I'll be in Milan at the end of May and was wondering what recommendations y'all have of what food/snacks to bring home to the US? I'll be visiting Eataly, Esselunga, and maybe Carrefour (let me know if there are some more local stores I should visit). Some things on my list are chips, cookies, olive oil, pistachio cream, and Limoncello. If anyone has any recs on what items/brands to get please let me know!
Also does anyone have any recs on where to get sweet dessert wine?
Olive oil
Grappa barricata
Marchesi 1824 is a lovely bakery with various treats you may enjoy including cookies and chocolates.
You should get some good gorgonzola (although it'll need to be packed well) and coppa di Valtellina.
Pasta. Carrefour has lots of varieties for 1€ each - I think it’s 500 grams. The Italian pasta cooks up so much tastier than American pasta!
Skip the limoncello, or buy it at the airport duty free if you really want it.
A few things I almost always bring home from Italy include:
High quality tinned or jarred tuna packed in olive oil
Bottarga, if you like the taste. From Sardinia, if possible
Olive oil, but only in the fall after the new oil is on the market shelves; NOT with truffles!!!!
Dried pasta but only if its from a top maker like Martelli (from Tuscany; look for the yellow bag) or one of the artisanal makers from Abruzzo,, Puglia or Le Marche
Maybe some good quality flavored olive oil like orange flavored
Colatura, from Sicily or Cetara (great ingredient in cooking; made from anchovies; very pricey outside italy)
Mostarda from Cremona (easy to find in Milan)
Chocolate from Modica, Sicily, also should be easy to find in Milan and a grainy chocolate similar to that made in Mexico...in dozens of flavors
High quality rice from Lombardy, like Vialone Nano
Taggiasca olives from Liguria, or others that you like--try to find these vacuum packed
Hazelnuts, vacuum packed, from Piemonte
Pine nuts (keep in fridge at home). Make sure these are from Italy!!
Dried porcini; also make sure of country of origin
Barratii and Milano candies from Turin, or similar made in Milano I don't know any names, but NOT Perugina!
CHEESES......all except very fresh cheese, which does not keep well
AND...if you are not from the USA: Salumi!!!!!!!
The list is endless and I'm sure I've left out a lot of stuff!!
If you plan to do a lot of food shopping, bring bubble wrap and a roll of tape from home for secure packing. (Hotels will often help you pack and give you a carton that you can use as a checked item on the place; remember that you can also ship your items home from Milan)
Not all of these are from the north, but should be easy to find at Eataly or in small specialized food shops.
I've brought home a lot of olive wood small table items and salad bowls but these are no longer inexpensive.
Also, one of those gadgets to toast bread for bruschetta (hardware store)
One thing not to buy: Those multi-colored dried pastas sold in tourist shops. They do not look so pretty when cooked and are not usually made with the best quality ingredients...
Scented bath/beauty products such as those from FARMACIA SANTA MARIA NOVELLA (see if they have a shop in Milan), AQUA DE PARMA, ORTYGIA....if you like those scents
Not food, but in Milan: LEATHER GOODS from the fine designers, some with no outlet outside Europe!!
And remember the VAT refund that you are entitled to!!! It can amount to a lot of money back!!! Just make sure to bring your passport when shopping.
Are you looking for food items that are made in Milan and specific to Milan or Italian specialties more generally that you can purchase in Milan? Giusti Bourtique sells and has tasting of a wide range of balsamic vinegars made in Modena Italy. They have a couple shops in Milan. You might enjoy going to one, doing their free tasting, and then buying small bottles for souvenir gifts (unless you only want items made in Milan or espeically Milanese).
My husband always brings home a ridiculous amount of Pocket Coffee even though you can buy it on Amazon. It's individually wrapped chocolates with liquid espresso inside. He learned on the trip we just got back from that in spring, the Pocket Coffee that is available switches from its winter version to its summer version because the chocolate shell is delicate and melts. The summer version is a little plastic cup of liquid chocolate + espresso that you have to sip with a tiny straw, looking sillier than my husband wants to look, plus it's not so convenient when you are driving. So he ran all around our last town in Sicily and in the Rome airport buying up the winter versions.
I personally don't bother with olive oil or limoncello or wine, as unless it's from a place that holds deep personal meaning, I don't want to risk breakage in a checked bag (and you'll have to check if it doesn't fit in your 3-1-1 bag, that includes the pistachio cream). I've brought back packaged candies, vacuum sealed spices, good Italian tomato paste in tubes, pasta. Chips and cookies take up a lot of space in luggage - if you have the room great but I usually don't.
Whatever foodstuffs you buy, make sure it's ok to bring back to the USA (some meats are a no-no, potentially other things depending on what state you live in) https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/another-country And also declare everything you bring back on your incoming customs form, if they find an errant salami and you didn't say you have it, that's going to be a big problem for you. From their website:
As long as you declare all of the agricultural products you are
bringing with you, you will not face any penalties—even if an
inspector determines that they cannot enter the country.
BTW the agricultural sniffer dogs are very, very good at their jobs (I saw a woman being thoroughly searched and they found an empty wrapper from a sandwich eaten many hours before).
CL - thanks for that link! I've made a note of the requirements in my phone. We plan on buying several food items such as dried pasta, Italian Nutella (apparently it's different in the USA), pistachio cream, candy and chocolate. Maybe nuts. Seems like I would need to report the nuts for US Customs, but what about the other items? We'd only bring home commercially made products.
wehartung I don't think it matters if it is "commercially" produced, it is the type of food item. I'm not a USDA employee so I can't help with details, but if it were me I would err on the side of disclosure and have a chat with the border control folks if they have questions about what you listed on your form.
I'm not going to advise anyone, but I always bring lots and lots of food home and have never declared items like nuts. Is there a restriction on dried nuts??
I can tell what not to do and that is to bring home fresh fruit; I had a beautiful peach from Salina in my handbag (I thought I'd eat it on there plane but I forgot).. That cute JFK beagle has a great sense of smell and the inspector was not happy with me.
