2023 Holiday Gift Guide No. 3: Specialty Foods
Another name for this category could be “when you don’t know what else to give to someone.” Food is our common denominator and most universally loved. Even if people don’t like to cook, they love to eat. And even those who don’t love to eat, might change their minds with some of these finds. Following are special, unique foods that are (mostly) shelf-stable pantry goods but really offer a taste of something special. I love getting the gift of specialty foods at the holidays because in the dark, cold winter when I’m feeling low and uninspired, nothing sparks more joy than opening up a new jar of sauce, sniffing a new spice, unboxing a delicious cracker or opening the cupboard to find cocktail inspiration.
GIFT GUIDE # 3: Specialty Foods
1) Cured Meats from Spain - A Jamón Sampler
Sometimes you get on the right mailing list. That’s what happened with me and La Tienda, a gourmet food magazine of curated specialties from Spain. Honestly you could gift anything from this site and I think it would be warmly welcomed, but the cured meat sampler offers a delicious variety at a palatable price point! Bonus - the sampler can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks meaning your gift recipient can wait to enjoy their feast until the New Year (if they can control themselves that long)!
2) Portuguese Tinned Fish Sampler Pack
The Fantastic World of The Portuguese Sardine opened this year in Times Square, a brick and mortar testament to the increasing popularity of tinned fish across the globe and especially here now in the US. While popular throughout Europe, America’s only recently started to warmly embrace the tinned fish movement. Portugal and Spain have long led the way and have some of the most diverse offerings. This sampler pack from Jose (Portuguese-based) has beautifully designed labels and a mix of delicately packed mackerel, sardines and spiced calamari. I also love this one which is sardines only.
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3) Frantoi Cutrera Primo Olive Oil
Years ago I went to an Olive Oil tasting at Eataly in the Flatiron. This was heralded as one of the best olive oils during the tasting. The olives are harvested in a short window in the fall and pressed within six hours. It’s not cheap so use this as a special olive oil for finishing and dipping, not for frying up in a pan. I always keep a bottle in my pantry.
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4) Rancho Gordo Heirloom Deluxe Gift Box
Rancho Gordo has become a bit of an icon in the heirloom bean world. That’s not a sentence you read (or write) every day! Their unique bean varieties are old world and beautiful and are thoughtfully sourced throughout the West and Mexico. Many feature speckled, beautiful beans unlike what you’ll see in grocery stores. Alison Roman even gives a special shout out to them in one of her recipes. You’ll discover many chefs are fans. If you have a vegetarian or vegan foodie friend, this would be an especially thoughtful gift — they even have a vegan gift box with vegan recipes .
My friend Emily brought these to Cookbook Club last spring and I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. First of all, they’re beautiful. Second, they are absolutely delicious. Founded by two women in Colorado, Flowerco has a garden-forward aesthetic to all their products. They are focused on style and substance with edible flowers and garden herbs artfully decorating each cracker. I would suggest pairing these with a really lovely basket for serving them! This ceramic one is so pretty!
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BONUS: Specialty Food Stocking Stuffers!
Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla
Ina Garten refers to this as “the good vanilla.” My friend Miranda even dressed up as it for Halloween! Why is this a stocking stuffer choice? Because it’s a little something special that someone might enjoy but never buy for themself!
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I fell hard for the edible flower craze this year. In the heart of winter, this little jar of dried edible petals will gift your favorite cook the power to sprinkle joy on soups, salads and whatever their heart’s (and stomach’s desire).
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If you’re paying attention, you might see this is my second reference to McCrea’s in the Gift Guide series. I also recommended their Advent Calendar. I’ve become a recent convert to these beautifully crafted caramels and cannot recommend them enough. This is going to put peppermint bark to shame.
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