Local honey is always a treat.
Years ago a woman I know planned a trip to France. She’d never been out of Pennsylvania, so this was a huge deal for her. I helped her with passport application, flight planning, hotel reservations, etc.
When she returned she gave me a bottle of French champagne. When I saw her next, months later, I told her the champagne was wonderful. In fact, I liked it so much I stopped at the liquor store and bought another bottle.
She started crying. She thought the champagne was only available in France. She bought it there and carefully brought it home on the flight.
I brought i good bourbon when i needed a gift for a Japanese guy i didn’t know.
It’s generally illegal for you to bring meat products into the US, even cooked meat. Dunno about Europe.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/meats-poultry-seafood
If you declare it, the only penalty is that they may confiscate it. But I’d check before planning to bring a meat product across international borders.
Cooked and cured meats (like pepperoni) are generally okay.
I’ve looked into bringing cooked salami home from Europe. Nope. It can be done commercially with a licence and stuff, but i can’t do it legally, and I’m not willing to smuggle just to bring home a salami.
Cured hams (prosciutto, Serrano ham, Iberian ham) and salami from areas within France, Germany, Italy and Spain may not be brought into the United States by travelers. These items may only enter in commercial shipments because there are special restrictions that require additional certification and documentation.
And US customs confiscated some smoked beef jerky i bought in Canada. Which is really stupid, since calves and beef cattle are sold across the border all the time, and we have all the same cattle diseases.
Dairy products are also restricted.
Cite? This site specifically mentions that charcuterie is not permitted.
Anything that you choose to export and then import should be carefully evaluated as to any legal ramifications, imposed customs, prohibitions, etc.
The last thing you want to do is find yourself in customs and have the item confiscated. Or, duties imposed that would likely meet or exceed what the recipient would have encountered if purchased direct.
A bit of research as to these constraints can easily make up for the time and inconvenience you later encounter!
[A canadian friend once found himself on the bad end of driving HIS car, purchased in The States, back to HIS home – in Canada. It cost him a fair bit of time, money for import fees AND TAXES and frustration. He now keeps a car in the states for use when in the states.]
Yeah. My experience is with bring it into the US.
You declared meat from the EU and they said, “yes, that’s okay”? Because casual one-off smuggling is easy, i know lots of people who have done it. Including a couple who have brought in a whole cured-but-not-cooked ham that is definitely illegal.
There may be a difference between uncooked cured meat products such as prosciutto and Serrano and Iberian hams, and fully cooked meat products such as pepperoni.
Like I said, things such as meats and cheeses may not be the best choice, unless they’ve been processed, and maybe not even then. And they may be locally-produced so are available there in any event. I’d suggest some uniquely American gifts that are unlikely to be available there, or are at least quite rare.
Small-batch Kentucky bourbon
California wines
A selection of American candy (I never saw 3 Musketeers or Payday bars in Europe)
Salty snacks (Funyuns, Cheetos, etc.)
A T-shirt from your hometown, that a tourist might buy
A sports cap or jersey, if they’re into American sports
Some more ideas, anyway.
Used to love 3 Musketeers, but can’t get them, so I keep forgetting they exist.
Tootsie Rolls, especially the small size (midgees), have gone over well.
Cheetos are now available in most of Europe. The ones we buy here are manufactured in Poland. They are not quite the same, as they don’t have the same ingredients.
Another suggestion would be spice blends, such as Tex-mex (taco) or something lie Everything But the Bagel, preferably from some place like Trader Joe’s or Penzey’s.
Vermont maple syrup, in this White House?
Especially if you make something with it during your visit. I did this when visiting family in Germany, then left the spice mix and the recipe.
This is a good suggestion. I have found many substitutes for Stateside ingredients in Europe, but chipotle powder has been nigh impossible to replace. I have friends and family bring me supplies when they visit.
I agree the suggestion of spice mix is an excellent one. Some friends in America sent us Penzey’s seasonings as a gift and it was much appreciated. It has the advantage that spice mix is much more a part of American culture than European, so it will be a genuine novelty and something that they wouldn’t normally buy and can’t get locally, but are quite likely to use if they do any home cooking. And it’s not super expensive or heavy.
If you are bringing a bottle of alcoholic drink, I would suggest something a bit special or local that isn’t mass produced. A bottle of applejack, for example (depending on where you live) may be more interesting than a bottle of bourbon. However bottles are heavy and a nuisance to pack in your suitcase.
If you are buying for kids, American candy sounds like a really good option. Nothing high-end, just the everyday candy you would buy in the local convenience store could be exciting and exotic to a European kid who’s never heard of it. Even a big bag of M&Ms would be appreciated as a gift even though you can buy them in Europe.
However I would avoid chocolate because it doesn’t travel well and American chocolate like Hersheys has a flavour and mouthfeel that many Europeans find unpleasant.
Oddly enough, popcorn seems to be a thing the rest of the world cares less about than the US and there are plenty of heirloom/amish popcorn brands available in the US that simply aren’t available outside. Buying an assortment of different heirloom popcorns (something like this) can be a really fun gift and allows people to see how different popcorn varietals can be from each other.
It’s a relatively compact gift that feels so much more bountiful than it is because of how much the finished product expands and almost everyone loves eating popcorn. Some of those folded paper movie theater buckets is also great if they have kids and want to recreate that American movie experience.
It’s a pretty easy, all purpose gift that I love to hand out when I don’t have something more personalized for someone to bring back from the US.
I had some friends in the Netherlands who always wanted me to bring brownie mix to them. It just wasn’t something they could easily (or affordably) find in Rotterdam.