The Best Food Souvenirs to Bring Back from France

France has no shortage of things to bring home with you. A piece of clothing, a tote bag from your favorite shop, a bottle of wine, and flea market items for your home are just a few of the possibilities. But if you ask me, the most fun and thoughtful souvenirs you can possibly pack are food items you can eat.

Food souvenirs from France have some romance to them that others simply don’t. Open a jar of Dijon mustard six months after your trip and you’ll remember your favorite bistro. Offer a friend some French chocolate and you’ll remember exactly where you bought it. I think flavors and smells take you back to places like nothing else can. And no place more than France.

Whether you’re shopping for yourself, looking for gifts that will genuinely make someone you care about smile, or trying to squeeze every last bit of France into your suitcase before the flight home, these are just a few ideas to get you started. Here are some of the best food souvenirs, at least some of my favorite things, to bring back from France. And these are some that make it in my suitcase every single time. If I missed any of your favorites, comment below and I’ll try them on my next trip.

Here’s how I wrap some of my favorite things to make lovely little gifts for someone I truly care about

• Mini Porcelain Spoons
• Wood Berry Basket 5.5”
• Wood Berry Basket 4”
• Red Cardboard Berry Baskets
• Red White and Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
• Brown Crinkle Paper Shred

Some of the best food souvenirs to bring back from France

I don’t know about you, but when packing to return home, I always run out of room. So my only advice here it to be selective about what you bring back and only buy the things that you really want or have in mind for someone.

When you’re preparing for your trip, always pack some sealable plastic bags of different sizes. It helps keep things organized and if something breaks during the trip home, it doesn’t create as big of a mess in your luggage. I’m speaking from experience here. 

My favorite places to buy food souvenirs are usually the local markets, the supermarchés, and Monoprix stores, and Carrefour.

Good French butter

Good French butter is always at the top of my list. It has so much more flavor than what you find at your local market, and in France the variety is remarkable. There are s o many flavored butters to choose from. I’ve tried quite a few over the years, but good plain butter with a little sea salt is almost always my go-to. Butter is truly one of the best souvenirs to bring back.

Getting it home requires a little planning. I’ve had good luck packing butter in zip-lock bags in my checked luggage, which usually travels in a cold environment. The main concern is the time spent outside the airport. Getting to and from the airport, butter can soften quickly depending on the weather and how long you’re in transit, so plan accordingly.

My favorite place to buy butter in Paris is La Grande Épicerie de Paris (located in the heart of Paris), the huge food hall next to Paris’s famous department store Le Bon Marché. One thing that makes it especially worth the stop: they offer vacuum sealing for butter and other items near the exit. You can also ask the clerk at checkout and in my experience they’re quite helpful about it. Vacuum sealing makes a real difference for travel, and it’s one less thing to worry about on the way home.

Sweets and chocolates

Chocolate

There are so many sweets and chocolates to choose from so it’s completely a personal choice. For me, I really enjoy the simple chocolate bars. Some of them are French and a few are Swiss chocolates. Even though the chocolate bars may not be technically from France, I don’t let that sway my decision. I buy the ones that I prefer. 

Cookies and biscuits

If this photo doesn’t make you want to clear out the entire cookie shelf, I don’t know what will. The cookie and biscuit aisle in a French supermarket is an adventure in itself, and it’s not hard to find. For me, the fun is in looking for French cookies you won’t find back home: palmiers, sablés, gaufrettes, and buttery little biscuits that come in flavors and formats that simply don’t exist in the American cookie aisle. You can find some Bonne Maman cookies at speciality food stores in the U.S., but there are definitely ones in France you won’t find at home.

I love to pick out a few varieties to try first, then go back and buy the ones I like the most, whether for myself or to bring home for friends and family. They pack well, they travel easily, and they always make people very happy.

Regional specialties

France’s regional sweet specialties are some of the most fun things to find and try. Two of my favorites are almost impossible to resist. Pralines aux amandes (sugar-coated almonds in that iconic, vivid redish pink) are a Lyon specialty. They are almost as beautiful to look at as they are to eat. In the south of France, particularly in Montélimar, you’ll find nougat in every shade from ivory white to honey gold, packed with almonds, pistachios, and dried fruit. Both travel exceptionally well, hold up in a suitcase, and make wonderful gifts, especially for anyone who appreciates something a little different from what they’d find at home. Keep an eye out for them at local markets and specialty shops as you travel through the different regions. Half the fun is finding them where they actually come from.

Pantry items

Many classic French pantry staples (Dijon mustard, olive oil, jam) have made their way onto American supermarket shelves. That’s exactly why, when I’m shopping in France, I look for the brands and varieties I don’t normally see at home. The French supermarché is a treasure hunt for anyone who loves to cook, and the pantry aisle never disappoints.

Mustard

Dijon mustard is probably the most iconic French condiment, and buying it in France makes an every day item just a little bit more fun. Maille, the classic brand, is widely available back home. But in France you’ll find varieties and jar sizes that never make it to the U.S., including beautiful little verrines (glass jars) that are worth keeping long after the mustard is gone. Look also for Bénédicta’s Bourguignonne, a mustard made with Burgundy red wine that’s a wonderful find.

