Top 11 Foods to Bring from Home

These days more and more imported items can be found somewhere here in Istanbul.  But finding these items often involves a wild goose chase and, to top it all off, they normally cost an arm and a leg.  So experienced expats know that the best way to have a touch of home away from home is to bring it yourself — or have your visiting friends and family stow it away in their suitcases.  The things that people crave from their homelands could fill pages and pages, but here is a list of the top 11 items people tend to bring with them:

1. Pork products in all its deviations

2. A favorite cheese

3. Peanut butter

4. Marmite/Vegemite

5. Vanilla extract and maple syrup

6. Spice packets (think taco or harissa), curry pastes and stir fry sauces

7. Wine and whiskey

8. Baked/tinned beans, dried black beans

9. Hot chocolate, Milo, specialty teas, coffee

10. Favorite snacks like salt and vinegar crisps/chips, granola bars, Reese’s Pieces, digestive biscuits, marshmallows

11. Superfoods like chia seeds, mate, or hemp seeds, spelt flour

I’m sure we’re leaving something off the list. Let us know in the comments what foods and products you like to bring from home!

Annie Özsaraç is a contributor to Yabangee