What to bring from France

Talking about the sights, nature, history of extraordinary France can be long and interesting. Every person dreams of coming here, plunge into the atmosphere of romance and beauty. Leaving, it is difficult to resist the desire to take home even a small piece of the world of the magical land. Souvenirs, gifts solve the problem, and what to bring from France as a gift will help the information in this article.

Perfume

For a long time, Venice was called the perfume capital. Rare oriental spices were sent here for processing before being shipped to France. In the 11th century, after the campaign against Jerusalem, the crusaders brought home roses and jasmine. The inhabitants of the country quickly learned to grow these and other fragrant plants (lavender, orange blossom near the city of Grasse), on the plantations of the southern regions of France. Very soon, the art of perfumery took on a huge scale and became known all over the world.

Namely, the French have guessed to dilute oils, essences with alcohol, keeping their aroma for a long time. Today, the most popular perfumes include representatives of the Fragonard brand. They can be bought in Grasse (it is better to buy any perfume in special shops of manufacturers). In the boutique with the same name (Paris) there is a perfume museum.After visiting it, tourists receive a sample in the form of a small bottle as a gift.

When choosing a gift, experts recommend studying the label: Eau de toilette (cheap). Eau de parfum (average in value with the amount of alcohol equal to the amount of essence). Essence de parfum are the most expensive. Among them are the masterpieces of famous French perfumers: Coco Chanel, Nina Ritchie, Christian Dior, Jean-Paul-Ellen, the Guerlain dynasty. This perfume has been produced for over 90 years without changing the recipe Chanel No. 5, the world's first men's cologne "Cologne Water", created by the Frenchman Jean-Marie-Farine in 1709.

Cosmetics

The appearance of older people can tell a lot about the standard of living, desire and opportunities to take proper care of themselves at any age. French women, even in old age, are slender, fit women with manicure, bright lipstick, and a well-groomed haircut. The habit of using unique cosmetics for skin and hair helps them.

Their choice is impressive: the world brands Clinique, Yves Rocher, Clarins, Estee Lauder, Dior. When choosing cosmetics as a gift, it is recommended to know about the types of products manufactured:

1. Natural, produced by L'Occitane, Sanoflore, Melvit from natural elements. For example, you can buy an interesting deodorant as a gift, created on the basis of the volcanic mineral Perlite, without aluminum salts. Most natural (organic) cosmetics offerings have a strong floral scent.
2. Professional. Its elements are used by cosmetologists during procedures. They produce cosmetics Gernetic, Decleor, Guinot (luxury class), Algologie Scin Ceuticals Morjana Colline Paris Result Time. Decleor products are considered the benchmark for aromatherapy treatments.
3. Massmarket, with products that have a democratic value and are produced by well-known brands Bourjois, Defi Paris. L'Oreal Paris, Garnier, Yves Rocher based on natural elements.
4. French luxury. These are classic luxury offers from Lancome, Helena Rubinstein, Dior, Chanel, Armani, Biotherm, Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy in the form of hair and face care products. Shadows, mascara, etc.

The simplest, but pleasant gift will be a piece of lavender soap, powder, lipstick, which are sold in abundance in pharmacies and stores.

Clothing

Any woman seeks to create her own style of clothing that allows her to show the main individual traits: beauty, elegance, femininity. Models of clothing for a modern woman are considered to be models of French clothing. Moreover, among the many proposals there is always a beautiful ensemble for the whole family, festive, evening, everyday dresses. The most popular clothing brands are Camaieu, KOOKAI, Cacharel.

In Russia, you rarely find the proposals of André, Eram, Sandro, the Lacoste shirt is an obligatory attribute of the Casual style. Young people are interested in French brands Aksara, Alan Manukyan, Lacoste. The perfect gift can be found in Devernois clothing boutiques. It is distinguished by comfort, convenience, quality. Here you can also choose beautiful stoles, scarves, belts, and other accessories. Elegant, delicate clothes in a set of several items are offered by PATOUCHKA. Collection prices decline towards the end of the season. It is not difficult to find a place of sale for any clothing: at every step there are shops, boutiques, shopping centers, places of profitable sales.

Wine, champagne

There are “good” and “very good” wines in France. Everyone will be pleased to receive exquisite European wine Borda, Alsace, Champagne, Burgundy, Beaujolais or famous brands "Dom Perignon", "Veuve Clicquot" as a gift. The national tincture “Pastisse”, cognac such as “Cognac Edouard III”, “Cognac Meukow” can be safely attributed to the universal souvenirs from France. When choosing a gift, it is recommended to carefully study the label. First of all, the province of wine production is indicated on any container (there is no inscription on the fake).

