Foods to bring to the French (when coming to visit)

I love this post from David Leibovitz, as well as many of his recipes found on his blog http://www.davidlebovitz.com

 

If you were to ask me, bring PECANS! I have yet to see pecans around here...Especially those wonderful sugared pecans from Trader Joe's, the best store in the world ever :)

 

And then the French are really big on sugared and chocolaty cereal, which drives me nuts sometimes because I am trying not to feed my little one sugar as soon as she opens her eyes in the morning. For the afternoon snack the customa is chocolate or cake or something really sweet again!

We can find Cornflakes and Ricecrispies. Would love some Cheerios, and was I happy when I discovered them at a little American food store in Paris! Check this out, conversation in French:

 

I ask how much, the lady goes 'deuz euros'. And for every non native French, the difference between deux and douze, meaning 2 and 12 when followed by another word as in 'euro' (because the connection with a vowel starting word is made in this case by pronouncing the 'z' ) is rarely perceived. So happy me I thought 'that is cheap!' because I know stores like these usually overcharge. I was like, I'll take the 2! (apparently since I left the States there is another Cheerios- whole wheat or smth. and I had 2 boxes in my hand).  Handed the lady out 4 euros. She looked at me pittifully, said nothing, I, surprised in turn said "it is 4 euros, right?" "No madame, I said 12, so 24 for the two" and she shows me 10+2. With like 100km/hr I take out the 2 boxes of cereal and hand them back to her. With a smile that I think expressed everything I was thinking, I said "I missunderstood, sorry." Just could not resist telling her "however, 12 euros for a box of cereal!"

And she started explaining how much it costs to import, charges etc.

Well, I'll just mix the honey nut Cheerios with the Rice crispies to reduce the sugar....

 

And bring some Mint chapsticks! The French don't really like the mint...very hard to find them.

If it was 'transportable', I would also so love some Strawberry Hagen Dasz icecream....the pint kind...nope the French don't like anything else but chocolate, vanilla, some rum raisin and nuts.....not even pistachio can I find in the frozen section.

 

Here is David Leibovitz' selection.

Food Gifts to Bring French People from  America

 I often get asked by folks in the states what kind of things people from America they should bring to their French friends or hosts. And while it’s tempting to bring them something amusing like chocolate cake mix or boxed macaroni and cheese, they don’t see the same humor mixed with nostalgia in them that we do. (And yup, they have boxed cake mixes here too, so they’re not novel.) Peanut butter is also dicey; while we in America devour it, many French folks have an aversion to the flavor of it. Space is also at a premium so while it’s fun to think how delighted they would be to get a 2-gallon drum of “French” salad dressing or red licorice whips from the warehouse store, you’re probably better off devoting that luggage space to something that they’ll actually use and eat.

So if you bring something along, realize that bigger isn’t always considered better here. And although you might be tempted to super-size your purchases, it’s okay to bring modest sized boxes or bags of things. Note that there are a few sweeping cultural references based on generalizations. France, like American, is a diverse nation of people with various tastes. So while there are people in France that do like peanut butter, it just isn’t a popular item here for reasons you should ask your French friends about.
Here are some things I recommend toting along. Of course, if you’re coming from somewhere else, perhaps there are similar things in your country that might be of interest.

Maple Syrup, Honey, and Jam
Although this can be found in natural food stores and supermarkets in France, a bottle is really a true “American” (and Canadian) treat. However French people don’t usually douse their morning croissant or brioche with maple syrup, so a small bottle is sufficient. Suggest they drizzle it over plain yogurt. French people do love honey so if there is a locally produced honey in your area, that’s a neat gift since few of them have tasted honey made in America, such as tupelo or mesquite honey.
There is also a great love of jam in France, however there is a lot of that here already, and most of it is quite good. However if there is something rather special, especially something made with good raspberries or other bushberries like boysenberries or olallieberries, or things made with varietal citrus like Rangpur limes or Meyer lemons – which you don’t come across in France – those would make fine gifts.

