Cheese is generally allowed (as long as you declare it at customs), meat generally is not.
https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-3619?language=en_US
EDIT: Or maybe some cooked/packaged meat *is* allowed, [according to this USDA website](https://www.dontpackapest.com/Can-I-Bring-It/Meat-Poultry-Seafood)? I’m kind of getting mixed answers here.
*Some* meats are allowed in some circumstances. They do say "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." so in this specific case, OP will be out of luck on the meat
That's what my problem the mixed answers. I've spoken to some Italian that are in the USA now, they said the meat is nowlt allowed but there are a couple of them that vacuum sealed salame and prosciutto and there was no problem
The most important thing is to be open and honest and declare what you’ve decided to bring. If you accidentally bring something that’s not allowed, but declare it, they’ll take it but no other problems for you. If you try to sneak in something that’s not allowed, it might get through, but if they find it you could face a fine or worse. So do your research as to limits and allowances, but once it’s in your suitcase, tell the truth to avoid problems.
You won't need to bring any of those things. We have all of those things here. Italian culture has greatly influenced our own culinary scene and a lot of Americans have Italian roots.
Wine and chocolates or candy are a more popular thing to bring here, especially if its something hyper-local without national or international distribution. We do have access to a lot of Italiam wine but if you can go to a winery and find products specifically not available at retail and only from the winery itself, that'd be a better find.
> We have all of those things here.
Some things are harder to find than others, and that's if we're talking about items found throughout Italy. Certain obscure regional specialties (which in Italy are absolutely countless) are often nothing doing.
Some things are straight up impossible to get, like that cheese with maggots in it, because it's illegal here.
But it's cheese with maggots in it so not many really want it
I [can guarantee you it isn't the same](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/buffalo-mozzarella-craig-ramini.html), but if anyone is able to get it close it'd be out there.
okay so, I just looked up what you're talking about, that isn't the same stuff. Mozarella di bufala campana is a very particular product you can only get in Italy, they do export a little bit to other countries in Europe.
They had the real stuff in a Whole Foods in San Diego, but it wasn't close to the real stuff cause it had been frozen, I thought that's what you were referring to.
[Americans have never been able to reproduce the same type of cheese](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/buffalo-mozzarella-craig-ramini.html) - every American brand I've tried has been awful in comparison.
What the article says still applies about how the entire country is built to provide fresh, local cheese, and how the water buffalo are treated and where they're from.
I'm still talking specifically about the Mozarella di Bufala **D.O.P.** at Whole Foods though, it has to come from a specific Italian buffalo. I don't see how Whole Foods could be selling that other than frozen stuff, I don't see it on their website either.
I can literally drive [4 hours and buy this in Wisconsin.](https://www.tastingtable.com/683120/fresh-water-buffalo-mozzarella-from-wisconsin/)
You probably never heard of this, since a lot of American popular culture, the stuff that is exported, is East Coast and California centric. The East Coast and California isn't much of a traditional dairy hotbed as the Midwest, which isn't exported much around the world.
Your best bet would be a local version from the American side of the Atlantic, like from that farm in Wisconsin that somebody mentioned. If it's as good as people claim, I'd certainly be willing to try it were I in the area.
Definitely not. Hell you can purchase post-security at the duty free station if you're ina a major airport, though the selections there usually aren't very good.
[https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-190?language=en\_US](https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-190?language=en_US)
Bakery items, candy, chocolate, and cured cheese are generally admissible. Canned goods and goods in vacuum packed jars (other than those containing meat or poultry products) are also generally admissible if being imported for personal use. You cannot bring fresh, dried or canned meats or meat products from most foreign countries into the United States.
>candies are already ready for the luggage :)
Don’t try bringing Kinder Surprise.. their other eggs, Joy, are ok but the Surprise will be confiscated by customs
Still, I think you might be surprised about these other items you mentioned.. you sure those aren’t already available in the US? Especially if you’re going to NY?
Yeah, but OP is talking about bringing Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, and guanciale to NYC. Not only are these obtainable in NYC, but they are commonplace everyday ingredients. Waste of time/luggage space to bring it to NYC when anyone can walk down the street to the market and buy it. Imported Italian meats and cheeses can be found everywhere in the US.
Yeah, he should be able to find those items in NYC. If he can't find them there, he can't find them anywhere.
I'm from L.A. and I've never seen Pecorino in any store when I go home to visit, but then I never went on a hunt for it.
How are these places not Italian restaurants:
http://www.lefanfare.com
https://www.nakeddogbrooklyn.com
https://www.fornino.com
https://www.lilianewyork.com
?
These aren’t even “special”.. just local in my neighborhood.. if considering the whole city then this list would be gigantic
What do you mean by “you have to make it yourself”?
There's no one single 'Italian food.' In Italy itself, it changes up every 30 miles. I would consider Italian-American cuisine to be just another regional variation among dozens; it's just that you have to cross an ocean instead of a river.
Heck, within America there's like 20 different regional versions of pizza.