The product category is designated as follows:

• Premier or Grant cru. Elite drink aged over 30 years
• AOC - the best examples of specific provinces (excise green)
• VDSQ good quality wine
• VDP wine from well-known regions with strict control of production, excise blue, prices are affordable
• VDT - good standard table wine, excise burgundy

Champagne is the name given to drinks produced in the Champagne province. In other areas, these are local sparkling wines. If you want to buy cognac, you need to know that this is the name of a drink made in the province of Charente from certain grape varieties, marked on the label with the letters "XO".

Liquor

A sweet and aromatic drink, created on the basis of juices, spices, herbal infusions, is produced in different countries. The first liqueurs were invented by monks as medicines. Much later they began to use it in cocktails and drink it separately. The peak of popularity as a drink was formed in the XX century. According to the strength, liqueurs are dessert, strong, cream and are served at the table at the end of dinner with tea, coffee, juice.

In France, you can buy the most famous liqueurs produced in different countries. These are about 10 varieties of Italian: Amaretto, Galliano, Maraschino, Sambuca. German liquor Jägermeister, Mexican Kahlua, Irish Sheridans, Baileys. It is very pleasant to receive as a gift a real French liqueur such as Benedictine, Chartreuse, the famous Cointreau, Napoleon Mandarin.

Cheese

The country produces about 400 types of cheese. The consistency of the product is hard and soft. Young, mature, moldy, original crust. The shape of the cheese is made in the form of circles, squares, cones, ingots, hearts, triangles. Cheese is made from milk of goats, sheep, cows at private and state enterprises. Each variety has an interesting history of birth, preparation technology. For example, Chabichou, the famous goat cheese, is most often made in a cone shape. In this form, the delicate pulp of the cheese is best preserved.

By the way, France is considered the world leader in the production of goat cheese. In any supermarket, you can see endless shelves of cheese. The most expensive ones are recognized by the inscription AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée). As a gift, you can choose a piece (determined by financial capabilities and delivery terms) of the following names: Ble d'Auvergne (with mold), Brie, blue Roquefort, Camembert, Emmental with holes or the oldest variety Cantal.

Foie gras

The recipe for the culinary symbol of France appeared in the 4.5 century in the food of the Egyptians (then there were Jews, Romans).It was only in France (XVIII century) that the first recipes for the famous foie gras liver pate appeared in cookbooks. The dish quickly became an attribute of luxury and entered the traditional list of Christmas dishes. In the southern part of the country and Alsace, a real cult of foie gras was born.

A special breed of Strasbourg geese is raised here and, when performing "guage" or forced feeding of birds, they use not figs, as in ancient times, but boiled corn. Different versions of foie gras are made in each region. In Toulouse, you can taste an airy dish in an ivory shade. In Strasbourg, it will be pink and hard.

Numerous shops offer souvenir packaging (glass, tin) with a rare delicacy. During the trip, you are invited to try any kind of goose liver: raw, pickled, canned. It is good to know that foie gras mi-cuit cannot be stored. Semi-canned or pasteurized foie gras can be stored in the refrigerator for about 6 months. Metal cans contain a canned product that tolerates transportation and storage well. But it is prepared according to a different recipe than the famous dish - foie gras.

Chocolate

Despite the historical fact of borrowing the preparation of an amazing product from other countries (thanks to Anna of Austria in the 17th century), France amazed and conquered the world with amazing inventions in the technology of producing chocolate. The famous chocolate truffles, unique varieties of hot chocolate, cream ganache, pralines (candy fillings) were born here. It is imperative to try luxurious offers such as Coco Chanel, Yves Montand, Audrey Hepburn, Salvator Dali.

Each technological stage of chocolate production in the country is strictly controlled in accordance with recipe requirements. Therefore, buying French chocolate as a souvenir, you can be sure that it is a real, tasty product. Among them are chocolate bars Jardin BiO, Monoprix Gourmet, Lindt, Menier, extraordinarily beautiful, fragrant animal figurines, truffles, chocolate bars filled with fresh berries, fruits from the Jean-Charles Rochoux store.

Macaroni

This tasty confection is produced by many factories in the world. But a real masterpiece (with a long history) can only be brought from France. Especially if you buy it at the Ladurée confectionery house, where for the first time two slices of cookies were combined with delicious cream. It can be lemon curd, berry mousse, nut filling, crème brulee, chocolate ganache (considered a classic filling option). To taste, they can be almond, pistachio, chocolate, raspberry, strawberry, flower.

A feature of pasta is its color variety: red, yellow, blue, green, even black round double turrets fill the original souvenir boxes. At the same time, you can be sure that only natural products are used for their manufacture and coloring. Macaroni has taken a special place in the country's culinary masterpieces. Vivid images of the product are found on posters, clothes, paintings. They are sold everywhere.

Sausages

You can try Gemensky sausage (Andouille de Guemene), known since the 18th century, not only while traveling around the country, but also bring it as a gift to friends and relatives. It is made in the Morbihan region. These are not stretched out in a line, but individual elements of pork intestines twisted in a spiral, filled with special minced meat, aged in brine, fumigated with the smoke of beech, oak firewood, aged for a specific time. Among the numerous options for smoked, dried sausage, there is a special delicacy covered with white mold due to targeted colonization with molds (this is a complex technology).

