I know we’ve had these threads over the years, but not one lately, and I think it’s always fun to hear about what other people have found to bring home from Santiago. I am not a big shopper, but I do really like to fill up a duffel bag with stuff I can’t get at home — some for me, some for family.
I described how I do it on a recent thread—- I take an empty duffel bag with me on the flight over and have it wrapped up and ready to mail from the first post office I come to in Spain. (There is one at T2 at the Madrid airport, and one near Chamartín train station but both are currently closed for covid). I mail the duffel up to Santiago (either to Ivar’s storage or to San Martín Pinario where I’ll be staying). So I have a full bag to fill with goodies!
I buy liters and liters of olive oil, either in cans or in plastic bottles. None has ever leaked or broken, knock on wood, and I’ve done this for more than 15 years. I usually buy some bubble wrap to help with the packing. and they are packed in a fabric duffel bag.
My second favorite purchase are some canned seafood. I know that sounds gross, but if you go to Las Conservas del Camino in the Santiago market, you will see many different tins of all kinds of delicacies. I always get about a dozen tins and give them away - sometimes I don’t even know what the contents really are, but the tins are beautiful and (almost always) very good. I once got some razor clams in a yucky sauce, but that has been the only fiasco to date.
Other things that are on my shopping list
— pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika — those in the know say it must be from the region of La Vera, so that’s what I always get, but I probably couldn’t tell the difference.
— cheeses (no problem bringing them into the US, it’s the meat that is the problem). Find a shop or stall in the market with a machine that can put the cheeses you buy into a vacuum pack. They last for a long time.
— beans. There’s a grocery store on the right side of the street down to the train station (Rúa do Hórreo) that sells Alubias de Lourenzá, which are a white bean from Galicia that my vegetarian daughter and her family really love. I’m sure they are available other places, but I usually go there just because it’s my habit. Lots of regional bean specialties, and those can also come into the US. NOT rice, though, that’s prohibited.
— Cross of Santiago template for those tartas de Santiago. Well, you only need one, but they are easy to find in a ferretería in Santiago and cost only a few euros. I have brought a couple home for some serious baker friends.
— Wine. I do occasionally bring home a bottle or two of wine for friends who have more sophisticated tastes than I do, but only if I can find some that is not readily available in the US. There is so much Spanish wine here in the US that it seems silly to bring some home when I can pay a few dollars more and get the very same thing here. The Viñoteca do Mercado , also in the Santiago market, has a good selection of wines that are not exported.
My list has kind of been stuck in the same place for years, so i would love to hear some new ideas.
Buen camino, Laurie
I described how I do it on a recent thread—- I take an empty duffel bag with me on the flight over and have it wrapped up and ready to mail from the first post office I come to in Spain. (There is one at T2 at the Madrid airport, and one near Chamartín train station but both are currently closed for covid). I mail the duffel up to Santiago (either to Ivar’s storage or to San Martín Pinario where I’ll be staying). So I have a full bag to fill with goodies!
I buy liters and liters of olive oil, either in cans or in plastic bottles. None has ever leaked or broken, knock on wood, and I’ve done this for more than 15 years. I usually buy some bubble wrap to help with the packing. and they are packed in a fabric duffel bag.
My second favorite purchase are some canned seafood. I know that sounds gross, but if you go to Las Conservas del Camino in the Santiago market, you will see many different tins of all kinds of delicacies. I always get about a dozen tins and give them away - sometimes I don’t even know what the contents really are, but the tins are beautiful and (almost always) very good. I once got some razor clams in a yucky sauce, but that has been the only fiasco to date.
Other things that are on my shopping list
— pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika — those in the know say it must be from the region of La Vera, so that’s what I always get, but I probably couldn’t tell the difference.
— cheeses (no problem bringing them into the US, it’s the meat that is the problem). Find a shop or stall in the market with a machine that can put the cheeses you buy into a vacuum pack. They last for a long time.
— beans. There’s a grocery store on the right side of the street down to the train station (Rúa do Hórreo) that sells Alubias de Lourenzá, which are a white bean from Galicia that my vegetarian daughter and her family really love. I’m sure they are available other places, but I usually go there just because it’s my habit. Lots of regional bean specialties, and those can also come into the US. NOT rice, though, that’s prohibited.
— Cross of Santiago template for those tartas de Santiago. Well, you only need one, but they are easy to find in a ferretería in Santiago and cost only a few euros. I have brought a couple home for some serious baker friends.
— Wine. I do occasionally bring home a bottle or two of wine for friends who have more sophisticated tastes than I do, but only if I can find some that is not readily available in the US. There is so much Spanish wine here in the US that it seems silly to bring some home when I can pay a few dollars more and get the very same thing here. The Viñoteca do Mercado , also in the Santiago market, has a good selection of wines that are not exported.
My list has kind of been stuck in the same place for years, so i would love to hear some new ideas.
Buen camino, Laurie