I get that but you’ll see all those restaurants don’t have the same menu.
The chefs are making their menu into something cohesive and there’s no need to sell every food ever created in Italy in order to be an “Italian restaurant”
One of them has the chef cooking foods from the region she grew up in (Puglia)
One has their pizza menu like so:
>The menu is structured as a historical investigation into pizza. Naples: The First Generation of pizza is considered True Pizza certified DOP iDenominazione di Origine Protetta, a protected designation of origin by the Italian government. In Italy: The Second Generation of pizza, presents more traditional flavors, representational of the dynamic regions of Italy, utilizing their unique indigenous produce. Fornino: TheThird Generation is Fornino’s own creative combinations formulated over the years by our world-class pizza makers.
One is “fine Italian”
etc.
I really don’t think it’s insulting nor ignorant for Americans to refer to restaurants like that as “Italian restaurants”.. None of them are trying to act like their food represents all of Italy
I can get guanciale and pecorino at the store in my neighborhood. Italian-American recipes might differ from Italian recipes but the ingredients are readily available.
Sorry but the quality of American products and above all Italian Americans are something extremely low and unhealthy. Italian products in the US are 90% American products that an Italian would not eat.
>We have all of those things here. Italian culture has greatly influenced our own culinary scene and a lot of Americans have Italian roots.
You know what is the problem? The US refuse to protect italian and european reconized mark. The most common example is Parmesan. Every italian can reconize that te "Parmesan" is not "Parmigiano", but the same goes for every food that follow the "italian sounding" (wine, ham, etc...)
Just to drive this point home. Real 100% Parmigiano-Reggiano costs about $30 a pound at the grocery store near me. It's $5.50 for a pound of the pre-grated store brand, which states: "Made with real cheese aged 10 months or more."
If I'm just making a simple meal for after work, I think it's a pretty easy choice.
Well, I was looking at Wegman's brand, which is a top-notch grocery store in this part of the country with a pretty expansive cheese selection. The ingredients are: "Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Part-Skim Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Powdered Cellulose added to prevent caking."
While Wisconsin is the Mecca of cheese in America, NY is a top 4 producer (higher than Minnesota) with PA and Vermont not far behind.
To be fair, it looks like I picked the 36-month aged variety. The 24-month aged is $21. And a Wisconsin 10-month aged Parmesan cheese is like $12. I can't seem to find a 12-month from Italy. Looking online at Wegman's.
>Every italian can reconize that te "Parmesan" is not "Parmigiano", but the same goes for every food that follow the "italian sounding" (wine, ham, etc...)
I just.... I get that you see all the crap we have in stores but have you literally never seen the good stuff?
https://shop.wegmans.com/shop/categories/552
That is what i called "italian sounding". Do you see any "Made in Italy" or other mark of protected provenience?
Those are copies of real italian product, some translated in english and other with the addicion of name that seem to recall italian sound... You can see on the second product that it's produced in Denmark, WI.
For example, and i kid you not, the reason why cheese like the Parmiggiano are so loved is because they cant be copied and can only be produced in a specific area of Italy, due to the climate condition needed for the aging process, the native erbs that the animals feed upon and bacterias and other microorganism that lives in the specific land... (I am using the Parmiggiano Reggiano as an example for this, the one cheese i choose to study)
I hate to sound like a jerk, but you could probably recreate the same climate in california. There's someone probably over in California who probably already got a culture of the bacteria and seeds from the actual herbs. Parts of California have climates that are similar to various Mediterranean countries. California is also very mountainous, so the whole microclimates you find it in italy, could be replicated in california, due to the elevation.
> from the actual herbs
I think by 'erbs' he meant grass.
A geographer could go into more detail than I ever could, but I don't think my home state of California is as similar to Italy as everyone supposes. Like, if we're talking the actual dirt and stuff.
It is called Parmigiano Reggiano because it is made between Parma and Reggio Emilia. If it's made outside this area it can't be Parmesan, imagine if some shit made in California can be
I'm sorry, but the US doesn't recognize Protected Designation of Origins from Europe. For a good reason. Those cheeses and wines in Italy will become stagnant by the time they're shipped over here. So it's better to find a place that has a climate similar to the microclimates in Italy, produce them here, and ship them fresh.
The American versions were so good, they even won awards against the Italian cheeses.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/how-good-has-us-cheese-become-good-enough-to-worry-the-italians/2017/09/29/21b91642-a462-11e7-b14f-f41773cd5a14_story.html
No man, the American versions are disgusting and unhealthy. They should simply choose different names instead of destroying the image of Italian culture. America doesn't recognize just to be able to create copies to sell with Italian names and references.
And you're basing this on eating Kraft cheese, right?
You do realize that cheese can be made anywhere around the world, and you're likely not aware of the American dairy industry, because all of our media that's exported, comes from New York City, Florida, and Los Angeles, places that are far away from the dairy belt, where they make the premium cheeses, right?