Dried Sour Cherries
These are just starting to appear in specialty markets and cost around €7 for ten cherries. However they’re still novel and most people haven’t heard of them, but do like them when I give them a bag. The ones at Trader Joe’s or American Spoon Foods are always a hit.
Small Offset Spatula
You can now find measuring cups and spoons in kitchenware stores in France, even though they mostly use a scale (un balance) for measuring ingredients. But for some reason, the small offset spatula still eludes them, in spite of the fact that larger ones are available. They only cost about $2.99 and I reach for mine just about every time I bake something. A friend worked at a Michelin 3-star restaurant and noted one of the cooks did brisk business bringing them back from the United States and reselling them to the other cooks.
Rasp Zester
These have come to France, but like dried sour cherries, not that many people have one yet. And they’re also quite pricey, so one of these makes a good gift. You can get them from Microplane and I’m a fan of this one from Oxo.
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
A friend of mine who is a cook, every time I go back to the states, pleads with me, “Please, Daveed. Bring me back that heavy-duty foil. As much as you can carry!” French foil is really thin – you could read Le Monde through it – and rips easily, causing a lot of frustration to cooks. It drives me nuts as well because you can’t reuse it. So make your favorite French cook happy and stock them with the good stuff.

Bean-to-Bar Chocolate
The bean-to-bar chocolate movement not a widely known concept in France. Yes, there are some great chocolate companies, but if ask most people if they know of any of the small producers of chocolate, you’ll likely get a blank stare. There is also a view that American chocolate is all commercial and bad (and some is, and some isn’t), but in the past decade or so, there are nearly two dozen chocolate-makers in America that have been making some interesting bas. So a few choice tables would be of interest if your hosts or friends have open minds about trying some new, handcrafted chocolate.

California Dried Apricots
I used to tell people to bring California dried apricots (well, at least to me) because I love how tart and tangy they are in comparison to their sweet Mediterranean counterparts. Then I realized after giving them to some French friends, they were often too-tangy for their tastes.
But the spectrum of dried fruits in America is pretty amazing, and things like dried black figs, blueberries, sour cherries (mentioned above), cranberries, and curiosities like dried pluots are virtually non-existent in France. (Yes, I snuck in “virtually” because although you sometimes can find them, they’re still quite uncommon.) Your local farmer’s market will likely have some, Trader Joe’s, or natural food stores.
American Cheese
It might seem folly to bring American cheese (not the stuff individually wrapped in the supermarket) to France, but a lot of French people will never have the chance to try one because they’re not imported. English cheeses are starting to make inroads in France, but an interesting chèvre from California or a blue cheese would make a nice gift for someone who was open-minded about cheese from outside of France.

Macadamia Nuts
These are one of those curiosities that have sort of taken off in Paris. They’re rare, and pricey in France, and have a certain cachet. The chocolate-covered ones I would stay away from, or the candied ones, as French people don’t seem to be as fond of overly sweetened candied things as some folks in America are. (Which is why if you’re bringing candy corn to Paris, it’d better be for me.)

Heirloom Beans
I’ve gifted a bag of these heirloom beans to more French friends than anything else. Dried beans are pretty commonly used and available in France, but most are just the standard varieties. Interesting varieties are the Good Mother Stallard, Christmas limas, Scarlet runner from Rancho Gordo, which are variegated and are unusual. Go to a natural food store for a good selection.
California Wine
When I moved to France from California, I was always surprised when French people would say to me, “Oh, California. The wine there is very, very good.” I like California wine myself, but I didn’t understand why anyone from France would be praising California wine so highly. Most aren’t easily available here and although a number of people do visit the states, it wasn’t until I asked a French caviste why French people think so highly of California wine. “Most of them have never tasted it. They’re just saying that because they’re heard it’s good” he told me. Am not sure how true that is or not, but varieties that are somewhat unique to America, like Zinfandel (not the white stuff) are interesting. Most other states make wine, too. So perhaps check out some local labels from places closer to home to bring over, instead. French people also like whiskey (whisky), so if you know someone who will appreciate it, that makes a good gift as well.
Pecans
The French have taken to noix de pecan rather feverishly. However most of the times I’ve bought them, they’re unpleasantly over-the-hill. My guess is that they don’t turn over as quickly as they do in the states, where we bake heavily with them. So a bag of whole pecans is a welcome gesture.

Chocolate Chips
A growing number of desserts in Paris have chocolate chips tumbling out of them, not to mention the classic, les cookies. Yet if you want some to bake them at home, a tiny bag of pépites chocolat containing what looks to be a dozen or so chocolate chips inside, will set you back more euros than one could imagine. Since “Le cookies” have caught on in France, a bag or two or semisweet morsels makes a nice gift and will save someone some major euros.