Food Gift Ideas
Well, in order to complete my graduate degree, I am taking an independent field study to a few different countries in Europe, and as a part of that, I will be interviewing various people in the government and business world. I am not allowed to give them money in exchange for the brief (about an hour long) interviews, but I am allowed to give them something small as a gift for taking the time to meet with me.
In that sense, I wanted to give them something tasty (food or drink-related) that I could easily pack to get over there. Since I live in Minnesota, I thought about something like Caribou Coffee beans (since that is a MN company - or at least used to be), or wild rice or something like that. But I wanted to see if any of you might have better ideas.
Just in case it helps, I will be going to Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Oh, and if any of you are familiar with those places, and have ideas for gifts from there (food related, if possible) to bring back, or specific foods that you think that I just *have* to try while there (traditional Hungarian goulash, for instance), then I would love to hear those ideas, too!
Thanks in advance!
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12 Comments:
I can tell you what you should bring back from the places:
Hungary- paprika, the plum wine, csypetke (sp), a hungariean cookbook.
Austia,-wine, cookbook, pumpkin seed oil (if you like it) , their coffee.
I cna't remember what my mother used to bring them when we visited the relatives, I just remember her treating them for a very nice dinner.
pjracz10 at 1:25PM on 02/06/09
When I did an independent field study in my undergrad, I was told that little gifts should be as local to where you are as possible - if you have a local coffee shop you like, coffee beans would be good. What makes a little gift like that so special is that you brought it ALL the way from home. I'm not sure what else you have locally, but whether you stick with food related or not, make it local!
joyyy at 1:32PM on 02/06/09
err, as local to where you are from/where you are coming from (hometowon area/state or town/state where you're going to school).
joyyy at 1:32PM on 02/06/09
I agree with gifting with your local flavor. The Caribou coffee sounds like a great idea (I didn't know it was from MN!), but I often like to give local chocolates as they are nicely packaged and fairly light on the luggage.
runnereater at 1:57PM on 02/06/09
Maple syrup is very American, and a favorite when we go to Europe. And I think wild rice is a good idea.
lemons at 1:58PM on 02/06/09
Jack Daniels is always a great gift. I know that sounds silly, but I have family in Hungary (who I just visited a month ago) and I am doing an exchange in the Franceland and people love Jack. I'm from TN, so it's also a great gift b/c we make it there.
As far as Hungary goes cuisine wise, I'm not sure where you're going, but there is a town called Szombathely and God Himself wakes up every morning to make the ice cream there. The best food can be found in Sorkifalud in my aunt's house where she still cooks over a wood burning stove. Do you want me to tell her you're gonna be coming by for a few days? :) It's like... 1 hour from Vienna by train... where my family lives. A small village where a BREAD TRUCK comes au lieu of an ice cream truck.
As far as Hungarian food goes... here are some pastry suggestions:
Gyumolcs Torta is my favourite. You should try that. Dobos Torta. Zserbo. Mezeskalacs. But, you MUST try this: Kürtőskalács. Wikipedia that.
Savory suggestions: Töltött paprika (stuffed peppers) to be eaten with Lecsó, Töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage), Csirkepaprikás (chicken paprikash... my grandfather's is AMAZING), Paprikás krumpli (a great stew with potatoes in it...)...
Yeah, ha. I could go on for days about Hungarian food.
meg3j at 7:48PM on 02/06/09
Oh, you HAVE to bring back some paprika (obviously) and Eros Pista. It's this red chili paste and I use it all the time. You can find it in any store. Oh, Hungarian salami, too. Any of their savanyusag (pickled foods) would be great, too.
meg3j at 7:50PM on 02/06/09
Oh, okay and from Hungary- Palinka and Unicum... both liquors.
meg3j at 7:51PM on 02/06/09
Thanks, guys! If you have more ideas, keep them coming!
@meg3j: I already have paprika on my list! I love the Hungarian version, which is a lot better for stews, I have found, than say, the Spanish version - although that one certainly has its uses, too.
Traveller at 7:59PM on 02/06/09
GO MEGGIE...!!!!
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 10:33PM on 02/06/09
I'm not sure with the coffee--will they have the ability to grind the beans? Also, some Europeans like a different flavor than Americans. I would tend (even as a non-drinker) to go with the alcohol, either a good California wine or perhaps Absolute vodka in interesting flavors. Chocolate or fancy local cookies and crackers from your area that taste nice. So would nuts, or novelty spiced nut mixes. I'm almost inclined to say that even slightly downscale but American stuff like candies, nut butters, crackers, and so forth would be appreciated with booze. Pecans and peanuts, even though they are not from your region might be hard to come by.
Tempted to add that a Whitman's sampler with Snoopy on the cover (given Charles Schultz's Minnesota roots) would be fun ;)
HeartofGlass at 10:21AM on 02/07/09
Rocky Mountian Chocolate is a good gift from MN. I love visiting my daughter in Minneapolis, the coffee would be nice also.
WSLunch at 4:08PM on 02/07/09