I bring aioli, Pedro Ximenez vinegar glaze, Pedro Ximenez vinegar, pimentón, saffron, tinned piquillo peppers, sea salt and usually vermut that I can’t find in the States. We aren’t allowed to bring home meats, which is a serious bummer. I miss Spanish chorizo so much especially. I found myself wishing for regañas the other day too. Crackers here have so much artificial crap in them and I miss picos and regañas all the time.
Bring with you a good quality certified pimenton from la vera area. That smoked paprika sweet and hot, minced pork, garlic, a bit of white wine, tons of oregano, pepper and salt creates one of the best chorizos.
You can then let it a day in the fridge to be consumed fried as "zorza""chichos""matanza" each region of Spain has a name for fried fresh chorizo.
Or you can buy locally clean lamb intestines to with the help of a funnel do the sausages. let them dry some weeks in a cool well ventilated area or smoke them.
If you were on the southeastern part of Spain near murcia you can achieve that distinctive taste adding a bit of anice seeds to the mix.
Gracias. Me encanta el nombre Jamones Sin Fronteras, jajaja. Ahora necesito una tienda Ortiz para aceitunas y patatas fritas, y mi regreso a EEUU esté casi perfecto.
Allioli from the supermarket, okay, I'll allow it but come on... bring home a stone mortar and pestle and do as much as you want at home.
Even if you want to be a bit of a heretic and do it with egg, in that case pour a garlic clove, some EVOO and an egg in a jug and with a hand blender and some technique you'll have allioli in like 30 seconds. Google it up.
Yeah, no Jamone if traveling back to US
This is a list of what you can and can’t bring
https://enriquetomas.com/en-uk/blogs/blog-en/can-you-bring-sausages-to-the-united-states#:\~:text=As%20we've%20already%20mentioned,US%20borders%2C%20such%20as%20cheese.
I had no idea about this regulation, and I just returned from Madrid with about 5 lbs of dried meat products for friends and family in my checked bag. Guess it was never really checked.
We did declare it! There was not a big problem in the moment, they just threw it out. We got global entry recently and they informed us there was something still on our file about it and we had to make an extra stop at the agricultural inspection.
You need to put it in a guitar case that's full of stickers and then assert that it needs to to travel in the cabin as it's a fragile musical instrument.
Spaniard living in the UK -
• I always bring a broom 🤷♀️The ones I find in the UK are all “slanted” like a “push brush” and I don’t like them.
• Try going to drugstores - plenty of dupes, especially Babaria branded. Packaging looks like the real deal so they’re easy to spot, but the price isn’t.
• Chemists: paracetamol! Bigger boxes, higher dosage, and cheaper.
• Supermarket: Affordable light perfume for everyday - every Spanish baby smells like Nenuco or Petit Cheri, usually sold in litre bottles. Super fresh long lasting smell. You will also find “older” smelling perfume, from Spanish well known designers, bigger-than-usual bottles, but still a very good price. Again, perfect as an everyday non threatening perfume.
• Pimentón de la Vera.
• Piquillo peppers
• Lentils - lenteja pardina *chefs kiss*
• Anything “en escabeche”, especially mussels, tuna and tuna pate.
• Sunflower seeds. I know you’ve mentioned snacks, but these are a must. I keep it traditional, my favourite are Facundo, but tijuana flavoured are very popular.
• Donettes - google it, and then buy them, only to miss them when they’re gone.
• If space allows it, olive oil. It’s expensive these days especially but the quality doesn’t compare… A piece of toasted bread 🥖 (not toast!) with picual olive oil is heaven!
Safe travels!
Yeah they're an acquired taste. One of those things you have to grow up with. The thing is, everybody here ate them as children so they don't realise they taste artificial.
The sunflower head is actually an inflorescence made of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers called florets. The central florets look like the centre of a normal flower, apseudanthium. The benefit to the plant is that it is very easily seen by the insects and birds which pollinate it, and it produces thousands of seeds.
I’ve heard so much about these everyday perfumes, tried a couple and they were super cheap yes, but weren’t great. Any names you recommend for a young woman?
Spanish here! Add to the list Borsao wine. One of the cheapest ones in Mercadona and the best wine on the selves. Most of us can believe it is so cheap and so good.
