Maybe I'm a little wacky, but I love a trip to the grocery store when I'm in Paris almost as much as taking a scenic stroll along the Seine, visiting a museum, or admiring an iconic monument. The shelves at Carrefour, Monoprix and Franprix are brimming with products that seem oh-so-exotic (even tho they are normal everyday items to the French), and I get a little thrill when I discover something new that I can make use of at home.
The photo above shows just a few of the French things I have in my California kitchen at the moment, but it's a good place to start. There are so many items that can easily be toted home in your carry-on for little gifts for your culinary-minded friends (or as practical souvenirs for yourself!), and are priced very attractively.
The spice aisle is usually my first order of business on a grocery run. Many dried herbs and spices are allowed thru Customs, but it's wise to check your country's most recent customs regulations before stocking up. I like to bring home bottles of bouquet garni, and there are special varieties for meat or fish (viandes or poissons). I love the convenience of dried, diced shallots -- they're so easy to add to a sauce for instant flavor, and I've never seen them at home. And don't underestimate bouillon cubes! In the US, we get beef, pork or chicken. That's it. In France they have these plus veal, bouquet garni, olive oil and herb, roasted chicken, stewed chicken, roast beef, etc. etc. They seem less salty than what we get in the States, and I like that. US Customs has asked me about beef bouillon before, so you'll want to avoid bringing anything beef (or veal) home.
Also in the spice aisle, you'll find Espelette pepper (piment d'Espelette), which is a unique spice cultivated in France and isn't easy to find at home. Fleur de sel is harvested in Normandy, and you can find packets to being home for only a few euro. I like to gift the pretty Le Saunier de Camargue brand with the cork lid (shown above). A packet of herbs de Provence always finds its way into my suitcase -- a sprinkle of this blend on meat, eggs or vegetables instantly transports me back to Paris.
If you bake, bring home a tube of vanilla powder -- it's great to use in recipes when you want to add flavor but not more liquid. It also gives you those glorious little specks that signal you've used a real vanilla bean (shhh, our secret!). Another fun item to have is sucre en grains (pearl sugar) that's used in France to top chouquettes, brioche, etc., but is pretty atop cupcakes, too.
Farine de Sarrasin is buckwheat flour. If you want to make authentic savory crepes (gallettes) when you get home, you'll need this, as it's another French basic that's hard to come by in the States. I searched high and low for the miniature elbow pasta I've been served in one of our favorite Paris restaurants, so last trip I brought home a few packages of coquilettes. My grandkids love them cooked into mac and cheese, but I like to make the pasta "risotto" that appears on the menu aside pork tenderloin at Terroir Parisien.
The candy aisle is another favorite diversion while I shop. My grandkids love chocolate-covered marshmallow bears and unique shaped Haribo gummy candies (sunny side up eggs?!). Chocolate bars are worth stocking up on, as there are so many unique flavors -- menthe frappée, crème brulée, raisin with hazelnut, raspberry...a really wide choice of both milk chocolate and dark chocolate flavors. Here's a good recipe for an authentic cup of Parisian hot chocolate (substitute any flavor chocolate bar in place of the bittersweet chocolate).
If you're renting an apartment during your stay, you can go wild with foodie purchases and sample different products that won't make the trip home. Yogurt is at the top of the list -- it's creamier and the flavors are more "true". Search the Great Wall of Yogurt in any grocery store (you'll know what I mean when you see it!), and pick up some Le Laitrie by Nestle in glass jars, or Le Fermier that comes in blue ceramic pots, and you get a bonus: you can pack a few of the pots to re-purpose at home!
You won't want to overlook one of life's simple pleasures -- French butter! Buy a baguette at your nearest boulangerie and slather that baby with some incredible Normandy butter. The higher fat content and grass-fed beef makes it taste so...buttery! My favorite is a common grocery store brand, "Grand Fermage aux Cristaux de Sel de Mer de Noirmoutier", that contains little flakes of sea salt that pop on your tongue. There are many artisanal brands you can try -- like Bordier, which comes in salted and unsalted varieties, as well as with seaweed (not as weird as it sounds!), or piment d'Espelette (these artisanal butters can be found at cheese shops and in fine food stores, like Le Grand Epicerie at Le Bon Marché). I routinely bring butter home from Paris (frozen in ziplock bags) packed in my carry-on between clothes, and it makes the 15 hour door-to-door trip just fine.
Since you have a baguette back at the apartment, you'll want a tub of Rillets de Poulet Roti (a chunky roasted chicken spread that's delicious). Perhaps a jar of mustard, too: forté is strong (very!) and mi-forté is half strength. And don't forget a jar of cornichons (tiny mustard-y pickles).
Please don't let my list restrict your purchases! This is just a tiny preview of the goodies that can be found in a typical French grocery store. Let your nose and your curiosity be your guide and try some of the unique items you'll find as you explore your Paris neighborhood market. Let me know in the comments below if there are other grocery store items you love to buy in France!
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