Foodie Gifts to bring back from Moscow, Budapest, and Warsaw?

[nissenpa]

Husband is going on a business trip. He has brought be back chocolates from Belgium and Duck Confit from Paris. What should I have him get from Warsaw, Budapest, and Moscow?

[Sponge]

don't forget about krówki (cream fudge) - traditional soft milk candies, creamy in the middle, very sweet, available in various tastes - original, cocoa, poppy seed, sesame...
Try żurek - sour soup with marjoram, laurel, served with hard-boiled egg. Available as liquid concentrate.

[coco puff]

From Budapest, definitely bring back paprika and bottles and bottle of their plum brandy and apricot brandy...they are potent...they are aperitifs....my fave is the apricot...

[dimsumdoll]

Assuming your husband has some local guidance in Warsaw, ask him to bring back as dried wild mushrooms, (prawdziwki). They are in an entirely different league than even imported porcini. We've never had any problem bringing them home. Alternately, he might go to Blikle on Nowy Swiat Street (left side of the street looking north). There is a cafe with tables and a delicatessen in which to go wild with packaged goodies.

Smacznego (bon appetit in Polish)

[ballulah]

Actually I totally second the mushroom, if you can do it. I was going to recommend it when I recommended the vodka, but I wasn't sure about customs and produce and the legality of bringing them in.

[gini]

From Budapest I'd bring back marzipan and various paprikas - including those in a paste.

[ballulah]

From Warsaw a bottle of Zubrowka (pr. zhoo-broof-ka) and/or a bottle of "kosher" vodka. Otherwise everything I would recommend is not exactly legal to bring in...sausage, cheese, produce, etc.

[Jeserf]

From Hungary - some Zwack Unicum! Hungarian liquor. Great little bottle, very unique gift.

[nissenpa]

I've never heard of this---could you describe it to me a little.

[igj]

Zwack Unicum is known for its anarchist bomb bottle. I thought the stuff tasted pretty vile when I lived in Budapest, but many love it. It is sort of a less sweet Jagermeister, with a pronounced bitter aftertaste.

[nissenpa]

Interesting---might be worth having him pick some up just to try.

[Jeserf]

that, and it's a very unique hungarian gift!

[igj]

Worth it just for the bottle methinks - that ad I posted above appeared all over the place and the bottle alone made me want to try it.

[pittsburgher]

I brought back goulash paste from the market in Budapest. Absolutely incredible stuff -- my only regret is that I gave away the additional tubes that I purchased as gifts, rather than keeping them for myself! Also got garlic and paprika paste in tubes, but the goulash mix was definitely superb!

[nissenpa]

What did you use the goulash paste in? Do you have any recipes you could share. DH is going next week and I think he will bring some back.

[The Chowhound Team]

Hi, please note, there is a separate board for Russia, please post the Russian portion of you query on that board which you will find here: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/47