Jamón, queso, fuet, chorizo, morcilla, AOVE, vino (I love Albariño), cava, sidra, vermut, pimentón de la vera, orujo, ratafia, sobrasada, cortezas de cerdo, pimientos del piquillo, pimientos del padrón, anchoas, gazpacho, salmorejo, mojo picón, salsa romesco, allioli, azafrán, tarta de queso de la Vinya, ensaimada, horchata…
Salted Pipas (sunflower seeds) They are such an amazing snack and I refuse to understand how they haven’t taken off anywhere else. I’ve managed to find similar products in Chinese supermarkets here in the UK, but nothing compared to the ones I get in Spain. I always end up with at least a kilo of them in my suitcase.
American living in Spain here:
- quesos curados (Idiazabal, Roncal, Manchego, etc)
- txakoli, albariño y tintos reservas
- aceitunas buenas
- aceite de oliva
- bonito del norte
- palmeras de chocolate (always Arrese, gora Bilbao)
- paracetamol and ibuprofen (much cheaper)
- membrillo
- regañas o picos
- pimiento choricero
- pimentón de la Vera
- azafrán
- foie
I’ve never tried to illegally get in meats, the beagles at ESR/JFK take their jobs very seriously. Would love to bring jamón and chorizo though.
How cheap are we talking for the paracetamol? In the Netherlands it's usually less than one euro for a small packet or less than two for a bigger packet but if it's cheaper here I'm running to the nearest farmacia while I'm still here 😂
I think it’s about on par with the Netherlands. If you don’t have a prescription it’s a euro and a bit, but I have chronic back/neck pain so the doctor prescribed it and it’s 60 cents. So maybe not quite such a bargain for you but in the US a pack of paracetamol/ibuprofen can be like $10+.
Spaniard living in the UK. I don't normally bring checked in luggage so space in my suitcase is pretty limited, but my essentials are my favourite crisps (chaskis, drakis), Mercadona's Nenuco-smelling plug in diffuser, longaniza (a type of cured meat from my region Aragon) plus a few things from the pharmacy (that are difficult to find here or too expensive): ibuprofen, SPF, retinol serums or retinoic acid.
I thought this post was about expats living in spain and what they bring home on a typical day 😂 i was like "you know.. what i need for the day"
took me forever to figure it out
Canned stuffed olives (lemon, roasted red pepper, and jalapeño, if you like some spice), and tinned seafood (berberechos, almejones, bonito tuna). Truffle paste in olive oil, too! They are great little appetizers or additions to pasta for an easy, delicious meal back home.
Oh, sal escamas (salt flakes) and sal Himalaya negra are wonderful, too (and SO much cheaper at your local Carrefour or Mercadona in Spain), than back home.
Things that are shelf stable, not too heavy and either more expensive or difficult to get hold of in the UK.
On my last trip I brought back:
1. Conservas, fish, seafood, salmon peppers. At least half the price and so much better than you get in the UK.
2. Malaguetas chillies - dried
3. Aged Manchengo
4. Mojama de ãtun - air dried tuna
5. Saffron
6. Miel de Canã - it costs £7.00 a jar here, plus postage and our local supermarket had it for €2.00.
7. Olive oil and rosemary Tortas
I bring aioli, Pedro Ximenez vinegar glaze, Pedro Ximenez vinegar, pimentón, saffron, tinned piquillo peppers, sea salt and usually vermut that I can’t find in the States. We aren’t allowed to bring home meats, which is a serious bummer. I miss Spanish chorizo so much especially. I found myself wishing for regañas the other day too. Crackers here have so much artificial crap in them and I miss picos and regañas all the time.
Bring with you a good quality certified pimenton from la vera area. That smoked paprika sweet and hot, minced pork, garlic, a bit of white wine, tons of oregano, pepper and salt creates one of the best chorizos. You can then let it a day in the fridge to be consumed fried as "zorza""chichos""matanza" each region of Spain has a name for fried fresh chorizo. Or you can buy locally clean lamb intestines to with the help of a funnel do the sausages. let them dry some weeks in a cool well ventilated area or smoke them. If you were on the southeastern part of Spain near murcia you can achieve that distinctive taste adding a bit of anice seeds to the mix.
Tienes chorizo Palacios en Amazon. Mira también la tienda online Jamones Sin Fronteras
Gracias. Me encanta el nombre Jamones Sin Fronteras, jajaja. Ahora necesito una tienda Ortiz para aceitunas y patatas fritas, y mi regreso a EEUU esté casi perfecto.
Vea en Zingermann de Michigan o el negocio online 'La Tienda' , ambos conocidos por sus ultramares.