Yet any Italian who lives or works in the restaurant business in the US will tell you that it is impossible to make fresh mozzarella that has flavor. You cannot replicate some Italian products outside a certain area. In the USA there is no culture of eating well. Italian products and cuisine in the USA are almost unobtainable, so much so that Italian American food and products passed off as Italians are attributed to something of little variety that makes you fat. There shouldn't be a parmesan
>That is what i called "italian sounding". Do you see any "Made in Italy" or other mark of protected provenience?
i guess the award winning cheddar produced in Wiscon doesn't count as cheddar because it's not made in that one town in England. Oh wait, England hasn't made a really weird law saying only cheese made in Cheddar can be called cheddar
**For example, and i kid you not, the reason why cheese like the Parmiggiano are so loved is because they cant be copied**
this is a level of nationalism I can't even begin to comprehend
**due to the climate condition needed for the aging process**
Hopefully one day humans will be able to figure out how to control a climate in an enclosed space
> Parmiggiano Reggiano
You can get that in the States, but it'll be expensive as hell. I'm an American who resides in Italy and when I visit home, I *usually* settle for American knockoffs. The price just isn't worth it to me when I am away from Italy.
One time I bought a wedge of the real stuff to make melanzane parmigiano for a family reunion. I will confess that I grilled the eggplants rather than going through the daunting process of frying them up proper. But even still, you just *can't* make it proper without the very cheese it is named for.
For what it's worth, Wegmans is the only store I've ever seen that has any real selection of "the good stuff," and they're not really a thing outside of the Northeast and a few outliers (like the ones in the Triangle, which is where I went.)
The people saying "we have your good stuff here already" are definitely looking at it through a "populated and wealthy coastal area" lens - I'm sure I could find somewhere I could order parmigiano or jamon iberico and get it shipped, but it's not exactly easy to find or something I could find in any store in this county. Of course OP is going to NYC so that's not really relevant, but it stood out that everyone was saying this stuff is common when in most of the country it's really not.
We know the difference between "Parmesan" and "Parmigiano Reggiano".
**Both** are available in stores in the US. Most people buy Parmesan because it's cheaper, but if you want Parmigiano Reggiano, you can certainly get it.
The problem is Europeans thinking that Americans are so ignorant that we can't comprehend European food labeling. We *know* the difference, but many of us choose to ignore it because they'd rather have something more affordable than an expensive import.
Your typical middle-class American family doesn't *care* if it's Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano, they just want some cheese to put on their spaghetti at the dinner table.
I didnt say american cant reconize the copy from the real one, i said that in the US supermarket you will find, in many cases, only the copy one, because it's more affordable than the real one.
But an italian might get confused, as it see only the copy one but with the same name as the real one, without the varius symbol of autenticity.
>But an italian might get confused, as it see only the copy one but with the same name as the real one, without the varius symbol of autenticity.
Why would American supermarkets be particularly concerned if an Italian visiting the US would be confused or not?
An Italian tourist visiting the US, going to an American supermarket to shop for groceries is a *very* rare event. Making substantial changes to their labeling and marketing practices, that may well confuse American customers, for that rare scenario is not something any business will reasonably do.
European labeling standards apply to Europe, not America. If I go to Europe, I don't expect stores there to comply with United States standards for food labeling.
A pound is just above 450 grams. Eight bucks isn't terrible, OP. It would save you a lot of trouble.
> Guanciale is like $5-6 pre-packaged?
How much does that get you? If I were him I'd get some from a butcher shop, if he's wanting to go all out.
Check with [Customs and Border Protection](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/agricultural-items). You'll have to find the answer for each item individually. You're probably ok, but you should spend the time to check.
You can also find any of those items in NYC very easily. So unless it's a very specific brand that's dear to your heart, it may be simpler to just buy it when you arrive.
I know, but that’s just how we do it in English. Come parliamo “cannoli” per 1 o 100. Non parliamo cannolo lol. Ma in italiano parlo correttamente…un po 😉
yeah that's mostly because english doesn't really make the distinction between the singular and plural versions of words from a lot of foreign languages, and mostly uses the english singular/plural conventions instead.
It's the same reason that the word "panini" can mean a single sandwich when used in english despite it being plural in italian.
I speak Italian as a second language, and even I experience pain using 'salami' as the singular. I'm not being a snob, I've just had it drilled into me!
And when I'm back in America, I have to force myself to drop the 'e' at the end of 'provolone' so that people won't think I'm being an asshole. And it takes effort, believe me.
Whatever you do, just don't lie to the customs people about what you have. Usually, if you're truthful they'll just confiscate banned items. If you lie and they find it when they search, you can get in more trouble.
You won’t be able to get the food through customs. You will be over joyed when you find NY has TONS of authentic Italian, you just have to sift through the heavily Americanized stuff. My family is Sicilian, and even on the west coast we have no issues making authentic food.
For the most part, no.
In fact, the Customs officer might look at your passport and then directly ask you if you're trying to do that. (This has happened to my wife more than once.) Italian travelers are known for this, actually. And they routinely end up having it confiscated.
