

WINE!!!! The Malbecs of Argentina, the traditional wines of Greece, the Carmenere of Chile.......SUPER!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LL_Travelfan

We are going to be in Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands shortly. Are you allowed to bring fresh Vanilla Beans into the country?

---

I'm not sure about vanilla beans coming from Hawaii.They are very strict about plant materials from there. I think they are technically "dried" but I'd email CBP to ask. I just listed vanilla and spices since I had both.
I just brought back 70 8" beans from Bali--they were about 20 cents each!! I declared them but no one batted an eye. (PS--everyone is getting vanilla sugar for Christmas and I made a new batch of bourbon vanilla extract--YUM!!)

How could I forget the three kilos of Parmesiano Reggiano that I brought back from Italy this year?