They release beneficial antibiotics and preserve the quality of the product. If mold appears on its own, the product is considered spoiled, harmful and must be destroyed. An excellent gift would be the Pikok Salami aux noix salami with nuts, which conquered the European markets. The product cylinder (weighing 250 g, created by French specialists) contains a divine combination of fresh meat and the aroma of a special variety of nuts. Among the numerous proposals, you can always choose French sausages with figs, walnuts, and wine pears.

Candied violets

The popular dessert, which has become a symbol of the city of Toulouse, appeared here at the end of the 9th century from Italy. In the south of France, they organized numerous plantations, mastered the industrial technology of turning the flowers of "fragrant violets" and "Parma" into a delicacy that conquered the whole world. Other varieties of violets are not edible. Now famous confectionery factories in the world buy candied violets (often called Toulouse) in Toulouse to decorate their products.

The delicacy is sold in small glass jars and looks original and mysterious as a souvenir. Fragrant, delicate flowers have medicinal properties that make ordinary dishes useful. Arriving in Toulouse, you can try original ice cream, violet syrup.

Objects of art

The famous all over the world French art represents unique masterpieces, sparkling with luxury, grace and sophisticated style. The atmosphere of past centuries lives in them, which is appreciated, carefully preserved and continues in the unfading cultural traditions of the country. I would like to bring a piece of this perfection with me after a fascinating journey. For example, buy as a gift tableware made of unusually beautiful porcelain made in Limoges using a unique technology.

The crisp, beautiful patterns on the crisp white porcelain create a sophisticated French style. Along with visiting museums and galleries, purchase amazing canvases by local artists. It is easy to find excellent copies of famous paintings among them. Immense offerings can be found on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, the Pont Alexandre Troyes.

Old records

Interest in old vinyl records appeared suddenly, became a fashion trend and a new birth of forgotten technologies. Even work is being restored at old enterprises, sales of new players are constantly growing. And the corner in the apartment, decorated with the old equipment, shelves with old records, complements the interior with an intellectual element and speaks of the owner's musical development. The stylish look of old vinyl records is used by designers to create a retro look that adorns the space of any home.

The list of items used in their manufacture can be very large: stools, bags, wall paintings, lamps, etc. You can find vinyl records in unique flea markets and in special shops selling records (there are about 10 of them in Paris). Modern record stores maintain the historical motives of the country's musical history. In the Walrus store not far from Montmartre, along with the selection of an old record, you can have a pleasant rest in a cafe, listen to old recordings.

Antique

For lovers of rare, antiques, flea markets, specialty shops, small shops represent a real paradise. Here you can buy everything: a working model of an old camera, rare watches, silver crockery sets, unique furniture from the "Provencal" style to models created during the times of Louis XV, XVI. Books published during the lifetime of their authors (Hemingway, Lenin), paintings, old toys for children, clothes.

These are not cheap things, but having received them as a gift, you can truly plunge into the atmosphere of a past life and feel like a hero of an old movie, a participant in great battles, etc.French antiques have their own stylistic features. It is enough to look at the element once through the eyes of a specialist in order to confidently name the place of purchase of the masterpiece. The most famous (large) flea market in Europe is located near Paris. This is the famous Sant Ouan market. It appeared here at the beginning of the 9th century. Numerous roads will surely bring antiques lovers to it.

Headdress

Without going into the historical details of the appearance of the beret in France, the country's national headdress (one of the elements of its emblem) arouses interest, the desire of many guests of the country to purchase it for themselves. In headwear stores, there are numerous options for an item of clothing that is in demand among women, men, children, and the elderly. A beautiful French beret will be an excellent and necessary gift. Different materials are used for its manufacture: wool, felt, leather, felt, acrylic, cotton. The shape of a beret can be voluminous, small, strict, laconic.

The popular (beautiful and stylish) headpiece helps to recreate the famous European retro style. To do this, you can use the model that has become a cult: berets of Brigitte Bordeaux, Faye Dunaway, Samantha, Cher, Che Gavra, Marlene Dietrich and many other options. They can be bought quickly and easily in stores, large shopping centers.

Where is the best place to buy souvenirs

More often than not, the crowds of tourists who have come to Paris have limited time to select souvenirs and are eager to visit the Galerie Lafayette. With free financial resources, this is the correct, simple way. Another option is to buy souvenirs during sightseeing tours or when you go to specific boutiques, shops, markets, large shopping centers on your own.

You can choose a souvenir for children while visiting Disneyland. These are educational toys of the Vilac series for any age (including the French brand in the form of exclusive rag dolls), clothes, shoes, modern jewelry. Any souvenir shop sells magnets, postcards, key rings, the famous symbol of Paris and France, the Eiffel Tower.