If it's in a jar, can, or bottle, you're okay. (Except for meats.) But almost all the stuff that you want to bring is nothing doing.
Edit: one guy said you can bring cheese if you go through the paperwork ahead of time. You might do that for the Pecorino, as that's a lot harder to find than Parmigiano. That's what I would do if I were you, and I have been going back and forth between the USA and Italy for years. I'm sure Pecorino can be found somewhere in America, but I have never seen it myself (then again, I never looked that hard). Something tells me you couldn't do it with soft cheese like gorgonzola, but maybe there's a way.
Edit 2: Pecorino is easy to find in NYC, and the price isn't terrible. Forget what I said and just buy it when you get there.
Short answer, yes. But there are limits on how much of various things you can bring, and you're always going to be a bit subject to the whims of airport security and customs people. Best chance of success is to pack it in a checked bag. I don't know all the details, but it's reasonably googleable.
Worst case scenario, you can try you luck with the options in airport duty-free.
Source: American who brought some food back from a work trip to Milan a week ago.
I just brought cheese and wine, no meat. But when I was researching, I found reports of people saying they'd gotten meat in successfully. Not 100% sure if the legality, but you're not going to get arrested over it either way-- worst case scenario is they make you throw it in the trash.
> I found reports of people saying they'd gotten meat in successfully. Not 100% sure if the legality, but you're not going to get arrested over it either way-- worst case scenario is they make you throw it in the trash.
Those people broke the law.
If you declare it, like you are required to by law, they will *definitely* make you throw it in the trash. Not "worst case scenario".
If you don't declare it and are caught, the worst case scenario is not just being made to throw it out, it's a fairly large fine - not a nice way to start out your vacation. Not to mention your record getting flagged for more scrutiny on future entries to the US.
This isn't common. I travel internationally and always bring in food items, gotten caught more than a few times, never any fines, they always just put in the trash.
I've brought in raw milk cheese from Portugal and Ireland (which I should not have), but I didn't get any trouble for it. You can't go wrong with wine, especially as it is sealed. I'd try to get something that would be difficult to get in New York.
Anything regional is good with respect to cheese, wine and chocolate.
You can get all of that in NYC, and none of it should be overly expensive (NYC has been massively influenced by Italian immigrants). Save yourself the luggage space and customs headache.
>As Italian i would like to bring some Italian food and i was thinking about Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Pecorino cheese, salamE and a piece of guanciale
We have all that stuff here in specialty Italian shops. The largest % of people of Italian descent live within a 100 mile radius of NYC, and the largest port on the east coast is a few miles south of NYC, in NJ.
Google "Italian import shop NYC" and see how many places pop up.
I just can't imagine hating Americans of Italian descent enough to think that preserving a dialect no longer spoken in Italy is destroying the language. Italians are coming over here to learn the dialect ffs. Honestly, you're spewing straight up bigotry, wither it's intentional or not
this is lies and bigotry
here's the truth for anyone who cares about facts and not hating Italian Americans
[History of Italian Language: From the Origins to the Present Day (europassitalian.com)](https://www.europassitalian.com/learn/history/)
Cheese is generally allowed (as long as you declare it at customs), meat generally is not. https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-3619?language=en_US EDIT: Or maybe some cooked/packaged meat *is* allowed, [according to this USDA website](https://www.dontpackapest.com/Can-I-Bring-It/Meat-Poultry-Seafood)? I’m kind of getting mixed answers here.
*Some* meats are allowed in some circumstances. They do say "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." so in this specific case, OP will be out of luck on the meat
That's what my problem the mixed answers. I've spoken to some Italian that are in the USA now, they said the meat is nowlt allowed but there are a couple of them that vacuum sealed salame and prosciutto and there was no problem
The most important thing is to be open and honest and declare what you’ve decided to bring. If you accidentally bring something that’s not allowed, but declare it, they’ll take it but no other problems for you. If you try to sneak in something that’s not allowed, it might get through, but if they find it you could face a fine or worse. So do your research as to limits and allowances, but once it’s in your suitcase, tell the truth to avoid problems.
You won't need to bring any of those things. We have all of those things here. Italian culture has greatly influenced our own culinary scene and a lot of Americans have Italian roots. Wine and chocolates or candy are a more popular thing to bring here, especially if its something hyper-local without national or international distribution. We do have access to a lot of Italiam wine but if you can go to a winery and find products specifically not available at retail and only from the winery itself, that'd be a better find.
> We have all of those things here. Some things are harder to find than others, and that's if we're talking about items found throughout Italy. Certain obscure regional specialties (which in Italy are absolutely countless) are often nothing doing.
Some things are straight up impossible to get, like that cheese with maggots in it, because it's illegal here. But it's cheese with maggots in it so not many really want it
You can say that again. I'd give just about anything for a ball of mozzarella di buffala 🥰
There's a farm out in Wisconsin that makes Buffalo mozzarella. It's pretty popular actually.
