Over the years I’ve learnt one surefire way of extending that special feeling of being on holiday beyond the end of the actual holiday – buy souvenirs to bring back home! More concretely, edible souvenirs. Nowadays I never ever leave without stuffing whatever empty space remains in my suitcase(s) with select goodies. I go both for some of already known favourites as well was for new things to taste-test. And, these are equally good as a treat for yourself and for friends and family.
My recent Paris haul ended up being pretty compact yet has yet to disappoint me. This time I actually sort of balanced it health-wise by getting 50% cookies and 50% pulses (not counting all the cheese ahem…).
Read the previous post in the Souvenir Diaries series: Italy haul – edible and some non-edible gifts
WHEN IN PARIS, FOOD – WHAT ELSE!
A trip to Paris won’t be complete – nay – has to be, as a matter of necessity, dedicated to food. Food lurks at every corner, ambushes you from all directions, and stares you in the face – day and night.
Food engulfs you like insanely varied just-about-to-tumble-on-you piles of luscious multi-coloured tomatoes…
… and surprises you like a charming champagne muselet caps collection – found no less in the restroom of a restaurant…
…trips you with a spontaneous ice-cream cone for a short cooling break on a bench in the gardens of Versailles on a hot day…
…and – last but not least – sneaks on you like a cheek-in-tongue “cat with banana” billboard at the train station.
Now that I have whet your appetite, have a look at some of the food souvenirs I grabbed at a local supermarket on my last trip to Paris. I highly recommend these affordable and lightweight gifts that will prolong your holiday bliss just a bit longer after you arrive back home, feeling nostalgic for your trip.
PARIS HAUL: SWEET TREATS
So, I don’t have a picture of the actual cookies – that’s how fast they disappeared. A lot of these contain butter – and I believe they are better for it. I feel personally overwhelmed by the mass-produced cookies that replace butter with any combination of oils. In France you can find lots of cookies that are still mass-produced but have not suffered from skimpage (?) of butter. Here’s a brief tour of some of the most common French cookies – but please venture out and try whatever catches your eye!
A quick practical note: all of these cost around 2 euro per box, so they are pretty cheap on price, yet somewhat expensive in terms of luggage space, due to the packaging. Pro tip: usually the boxes contain smaller packages of a few cookies each, so they should be portable as-is. So, if you don’t particularly care for the packaging (for example if you will be assembling your own platter of treats), remove the carton and wrap the cookies in your clothes etc. to keep them from getting crushed. Beware: if you open a box only to discover the cookies are not individually packed, then I guess consider it ahem bad luck and just feel free to eat them 😉
A brief guide to classic french cookies
Palmiers (bottom): Super crispy and sweet , these are basically puff pastry, butter, and sugar. One of the simplest cookies you can imagine, and they are addictive once you’ve tasted them. This brand lacked in flavour (the sugar on top was not caramelised enough for my taste) – so try to get a couple of boxes of different brands if you can, so you can compare them and discover what you like best.
Gavottes, a.k.a. Crepes dentelle (middle): Pretty popular as a dessert preparation ingredient too, these are again a very simple (at first glance) treat. The French name translates as lacy crepes, and they live up to it – extremely thin and delicate rolled up crispy crepes. You can find them also dipped in chocolate, but I’m a purist so I got the classic ones. Travel bonus: even if they arrive completely crushed to bits in your luggage, you can still eat them as-is or add to melted chocolate, tart crusts, fillings – you name it for a really interesting (and delicious) texture.
Palets bretons (right): Very crumbly biscuits with a hint of soda scones, less sweet than the rest. A good option for those who don’t prefer less sweet fare – the wonderful texture distinguishes these from regular butter cookies. I’ve no idea how they achieve it.
Petites gourmandises (top): Assorted cookies, which in fact turned out to be not great (pretty normal to get a dud when you buy new things in another country). I generally like tasting new things and these looked interesting, so I grabbed them on a whim.
paris haul: (healthy) vegan treats
I don’t know if beans and lentils can actually be called treats – or it just reflects that I’m perhaps a tad too partial about them? Although these may seem just like ordinary beans and lentils, I always feel like scoring a rare find when I come across them. Believe it or not, it’s amazingly difficult to find affordable European-produced beans in most countries in Europe (except for countries where they are produced, like Italy and France). Most beans you can find and purchase are imported form China. And the prices for those produced in Europe run about 3-4 times(!) higher per kilo (and not only for organic products). I’m a believer in the idea of food being simple and non-exclusive (as in not exorbitantly-priced). Basically I believe the best way to support producers is to buy and eat their products, full stop.
