What You’ll Want to Buy at the Italian Food Paradise Eataly

For some people, going on vacation means taking Dutch products with them, but we’d rather bring back a suitcase full of local delicacies. Do you have a trip to Italy planned soon? Then you’ll want to bring these things back from the Italian Eataly. The good news: this store can now also be found outside Italy.

In 2007, after years of research, the first Eataly opened in Turin: it is also known as ‘Disneyland for culinary enthusiasts’. At this enormous Italian food market, companies come together that believe in good, honest and responsible food. A store after our own hearts, in short!

These products are not to be missed at Eataly

We already knew Eataly was fantastic, of course. Still, a trip to Eataly can be quite overwhelming. So many delicious things. Cheese, cold cuts, pasta, coffee, olive oil, bread, wine, culinary gifts… What should you buy? Our colleagues at Italiamo know better than anyone and are here to help.

Taralli

Taralli are a kind of savory snack in the shape of small round breadsticks. They’re wonderfully crunchy. You can also buy taralli at the supermarket, but the difference in quality between supermarket taralli and genuinely good taralli is considerable. The really good ones are available at Eataly. They are larger and somewhat more elongated. You can buy them plain, but also with cipolla, or onion (sounds strange, but is really delicious), with red pepper or, my favorite, with fennel seeds.

Good anchovies

Oh, how we love anchovies! They are an important flavor enhancer in pasta dishes and sauces. At Eataly, you can buy good anchovies, both in glass jars and tins. For example, those from Vicente Marino, Sangiolaro or La Nef. You can taste the difference: the anchovies are less salty and delicious to eat straight from the jar. Skin and all.

Mostarda

Mostarda is a kind of fruit compote served with rich meals as a sweet-and-bitter component. At Eataly, they have all kinds, including the classic version as well as, for example, mostarda with figs.

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar

There is a huge selection of olive oil to be found. If, like me, you are easily tempted by the bottle, Eataly is the perfect place for you. The bottles are absolutely beautiful.

Specialty pasta

Of course, it’s fun to bring home pasta that is difficult or impossible to find in the Netherlands. For example, pici, a thick, round type of spaghetti made from a different kind of wheat than regular pasta. Or, for example, orecchiette.

Bottarga

Bottarga is dried and pressed fish roe. It sounds strange, but a plate of pasta with butter and bottarga doesn’t need much else. And it’s a fancy dish, too. Bottarga is vacuum-packed, so it can easily be transported.

Something with truffle

Whatever you do, don’t leave without getting something with truffle. After all, there is a wide range of truffle products: truffle chips, truffle salt, truffle butter and so on. And they’re always delicious.

Specialty risotto

Of course, you can bring home good risotto rice, but it’s even more fun to bring home risotto with excellent additions. I mean risotto with saffron, dried porcini mushrooms or white truffle. Once again, this makes it easy to impress guests at home with minimal effort.

Yellow tomato sauce

Not yet very popular in the Netherlands, but fun and delicious: yellow tomato sauce. You can buy it at Eataly, as well as preserved yellow cherry tomatoes.

Pistachio paste

The green gold! The flavor and aroma of pistachio paste are so full, nutty and creamy that they are impossible to compare with anything else. You can use it to bake the most delicious cakes, for frosting cupcakes and, of course, for homemade pistachio ice cream. My tip: stir a heaped teaspoon into the mascarpone mixture for your tiramisu, or spread it thickly on a freshly baked croissant. It’s so delicious you’ll want to lick your fingers! You might as well take a few jars home.

Merchandise

Eataly has several locations in Italy, but you can also find an Eataly in the US (including New York, Chicago, LA and Las Vegas), Istanbul, Stockholm, Paris and São Paulo. Eataly merchandise is always fun. An Eataly shopping bag, for example, can immediately be used for all your groceries.

Read also:

• 5 things not to do when you go to Italy
• Italian dishes you’ll never, ever get in Italy
• 7 delicious dishes from Northern Italy