Eating Italian Food Abroad

After 3 months in Poland, we have almost finished our food supplies that we brought from Italy.

I thought the situation would be dire, but it is not that bad. Italiamo is actually in most Lidl shops around the country. I guess it is the same for the rest of Europe as well (?). They usually have pretty good typical Italian products. They might not have a great variety, but every once in a while Lidl will do an Italian week and you can hoard most things you need.

On top of that, we still have some supply and we’ll be back in Italy for a short while next month to refurbish (that’s not the main reason we’re going back obviously, but we’ll seize the occasion).

Things That Are Hard To Find

• Savoiardi for Tiramisu

  You can find them, but they are of terrible quality and will ruin your Tiramisu. Mind, it still came out all right, but it was clear there was something off if you’re used to the real one.

• Taralli

  This is a personal one. I just love them and I can’t really find them anywhere.

• Most Cheeses

  Sure, there are the few that are popular (sold at obscene prices), but most of the more typical ones are simply not there.

Things I Was Surprised To Find

• Good mascarpone

  You can find it surely at Lidl, but most shops should have it.

• Good variety and quality of pasta (especially for the price)

  Anywhere. You can find barilla as well, but also the cheap unbranded one is way better than expected.

• Mutti Sauce

  I only found it at Piotr i Pawel and Carrefour.

• Monini Olive Oil

  I only found it at Piotr i Pawel and Carrefour.

You don’t have to stop eating Italian food here. While Polish food is great, every once in a while you need some nostalgia and Italian food is simply amazing. The shame is that most local people seem not too interested in trying new stuff. They have no idea what they miss out on.