It has been 3 years since we lived in Italy, and our hoarded kitchen supplies from Milan are long gone. Last week’s Italian adventure was the perfect chance to change that, since we went by car. I was giddy with anticipation. Grocery shopping in Italy ranks high on my list of fun stuff to do.
Small items were purchased here and there along the way, but our last morning in Italy was when the shopping got serious. First it was the farmer’s market in the center of Padua for artichokes, clementines, tomatoes, exotic mushrooms, bell peppers, and other fresh veggies. (Yes, we have vegetables in Munich, but at twice the price and half the quality.)
After a farewell lunch we stopped by a grocery store, just to pick up ‘one or two things’ before we got on the road. An hour and a half later, we dragged ourselves out of the shops, loaded down with weeks worth of food. Five kinds of cheese (parmigiano, grana, pecorino, burrata, and smoked scamorza). White truffle oil. Dark chocolate Ciobar (thick Italian-cafe-style hot chocolate). Wine. Porcini bouillon cubes. Cynar. And on and on and on.
Along with the 25 or so liters of olive oil we had obtained in the south, this spree made for one packed car. I got home wondering where I would put it all. I shouldn’t have worried so much – it’s not lasting long.
One of these days I’m going to have to go check out the giant Italian grocery store outside of Munich that Em has been telling me about…
Wow…those mushrooms are freakishly large!
They look freakishly delicious too!!!
They’re porcini mushrooms, the most freakishly delicious mushrooms in the world (in my humble opinion). You can only find them fresh when they’re in season, and they’re pretty darn expensive, even in Italy. Dried ones are more affordable, and they work well reconstituted in sauces and fondue.
I’ve only ever seen fresh porcini for sale once in the US – at the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle in NYC.
The second picture reminds of those drawings in children’s books, where you have to “Find the mushroom, find the book..etc” I am trying to figure out just how many things are in that picture right now… Whew!!
Hi there…
I’m an American expat blogger who sometimes lurks around your site. I love it! My husband’s from Munich and we live in Lugano.
Have you discovered Mimo Grasso’s place, Feinkost Grasso, Maillinger Strasse in/near Nymphenburg in Munich? Many good Italian imported products and he and his wife cook lunch every weekday (maybe Saturday too). Usually he has three or four varied dishes. They’re from Calabria, we think. You’ll like it.
Tell him Stefan Heinz, who used to buy pounds and pounds of espresso and then moved away, sent you.
Just reading this makes my mouth water.
NewWrldYankee – Know what’s more fun than finding the things in the photo? Eating them. 🙂
AdventureAwaits – thanks for the recommendation! I haven’t found much in the way of decent Italian food in Munich.
Taiwan-Teacher – How’s the access to international groceries in Taiwan? We can’t get a lot of this Italian stuff even in Germany, so I imagine not too much of it makes its way to Asia, either…
Oh man, I think I’m drooling!
those are some seriously stunning groceries. i sure hope spina doesn’t disappoint. if it does though, we can drink free samples of wine to take the edge off your disappointment.
Free wine is always good for curbing disappointment…
Oh wow – now that looks like a fun time! Love all the pics too. And all of that cheese, I so miss that.. Really I can’t believe it’s only been 3 years as you’ve also been in Switzerland too! I can’t believe it’s been over 4.5 years since I’ve been back.
Cynar and tonics are a summer standard in our house. You should be able to find that in your local liquor/grocery store. We just buy it at Coop.
Okay, my husband was wondering if you have eaten in Bergamo – in the old city. God bless him – he is a good ol’southern boy the Italiens adore and he had such a great experience in Europe – the most memorable was an overnight stay in Bergamo. The walled city he loved and some restaurant they picked served the fish encrusted with sea salt. Being a boy from the Chesapeake area, he was very happy. They went from there to the Amalfi coast where the four hour meeting was held at a restaurant that had been in the same family for four generations and had docks outside the restaurant over the Adriatic Sea….Very happy guy.
I want to know if you have any problems transporting produce over international boundaries….
And i got an INCREDIBILY longing for tuna tapenda made with Italien olives packed in olive oil, bay leaf…..
ET – yeah, we change countries frequently!
TBF – it tastes better when you buy it in Italy. 😛
Deborah – Bergamo is adorable indeed! We were there a couple times when we lived in Milan (it’s not far). Italy is so full of amazing destinations it’s ridiculous.
There’s not much for border checks when driving from one EU country to the next these days, so that’s easy enough. Switzerland is different, though, and they have strict limits on things such as meat and dairy products (the Swissies like to drive across the border to Germany and buy things cheaper), and you may get stopped and taxed if you go over the limit. Not sure if produce is one of the things they care about, though.