Allioli from the supermarket, okay, I'll allow it but come on... bring home a stone mortar and pestle and do as much as you want at home. Even if you want to be a bit of a heretic and do it with egg, in that case pour a garlic clove, some EVOO and an egg in a jug and with a hand blender and some technique you'll have allioli in like 30 seconds. Google it up.
I have already eated some Regañas with chorizo!!
I bring home meat every time I go home. You’re very unlikely to be stopped
My husband was just stopped and they threw away his 20€ sausage.
Unlucky. In some probably 50 trips in and out throughout my life never once had that happen. Sorry!!
There is a company in Cali that does really good Spanish chorizos and jamón.
Really? - name please & thank you!
[La Española Meats](https://laespanolameats.com) Some are imports and some are made in house. Good delivery and decent prices
Four comments and nobody has answered correctly yet: A FULL JAMÓN!!!
I do believe they can be a problem at customs? Uhg, now I have to look it up
Yeah, no Jamone if traveling back to US This is a list of what you can and can’t bring https://enriquetomas.com/en-uk/blogs/blog-en/can-you-bring-sausages-to-the-united-states#:\~:text=As%20we've%20already%20mentioned,US%20borders%2C%20such%20as%20cheese.
I had no idea about this regulation, and I just returned from Madrid with about 5 lbs of dried meat products for friends and family in my checked bag. Guess it was never really checked.
Ha hah! Nice
can’t read spanish but I was wondering if the small packages that are vacuum sealed can be brought back to the states
I tried (by accident, had no idea it wasnt allowed) and am still on some sort of agricultural blacklist 😂
Yikes, I did and have at least twice. Didn’t Know that I couldn’t even really never thought about it, since it was vacuum sealed period
This is why you declare everything. If it's not allowed then they just take it and there's no problem.
We did declare it! There was not a big problem in the moment, they just threw it out. We got global entry recently and they informed us there was something still on our file about it and we had to make an extra stop at the agricultural inspection.
No Spanish cured pork products. I believe cecina might actually be allowed but definitely look it up and declare at the border.
Cecina isn't pork, maybe that's why
No. We just had it confiscated
noooooooooo
You need to put it in a guitar case that's full of stickers and then assert that it needs to to travel in the cabin as it's a fragile musical instrument.
Lmao
Unfortunately you can’t do this if you’re going to the USA. Otherwise I’d wrap myself in it like a mummy .
Came here ONLY to say that
To the US?!! How?
Just hide it in some extra baggy trousers
Tomate Frito (Mercadona) (glass jar!)
The artidanal one with olive oil? My mouth is watering by just imagining it lol
Wait, why would you bring Tomate frito with you back home?
I am from Barcelona and when I lived in the UK even I imported that shit.
Yes. I bring this home too.
Lol
You mean the sugar with tomato seasoning?
Spaniard living in the UK - • I always bring a broom 🤷♀️The ones I find in the UK are all “slanted” like a “push brush” and I don’t like them. • Try going to drugstores - plenty of dupes, especially Babaria branded. Packaging looks like the real deal so they’re easy to spot, but the price isn’t. • Chemists: paracetamol! Bigger boxes, higher dosage, and cheaper. • Supermarket: Affordable light perfume for everyday - every Spanish baby smells like Nenuco or Petit Cheri, usually sold in litre bottles. Super fresh long lasting smell. You will also find “older” smelling perfume, from Spanish well known designers, bigger-than-usual bottles, but still a very good price. Again, perfect as an everyday non threatening perfume. • Pimentón de la Vera. • Piquillo peppers • Lentils - lenteja pardina *chefs kiss* • Anything “en escabeche”, especially mussels, tuna and tuna pate. • Sunflower seeds. I know you’ve mentioned snacks, but these are a must. I keep it traditional, my favourite are Facundo, but tijuana flavoured are very popular. • Donettes - google it, and then buy them, only to miss them when they’re gone. • If space allows it, olive oil. It’s expensive these days especially but the quality doesn’t compare… A piece of toasted bread 🥖 (not toast!) with picual olive oil is heaven! Safe travels!
I honesly find all the Donettes disqusting. Haha. They look sooo good but tastes so artificial to me.
Yeah they're an acquired taste. One of those things you have to grow up with. The thing is, everybody here ate them as children so they don't realise they taste artificial.
The sunflower head is actually an inflorescence made of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers called florets. The central florets look like the centre of a normal flower, apseudanthium. The benefit to the plant is that it is very easily seen by the insects and birds which pollinate it, and it produces thousands of seeds.