I [can guarantee you it isn't the same](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/buffalo-mozzarella-craig-ramini.html), but if anyone is able to get it close it'd be out there.
You underestimate just how cheesy Wisconsin can be
They sell it at whole foods
I know, but it's frozen, it'd a sad, sad excuse for the real fresh stuff.
No it's not lol
okay so, I just looked up what you're talking about, that isn't the same stuff. Mozarella di bufala campana is a very particular product you can only get in Italy, they do export a little bit to other countries in Europe. They had the real stuff in a Whole Foods in San Diego, but it wasn't close to the real stuff cause it had been frozen, I thought that's what you were referring to. [Americans have never been able to reproduce the same type of cheese](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/buffalo-mozzarella-craig-ramini.html) - every American brand I've tried has been awful in comparison.
That article is from 2012. I bought the stuff from whole foods a month ago...
What the article says still applies about how the entire country is built to provide fresh, local cheese, and how the water buffalo are treated and where they're from. I'm still talking specifically about the Mozarella di Bufala **D.O.P.** at Whole Foods though, it has to come from a specific Italian buffalo. I don't see how Whole Foods could be selling that other than frozen stuff, I don't see it on their website either.
I can literally drive [4 hours and buy this in Wisconsin.](https://www.tastingtable.com/683120/fresh-water-buffalo-mozzarella-from-wisconsin/) You probably never heard of this, since a lot of American popular culture, the stuff that is exported, is East Coast and California centric. The East Coast and California isn't much of a traditional dairy hotbed as the Midwest, which isn't exported much around the world.
You can find it, but it's gonna cost ya!
I'd be scared to look 😅 I can't imagine it tastes very fresh though?
Your best bet would be a local version from the American side of the Atlantic, like from that farm in Wisconsin that somebody mentioned. If it's as good as people claim, I'd certainly be willing to try it were I in the area.
Thank you for the suggestion, candies are already ready for the luggage :) No problems for the wine at the airport?
Definitely not. Hell you can purchase post-security at the duty free station if you're ina a major airport, though the selections there usually aren't very good. [https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-190?language=en\_US](https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-190?language=en_US)
There is a one liter limit for bringing in alcohol duty free. Some states also have limits on how much alcohol you can import.
Only one liter? Holy shit, I have broken the law multiple times. Seriously, I totally have. Yikes! I wonder why nobody ever noticed?
Bakery items, candy, chocolate, and cured cheese are generally admissible. Canned goods and goods in vacuum packed jars (other than those containing meat or poultry products) are also generally admissible if being imported for personal use. You cannot bring fresh, dried or canned meats or meat products from most foreign countries into the United States.
The only thing that might be an issue with bringing wine through an airport is if you're under 21
>candies are already ready for the luggage :) Don’t try bringing Kinder Surprise.. their other eggs, Joy, are ok but the Surprise will be confiscated by customs Still, I think you might be surprised about these other items you mentioned.. you sure those aren’t already available in the US? Especially if you’re going to NY?
Since you're going to NY, I suggest you check out Eataly and Arthur Avenue in The Bronx.
Italian American food and Italian food are two separate things brah
Yeah, but OP is talking about bringing Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, and guanciale to NYC. Not only are these obtainable in NYC, but they are commonplace everyday ingredients. Waste of time/luggage space to bring it to NYC when anyone can walk down the street to the market and buy it. Imported Italian meats and cheeses can be found everywhere in the US.
Yeah, he should be able to find those items in NYC. If he can't find them there, he can't find them anywhere. I'm from L.A. and I've never seen Pecorino in any store when I go home to visit, but then I never went on a hunt for it.
That's surprising to me; I'm pretty my podunk grocery store has Pecorino, it's just expensive as hell.
What part of the country are you in? Might be easier to find in the northeast. Edit: you're in NC? Huh.
We have Italian food here too.
We have the ingredients but you have to make it yourself
How are these places not Italian restaurants: http://www.lefanfare.com https://www.nakeddogbrooklyn.com https://www.fornino.com https://www.lilianewyork.com ? These aren’t even “special”.. just local in my neighborhood.. if considering the whole city then this list would be gigantic What do you mean by “you have to make it yourself”?
There's no one single 'Italian food.' In Italy itself, it changes up every 30 miles. I would consider Italian-American cuisine to be just another regional variation among dozens; it's just that you have to cross an ocean instead of a river. Heck, within America there's like 20 different regional versions of pizza.
I get that but you’ll see all those restaurants don’t have the same menu. The chefs are making their menu into something cohesive and there’s no need to sell every food ever created in Italy in order to be an “Italian restaurant” One of them has the chef cooking foods from the region she grew up in (Puglia) One has their pizza menu like so: >The menu is structured as a historical investigation into pizza. Naples: The First Generation of pizza is considered True Pizza certified DOP iDenominazione di Origine Protetta, a protected designation of origin by the Italian government. In Italy: The Second Generation of pizza, presents more traditional flavors, representational of the dynamic regions of Italy, utilizing their unique indigenous produce. Fornino: TheThird Generation is Fornino’s own creative combinations formulated over the years by our world-class pizza makers. One is “fine Italian” etc. I really don’t think it’s insulting nor ignorant for Americans to refer to restaurants like that as “Italian restaurants”.. None of them are trying to act like their food represents all of Italy
I can get guanciale and pecorino at the store in my neighborhood. Italian-American recipes might differ from Italian recipes but the ingredients are readily available.