PARIS VEGAN HAUL: THE HUMBLE BEANS
Long story short, I always make sure to grab some good quality local varieties of beans, lentils, and other pulses for a home-cooked treat after my holiday is over. Even ordinary supermarkets stock quite a few local varieties, sometimes protected by a special designation of origin. For example, in the picture below, the beans in the middle (mogettes) seem to be “generic” French white beans, whereas the ones on the right – mogettes de Vendée – bear the Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) from the Vendée region in France, sort of a Guarantee of provenance. (In reality, it gets more complicated. Other more stringent designations -AOP, AOC – also exist, and those guarantee stricter control of the (traditional) processing and ingredients etc.)
Regardless of whether they carry a fancy designation or not, they taste much better than Chinese beans, and I don’t need to pay triple or quadruple the price. Buying these also always makes me curious to research how to recreate some local recipes. For example, a traditional recipe for the beans from the Vendée area indicates piling them on a hot buttered toast rubbed with garlic. Or, for a (much) more elaborate dish – try them with bacon rinds, and a dandelion salad with walnut oil.
Also, don’t hesitate to buy these for a gift to someone (vegan, vegetarian, or otherwise). You can pack them up with some good salt, or spices like oregano in a nice paper bag for a cute rustic gift with a sprinkle of French je-ne-sais-quoi.
PARIS VEGAN HAUL: AN ODE TO LENTILS
Lentils come out maybe even humbler than beans – however, the French varieties score very high in taste, even if their packaging doesn’t inspire as much. Look past the package because the ones that are packed simply often taste as good as the fancy ones – at a fraction of the cost. (If you have firm requirements about the provenance etc. look for labels that indicate the production area etc.) For example, the Monoprix-branded Lentilles vertes du Berry (green lentils from Berry) bear the same AOP/AOC protected designation of origin as much pricier fancier packages found in specialty stores.
Fun fact: the region of Berry used to be a ancient province in France until the end of the 18th century, when the administrative unit of a département was introduced and Berry was split into the two départements of Cher (High Berry) and Indre (Low Berry). Interestingly, many food products continue to use the name “du Berry” to indicate origin (examples are cheese or these lentils).
PARIS HAUL: LAVENDER HONEY
Don’t leave France without a jar of lavender honey – it’s one of those distinctive products of the country that you really need to try. The one I got – just from a regular supermarket – cost some (around 10 euro for 500 grams I believe) but even a bit of it goes a long way. The texture feels unctuous and it smells waxy (like a honeycomb) and dizzyingly flower-sweet. It does weight on your luggage and is fragile – though I find the jars to be pretty thick and resilient, but you won’t regret it!
PARIS HAUL: CHEESE
And finally, I know cheese does not count as really portable. If you can, do take some – even if it stinks up your suitcase a bit, it will be worth it. Some specialty cheese shops (fromageries) can vacuum-wrap the cheese for you, so that it stands a good chance of surviving a short- or medium-long flight (of course, provided you’re not subject to restrictions on importing diary into your home country! – don’t forget to check about these in advance). Last but not least, even if you’re subject to import restrictions, you could still get a bit of cheese for nibbling on at the airport. After all, what more suited food for a good-bye meal in France? 😉
BONUS: A SMALL UNWRAPPING SAGA
One sunny day around noon, the petit round of Banon ended up on my table …
…wine glass awaiting full nearby, I carefully untied its string, and unfolded the dry oak leaves that were enveloping it…
…to reveal a beautiful ripe round of concentrated goat cheese, flavoured like autumn.
THE END
Hope you enjoyed this post! Please let me know if you buy and/or try any of these foods or ideas. For more inspiration check out the other posts in the Souvenir Diaries series! 🙂
In Part 1 of the Souvenir Diaries series I already explored – at length! – the numerous edible (and some non-edible) souvenirs you can get your hands on from Italy.