Fleur de sel

Maybe I’m just a romantic glamorizing the “French Thing.” But good salt is one of the best and most practical souvenirs you can bring home. And France has some of the finest. Fleur de sel from Guérande in Brittany and from the Camargue in Provence are both easy to find and pack beautifully. You’ll also come across flavored varieties like fleur de sel with tomato and basil and it’s a lovely one that makes an excellent gift. Salt is light-weight, inexpensive, and endlessly useful in the kitchen.

Spices and herbs

The Albert Ménès spice displays are a quite large and run from floor-to-almost-ceiling. There are bottles of everything from badiane (star anise) and cardamom to smoked paprika, cloves, and coriander, all in those distinctive glass bottles with red labels. Even if you can find similar spices at home, the quality and the packaging make these worth picking up. Herbes de Provence is an obvious choice, but don’t overlook the single spices either. They make lovely souvenirs that take up almost no room in a suitcase.

Olive oil

France produces its own excellent olive oils, particularly from Provence. You’ll find varieties in French supermarkets that simply don’t travel to the U.S. market. Nyons AOP olive oil, with its protected designation of origin, is a regional specialty worth seeking out. The selection of herb-infused oils like the gorgeous bottles packed with whole bay leaves and rosemary are beautiful.

Olives, tapenades, and pistou

The olive and olive spreads aisle in a French supermarket is an event. Picholine, Nyons, Kalamata, olives à l’ail, olives à la grecque. There are so many that I haven’t even heard of before. For bringing home, jarred olives travel easily, and the Marius brand tapenade and pistou (the Provençal basil and olive condiment, France’s answer to pesto, but without nuts) are some of the best shelf-stable versions you’ll find anywhere. Stock up because they disappear quickly once you’re back home.

Jams and honey

France takes its confitures seriously, and the jam aisle reflects it. You’ll find flavors far beyond what’s available at home: chestnut, fig, mirabelle plum, blackcurrant, and quince alongside more familiar options. The honeys are equally worth exploring. There’s lavender honey from Provence, forest honey, and flower honey depending on the region. Both jam and honey pack easily in checked luggage and make beautiful, personal gifts.

French mayo

French mayo is rich, egg-yolk forward, and very different tasting from the American version. It’s no wonder the French serve it with French fries and simple sandwiches. I think the Baton Rouge brand is a very fun find.

Snacks and chips

French snacks are seriously underrated. The chip isle alone in the supermarché is worth a few minutes of your time. The Brets brand (Lays is also very popular) makes potato chips in flavors you simply won’t find back home: aïoli, honey mustard, pesto mozzarella, and our family favorite, poulet braisé (braised rotisserie chicken). I know that might sound unusual, but trust me, one bag and you’ll be a convert.

We discovered the roasted chicken-flavored chips when our kids were young, and we’ve been bringing them home ever since. In fact, we always pack a flattened cardboard box in our luggage, assemble it on the way back, and fill it with bags of chips for our now adult children. Is it a little over the top? Maybe. But when you find something this fun and this impossible to find anywhere else, you do what you have to do.

And don’t overlook the Niçois-style cashews that come in little bags and are seasoned with herbes de Provence or caramelized with fleur de sel. They are just as fun as the chips and far easier to pack.

Cheese

French cheese is one of life’s little but great pleasures and the temptation to bring some home is completely understandable. The good news is that most hard and semi-hard cheeses travel well and are generally allowed through US customs. Think Comté, Mimolette, aged Cantal, and similar firm cheeses. They generally travel just fine in a suitcase and are the safest bet for bringing home.

Soft cheeses are a different story. Brie, Camembert, goat, and other soft-ripened cheeses are technically prohibited from entering the U.S. And even when they make it through customs, they don’t always survive the journey in great shape. If you want to enjoy them, just eat them in France where they are usually served with something you’ll love.

If you are going to try and bring home some cheese, here are a few practical tips: 

• Only bring home really good cheese and ask your fromager to vacuum seal your cheese before you leave the shop (most will do it happily)
• Pack cheese in your checked luggage
• Keep it as cool as possible
• Always declare it on your customs form (and keep the original packaging and your receipt as proof of what you’re carrying)

Wine and champagne

Bringing wine home from France is a great souvenir, and it’s perfectly allowed. The key is getting it home safely and there are several ways to do that:

• You can actually buy dedicated wine travel bags (the kind with inflatable or foam cushioning)
• You can also wrap bottles securely in clothing and pack them in the center of your checked luggage, away from the edges
• If you plan on bringing back a few bottles, pack some bubble-wrap in your luggage
• I haven’t ask, but people have told me that many wine shops in France will also pack bottles for travel if you ask

So when you’re in your favorite region, or a local wine store, take the opportunity to pick up something you can’t find at home. Either on your own or with some help from a local, find a small producer, a lesser-known brand, or a vintage that never makes it to American shelves. You can buy Moët at home. You can’t always find the smaller vintages you may have tried at your favorite restaurant.

Final thoughts

The best food souvenirs from France are the ones that bring something back with them like a flavor, a memory, a moment at a market or a grocery store aisle that will later make you smile and remember. A jar of honey, a bag of chips for your kids, a block of good butter vacuum-sealed in a Paris food hall. My only advice is pack thoughtfully and some room for those things you find along the way. That’s really the most important thing.

Here are some things to do as you make your way through and all of France

• Maison Empereur: France’s oldest hardware store
• A great place to stay in Beaune, France and few things to do while you’re there
• The 10 most beautiful villages in Provence
• The perfect place to stay while visiting Provence
• Rampal Latour: a famous French soap factory and museum