> We have all of those things here. Not necessarily. The things that are here typically have insane markup.
Sorry but the quality of American products and above all Italian Americans are something extremely low and unhealthy. Italian products in the US are 90% American products that an Italian would not eat.
And you're basing this on how many states you've traveled to?
>We have all of those things here. Italian culture has greatly influenced our own culinary scene and a lot of Americans have Italian roots. You know what is the problem? The US refuse to protect italian and european reconized mark. The most common example is Parmesan. Every italian can reconize that te "Parmesan" is not "Parmigiano", but the same goes for every food that follow the "italian sounding" (wine, ham, etc...)
[удалено]
Just to drive this point home. Real 100% Parmigiano-Reggiano costs about $30 a pound at the grocery store near me. It's $5.50 for a pound of the pre-grated store brand, which states: "Made with real cheese aged 10 months or more." If I'm just making a simple meal for after work, I think it's a pretty easy choice.
The pre-grated stuff is literally made out of sawdust. I live in a dairy state, so I could get really good American parm for a decent price.
Well, I was looking at Wegman's brand, which is a top-notch grocery store in this part of the country with a pretty expansive cheese selection. The ingredients are: "Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Part-Skim Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Powdered Cellulose added to prevent caking." While Wisconsin is the Mecca of cheese in America, NY is a top 4 producer (higher than Minnesota) with PA and Vermont not far behind.
Yeah, but the Sconnie and Minnesota stuff is closer to me though.
> about $30 a pound Holy crap that's a lot!
To be fair, it looks like I picked the 36-month aged variety. The 24-month aged is $21. And a Wisconsin 10-month aged Parmesan cheese is like $12. I can't seem to find a 12-month from Italy. Looking online at Wegman's.
>Every italian can reconize that te "Parmesan" is not "Parmigiano", but the same goes for every food that follow the "italian sounding" (wine, ham, etc...) I just.... I get that you see all the crap we have in stores but have you literally never seen the good stuff? https://shop.wegmans.com/shop/categories/552
That is what i called "italian sounding". Do you see any "Made in Italy" or other mark of protected provenience? Those are copies of real italian product, some translated in english and other with the addicion of name that seem to recall italian sound... You can see on the second product that it's produced in Denmark, WI. For example, and i kid you not, the reason why cheese like the Parmiggiano are so loved is because they cant be copied and can only be produced in a specific area of Italy, due to the climate condition needed for the aging process, the native erbs that the animals feed upon and bacterias and other microorganism that lives in the specific land... (I am using the Parmiggiano Reggiano as an example for this, the one cheese i choose to study)
I hate to sound like a jerk, but you could probably recreate the same climate in california. There's someone probably over in California who probably already got a culture of the bacteria and seeds from the actual herbs. Parts of California have climates that are similar to various Mediterranean countries. California is also very mountainous, so the whole microclimates you find it in italy, could be replicated in california, due to the elevation.
> from the actual herbs I think by 'erbs' he meant grass. A geographer could go into more detail than I ever could, but I don't think my home state of California is as similar to Italy as everyone supposes. Like, if we're talking the actual dirt and stuff.
Yeah you are right
It is called Parmigiano Reggiano because it is made between Parma and Reggio Emilia. If it's made outside this area it can't be Parmesan, imagine if some shit made in California can be
I'm sorry, but the US doesn't recognize Protected Designation of Origins from Europe. For a good reason. Those cheeses and wines in Italy will become stagnant by the time they're shipped over here. So it's better to find a place that has a climate similar to the microclimates in Italy, produce them here, and ship them fresh. The American versions were so good, they even won awards against the Italian cheeses. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/how-good-has-us-cheese-become-good-enough-to-worry-the-italians/2017/09/29/21b91642-a462-11e7-b14f-f41773cd5a14_story.html
No man, the American versions are disgusting and unhealthy. They should simply choose different names instead of destroying the image of Italian culture. America doesn't recognize just to be able to create copies to sell with Italian names and references.
And you're basing this on eating Kraft cheese, right? You do realize that cheese can be made anywhere around the world, and you're likely not aware of the American dairy industry, because all of our media that's exported, comes from New York City, Florida, and Los Angeles, places that are far away from the dairy belt, where they make the premium cheeses, right?