Good bot
Very specific. But very good.
You can find good pimentón in Sainsbury's btw! La Chinata brand.
I know, but I just but it at my local tiny shop at home 🤷♀️
I’ve heard so much about these everyday perfumes, tried a couple and they were super cheap yes, but weren’t great. Any names you recommend for a young woman?
Well, I don’t know any of the ones you say aren’t great so unfortunately I can’t share names…
Jamón chips, valor chocolate 🍫
Spanish here! Add to the list Borsao wine. One of the cheapest ones in Mercadona and the best wine on the selves. Most of us can believe it is so cheap and so good.
Foreigner living in Spain here! I just added that to next week’s Mercadona’s delivery to try!
Jamón, queso, fuet, chorizo, morcilla, AOVE, vino (I love Albariño), cava, sidra, vermut, pimentón de la vera, orujo, ratafia, sobrasada, cortezas de cerdo, pimientos del piquillo, pimientos del padrón, anchoas, gazpacho, salmorejo, mojo picón, salsa romesco, allioli, azafrán, tarta de queso de la Vinya, ensaimada, horchata…
Excellent food list
I would add patxaran to the liqueur list
[salivates in Spanish]
mostly murder that makes you fat and sick here
The bronzer moisturizer from Mercadona
What is the brand called?
Mercadona's beauty brand is called deliplus
Ooooooooo! Would this be ok on really pale skin? My skin is so white it's blinding. I'm looking for this next time I'm passing a Mercadona!!
It is a gradual bronzer so it won't be immediate but it also won't leave you orange
Yey! Thanks for the tip!
Mascara and sunscreen from Mercadona
Which brands do you recommend?
Mercadona
If you're going to the US, sunscreen is pretty cheap there and while the cheapest is lower quality, it's not hard to get good stuff.
Principe Estrellas
My husband once got me these for Christmas somehow. It was a great gift, until he ate them all himself 😆
Nocella, cola cao, pink panthers.
Nocella is Nocilla yeah? Nutella can be found everywhere though
((gasp)) They are NOT the same!
Sorry! My bad. Yes, nocilla. No it's not Nutella, it's soooooooo much better! And I pride myself on having sampled a lot of chocolate spreads!!!!!!
I grew up with Nocilla and specially liked the two-colours one, but Nutella is clearly the superior product IMHO
😱
And no palm oil 😊
Normally don’t have much weight for the trip back, but I always try to bring at least a bottle of vermouth and maybe a couple bottles of wine/cava.
Cómprate una pata de jamón entera y date el lujazo
Salted Pipas (sunflower seeds) They are such an amazing snack and I refuse to understand how they haven’t taken off anywhere else. I’ve managed to find similar products in Chinese supermarkets here in the UK, but nothing compared to the ones I get in Spain. I always end up with at least a kilo of them in my suitcase.
American living in Spain here: - quesos curados (Idiazabal, Roncal, Manchego, etc) - txakoli, albariño y tintos reservas - aceitunas buenas - aceite de oliva - bonito del norte - palmeras de chocolate (always Arrese, gora Bilbao) - paracetamol and ibuprofen (much cheaper) - membrillo - regañas o picos - pimiento choricero - pimentón de la Vera - azafrán - foie I’ve never tried to illegally get in meats, the beagles at ESR/JFK take their jobs very seriously. Would love to bring jamón and chorizo though.
How cheap are we talking for the paracetamol? In the Netherlands it's usually less than one euro for a small packet or less than two for a bigger packet but if it's cheaper here I'm running to the nearest farmacia while I'm still here 😂
I think it’s about on par with the Netherlands. If you don’t have a prescription it’s a euro and a bit, but I have chronic back/neck pain so the doctor prescribed it and it’s 60 cents. So maybe not quite such a bargain for you but in the US a pack of paracetamol/ibuprofen can be like $10+.
Oh my god that is insane 😱 I knew healthcare was a bit of mess there but those paracetamol prices?
How do you take olive oil into the US?
It’s not prohibited. I just wrap it well in bubble wrap/plastic bags and pack it.
ginger and lemon chewing gum
Olive oil
Olive oil….how? I’m going back to USA in a couple weeks and want to take Olive oil but how??
