Travel mementos for foodies

Over the years I have collected so many mementos from trips across the globe. Many of them are simply things to look at. And while I love the street art that covers our walls and the little trinkets that fill our family travel cache I have found the mementos that I enjoy the most are the ones I get to use. Or more specifically, eat or cook with. 

If you are a food loving globetrotter we’ve got some great ideas for what to pick up on your travels so you can relive your favorite experiences at home. 

First and foremost, know the rules for what you can bring back with you.

Spices

One of the best ways to bring the flavor of a place home with you is through the spices that bring the food to life. In Italy, I grabbed a jar of pepper blend to make Cacio e Pepe at home. While in Mexico I nabbed a few disks of spiced chocolate for making homemade hot chocolate and have even used it as part of a blend for coating a roast. My recent go-to spice for roasted veggies has been the Deep Dish Pizza Pizzazz blend from The Spice House in Chicago. The smell and taste of these bring a little bit of our trip home with us. 

Recipes

I’m a cookbook and magazine addict in my every day life so adding to my collection while traveling is only natural. Besides, cookbooks and food magazines are a great way to bring the flavor of a trip home with you and recreate it for your loved ones. One of my favorite cookbooks is a tapas version I grabbed while in Barcelona, Spain. This is also the spot where my husband proposed so a little patatas bravas and croquetas de jamon brings back lots of good memories. 

Tools

I’m not really a person who likes to have a specialized piece of equipment for everything, but there is something special about picking up a kitchen tool that reminds you of where you got it. One of my all time favorite finds is a mortar and pestle I picked up in a little shop while wandering the narrow streets of Florence. There are specialized pieces of equipment that speak to the place they are from. Think of crumpet rings from England, ramekins from France, and clay cookware from Latin America. 

Wines and Liquors

It isn’t always about the food. Often times the perfect drink can make a meal and bring back the memories of a special trip. Thankfully it is pretty easy to get your favorite beverage back into the states. Wine is one of our favorite mementos. We even found a great little shop in Italy where we got to talking to the owners and found out we can set a monthly budget and they will send us wine that we can’t get in the US. All of our trips to Mexico have included bringing back a bottle of local tequila. And we sort of use it is a gauge for when it is time to head back to the beach. 

Hopefully, this gets you thinking about what you will look for on your next trip and how you might bring a little taste of place back to your home kitchen. Happy eats and safe travels.