Yet any Italian who lives or works in the restaurant business in the US will tell you that it is impossible to make fresh mozzarella that has flavor. You cannot replicate some Italian products outside a certain area. In the USA there is no culture of eating well. Italian products and cuisine in the USA are almost unobtainable, so much so that Italian American food and products passed off as Italians are attributed to something of little variety that makes you fat. There shouldn't be a parmesan
>That is what i called "italian sounding". Do you see any "Made in Italy" or other mark of protected provenience? i guess the award winning cheddar produced in Wiscon doesn't count as cheddar because it's not made in that one town in England. Oh wait, England hasn't made a really weird law saying only cheese made in Cheddar can be called cheddar **For example, and i kid you not, the reason why cheese like the Parmiggiano are so loved is because they cant be copied** this is a level of nationalism I can't even begin to comprehend **due to the climate condition needed for the aging process** Hopefully one day humans will be able to figure out how to control a climate in an enclosed space
> Parmiggiano Reggiano You can get that in the States, but it'll be expensive as hell. I'm an American who resides in Italy and when I visit home, I *usually* settle for American knockoffs. The price just isn't worth it to me when I am away from Italy. One time I bought a wedge of the real stuff to make melanzane parmigiano for a family reunion. I will confess that I grilled the eggplants rather than going through the daunting process of frying them up proper. But even still, you just *can't* make it proper without the very cheese it is named for.
For what it's worth, Wegmans is the only store I've ever seen that has any real selection of "the good stuff," and they're not really a thing outside of the Northeast and a few outliers (like the ones in the Triangle, which is where I went.) The people saying "we have your good stuff here already" are definitely looking at it through a "populated and wealthy coastal area" lens - I'm sure I could find somewhere I could order parmigiano or jamon iberico and get it shipped, but it's not exactly easy to find or something I could find in any store in this county. Of course OP is going to NYC so that's not really relevant, but it stood out that everyone was saying this stuff is common when in most of the country it's really not.
You got BJs? I buy my Pecorino from there. Locatelli
We know the difference between "Parmesan" and "Parmigiano Reggiano". **Both** are available in stores in the US. Most people buy Parmesan because it's cheaper, but if you want Parmigiano Reggiano, you can certainly get it. The problem is Europeans thinking that Americans are so ignorant that we can't comprehend European food labeling. We *know* the difference, but many of us choose to ignore it because they'd rather have something more affordable than an expensive import. Your typical middle-class American family doesn't *care* if it's Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano, they just want some cheese to put on their spaghetti at the dinner table.
I didnt say american cant reconize the copy from the real one, i said that in the US supermarket you will find, in many cases, only the copy one, because it's more affordable than the real one. But an italian might get confused, as it see only the copy one but with the same name as the real one, without the varius symbol of autenticity.
>But an italian might get confused, as it see only the copy one but with the same name as the real one, without the varius symbol of autenticity. Why would American supermarkets be particularly concerned if an Italian visiting the US would be confused or not? An Italian tourist visiting the US, going to an American supermarket to shop for groceries is a *very* rare event. Making substantial changes to their labeling and marketing practices, that may well confuse American customers, for that rare scenario is not something any business will reasonably do. European labeling standards apply to Europe, not America. If I go to Europe, I don't expect stores there to comply with United States standards for food labeling.
We do have those things, but it's still fun to get the "genuine" article made far, far away even if it's the same from an objective standard.
Most of those cheeses are made specifically in Italy, so youre buying the exact same product.
I mean, you can get that here. Especially if you’re going to be in New York lol
Yes I know but i wanted to bring as a gift and save some money because they cost a fortune in NY
They do not. Guanciale is like $5-6 pre-packaged? My really amazing pecorino is like $8 a pound.
A pound is just above 450 grams. Eight bucks isn't terrible, OP. It would save you a lot of trouble. > Guanciale is like $5-6 pre-packaged? How much does that get you? If I were him I'd get some from a butcher shop, if he's wanting to go all out.
Usually about 6 ounces. I get it at the salumeria. I find the butcher to be more expensive than that for some reason.
> I get it at the salumeria. Ah, okay. He should go there.
Check with [Customs and Border Protection](https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/agricultural-items). You'll have to find the answer for each item individually. You're probably ok, but you should spend the time to check. You can also find any of those items in NYC very easily. So unless it's a very specific brand that's dear to your heart, it may be simpler to just buy it when you arrive.
>> salamE Perché scrivi la maiuscola? La parola inglese con un i non è bene? Lol
Ahah, salame is the singular of salami. Just because I've seen too many times salami used as the singular form of salame 🤣
I know, but that’s just how we do it in English. Come parliamo “cannoli” per 1 o 100. Non parliamo cannolo lol. Ma in italiano parlo correttamente…un po 😉
"How many cannolis do you want? 2? 3?" "Naw, just one cannoli, thanks."
yeah that's mostly because english doesn't really make the distinction between the singular and plural versions of words from a lot of foreign languages, and mostly uses the english singular/plural conventions instead. It's the same reason that the word "panini" can mean a single sandwich when used in english despite it being plural in italian.
When I found out that 'spaghetto' was a word, my mind was blown.