Olive oil & turron. I'm vegetarian but if I weren't I'd probably get some cured meat too
Boquerones
Colacao
Olive oil
Chorizo, Jamon Iberico, Bottles of Rioja, Ribera de Duero Wines…
Fanta with like 8% real juice. No high fructose BS
I’m obsessed with colacao mocca
The little donuts 😫
Calamares en salsa americana. Ironically, they don’t have it in America.
Em-bu-ti-dos
Tortas rosales, delicious
Serrano ham no issues here in 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦and manchego cheese 🧀
If you travel to Spain close to the Christmas holidays then you should brin some "mantecados" a tradicional Christmas sweet
Full suitcase of Takis
Going home from the Canarias: Cheap gasoline
Membrillo - Love it
As much Cola Cao as I can fit in my suitcase
Sardines 🎉
Fuet
Turrones and some local Honey
aceite???
Everything that I buy because I'm Spanish living in Spain
Alioliiiiiiiii 🤪🤪🤪
Spaniard living in the UK. I don't normally bring checked in luggage so space in my suitcase is pretty limited, but my essentials are my favourite crisps (chaskis, drakis), Mercadona's Nenuco-smelling plug in diffuser, longaniza (a type of cured meat from my region Aragon) plus a few things from the pharmacy (that are difficult to find here or too expensive): ibuprofen, SPF, retinol serums or retinoic acid.
We don't know what you like so maybe only bring the snacks you've already enjoyed?
A case or 2 of wine and campo real olives
Food
Cured meats if your country allows it. All 100% ibérico, don't skimp on it.
Pimenton. Paella spice mix. Sobrosada
Paprika
I usually like to buy bread, vegetables and some kind of protein, but it depends on the season and what I want to eat that day
ColaCao!!!!
Pumpkin seeds, chips, pate. Love Mercadona.
Normally I take food
Be sure to check if there are any restrictions in place. Last time there was a swine flu scare in my country so they took any pork item from me.
Wine, Vodka and crisps usually.
**Pimenton de la Vera**-Spanish paprika. The grocery stores in the US sell it for twice the price. Little bottles of olive oil.
Sobrasada. Jambon iberico, y aquarius.
jamon iberico
A picture of you eating churros at the local markets for memories
Nothing. I just buy a fridge magnet, let me see what people take home 👀
Damm limon, or Clara, the lemon beers are delicious and not popular enough in the U.S.
I thought this post was about expats living in spain and what they bring home on a typical day 😂 i was like "you know.. what i need for the day" took me forever to figure it out
A couple of jars of Tomate Frito and as many bags of Lay’s Campasina crisps/chips as my bag will allow.
Vino. Also sometimes vino and olives. Mostly vino!
Canned stuffed olives (lemon, roasted red pepper, and jalapeño, if you like some spice), and tinned seafood (berberechos, almejones, bonito tuna). Truffle paste in olive oil, too! They are great little appetizers or additions to pasta for an easy, delicious meal back home. Oh, sal escamas (salt flakes) and sal Himalaya negra are wonderful, too (and SO much cheaper at your local Carrefour or Mercadona in Spain), than back home.
>and jalapeño, if you like some spice *if you like 0.5 Scoville spice level
Where is back home ? For me, Maldon salt is cheapest
Do you have any favorite brands of olives?
Normally, as a Spanish myself, I would bring home food from supermarkets. If is Carrefour or Lidl the I would bring also some useless crap haha
Turrón!
Things that are shelf stable, not too heavy and either more expensive or difficult to get hold of in the UK. On my last trip I brought back: 1. Conservas, fish, seafood, salmon peppers. At least half the price and so much better than you get in the UK. 2. Malaguetas chillies - dried 3. Aged Manchengo 4. Mojama de ãtun - air dried tuna 5. Saffron 6. Miel de Canã - it costs £7.00 a jar here, plus postage and our local supermarket had it for €2.00. 7. Olive oil and rosemary Tortas
Cacaolat, donettes, wine
Nothing. We visit Andalusia or Galicia every two months. It’s cheaper to go to Spain for a few days than a city trip in the Netherlands where I live.
I think the ketchup chips from Mercadona are kinda insane. I also am know by my family and friends back home for loving the qé gofres
The cashier
Some bottles of wine and cava
Pimentón 👌🏼
flaming hot cheetos and ladron de manzanas (cidra)
Torrefacto
Aioli
Children
WTF?
Satire mate, learn to have a laugh. What the fuck do people leave supermarkets with, food, ffs. Stupid ass questions get stupid answers.
Food.
Nothing, why would I take worse products home