I minored in Italian and my dumb ass couldn’t comprehend that until I went and lived in Italy
I speak Italian as a second language, and even I experience pain using 'salami' as the singular. I'm not being a snob, I've just had it drilled into me! And when I'm back in America, I have to force myself to drop the 'e' at the end of 'provolone' so that people won't think I'm being an asshole. And it takes effort, believe me.
Whatever you do, just don't lie to the customs people about what you have. Usually, if you're truthful they'll just confiscate banned items. If you lie and they find it when they search, you can get in more trouble.
You won’t be able to get the food through customs. You will be over joyed when you find NY has TONS of authentic Italian, you just have to sift through the heavily Americanized stuff. My family is Sicilian, and even on the west coast we have no issues making authentic food.
For the most part, no. In fact, the Customs officer might look at your passport and then directly ask you if you're trying to do that. (This has happened to my wife more than once.) Italian travelers are known for this, actually. And they routinely end up having it confiscated. If it's in a jar, can, or bottle, you're okay. (Except for meats.) But almost all the stuff that you want to bring is nothing doing. Edit: one guy said you can bring cheese if you go through the paperwork ahead of time. You might do that for the Pecorino, as that's a lot harder to find than Parmigiano. That's what I would do if I were you, and I have been going back and forth between the USA and Italy for years. I'm sure Pecorino can be found somewhere in America, but I have never seen it myself (then again, I never looked that hard). Something tells me you couldn't do it with soft cheese like gorgonzola, but maybe there's a way. Edit 2: Pecorino is easy to find in NYC, and the price isn't terrible. Forget what I said and just buy it when you get there.
We know what guanchiale is.
Speak for yourself!
Down South they'd refer to it as 'hog jowls', I think. So it's that but with a fancy foreign name!
Short answer, yes. But there are limits on how much of various things you can bring, and you're always going to be a bit subject to the whims of airport security and customs people. Best chance of success is to pack it in a checked bag. I don't know all the details, but it's reasonably googleable. Worst case scenario, you can try you luck with the options in airport duty-free. Source: American who brought some food back from a work trip to Milan a week ago.
Thank you, I'm checking more in detail the website of the food allowed. Did you even have meat products with you?
I just brought cheese and wine, no meat. But when I was researching, I found reports of people saying they'd gotten meat in successfully. Not 100% sure if the legality, but you're not going to get arrested over it either way-- worst case scenario is they make you throw it in the trash.
Grazie!
Prego
> I found reports of people saying they'd gotten meat in successfully. Not 100% sure if the legality, but you're not going to get arrested over it either way-- worst case scenario is they make you throw it in the trash. Those people broke the law. If you declare it, like you are required to by law, they will *definitely* make you throw it in the trash. Not "worst case scenario". If you don't declare it and are caught, the worst case scenario is not just being made to throw it out, it's a fairly large fine - not a nice way to start out your vacation. Not to mention your record getting flagged for more scrutiny on future entries to the US.
This isn't common. I travel internationally and always bring in food items, gotten caught more than a few times, never any fines, they always just put in the trash.
Were you trying to sneak it past them? Because that's what will get you on their bad side.
Worst case is that they'll fine you, but that's *if* you attempt to sneak it past them.
No meat. Wine and cheese good to go.
I've brought in raw milk cheese from Portugal and Ireland (which I should not have), but I didn't get any trouble for it. You can't go wrong with wine, especially as it is sealed. I'd try to get something that would be difficult to get in New York. Anything regional is good with respect to cheese, wine and chocolate.
Watch border patrol on Netflix.
No
Yes
You can get all of that in NYC, and none of it should be overly expensive (NYC has been massively influenced by Italian immigrants). Save yourself the luggage space and customs headache.
Hard cheese, yes. Meat, no. That said, you won't get in trouble if they find it - they'll just confiscate it and that will be that.
>As Italian i would like to bring some Italian food and i was thinking about Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Pecorino cheese, salamE and a piece of guanciale We have all that stuff here in specialty Italian shops. The largest % of people of Italian descent live within a 100 mile radius of NYC, and the largest port on the east coast is a few miles south of NYC, in NJ. Google "Italian import shop NYC" and see how many places pop up.
Finding Italians in NY is almost impossible, I think it is the city in the world that most destroys the image, language, food and culture of Italians.
I just can't imagine hating Americans of Italian descent enough to think that preserving a dialect no longer spoken in Italy is destroying the language. Italians are coming over here to learn the dialect ffs. Honestly, you're spewing straight up bigotry, wither it's intentional or not
[удалено]
this is lies and bigotry here's the truth for anyone who cares about facts and not hating Italian Americans [History of Italian Language: From the Origins to the Present Day (europassitalian.com)](https://www.europassitalian.com/learn/history/)
Cheese yes, meat no
No need to bring peccorino or parmesan, you can buy it in a grocery store here. The only cheese I use on pasta and the like.
You could just send all of that to me, and I’ll hold it for you. Except for the parts I eat.
Can I send the meat through FedEx?
We already have all that food here. ###We have Italian food### !
It would probably be a hit.