Father’s Day Gift Guide: 20 Cool Global Food Ideas to Share With Dad

It isn’t easy to land on the right gift for dad, but if he enjoys food–or, better yet, loves to cook–you are already halfway there. Food is love, and what better way to show it on Father’s Day than to feed his hunger for new flavors, and take him on a gastro-journey with a gift of food or drink?

Perhaps Dad has an adventurous palate and savors enjoys exotic spices. Maybe he loves to grill and enjoys sustainably sourced meats or fish. If he is a DIY guy, he may appreciate tools to help fine-tune his kitchen prep. How about expanding his spirits collection–alcoholic or non–with a new bottle to toast with?

The world opens up, literally, with these delicious gift ideas inspired by cuisines from around the globe. The best thing about food is that it can be shared. It’s a gift of love that makes everyone happy, and reminds us of how powerful it can be to sit down and share a meal together.

FRANCE

New York wine importer Neal Rosenthal now offers a range of small-batch epicurean delights from Europe, through Mad Rose Specialty Foods, to pair with his wines, including The Trio, a set of three oh-so-very Parisian preserves including Apricot Lavender, Raspberry Violet, and Four Citrus. The perfect addition to a cheese board, breakfast or dessert, if dad is a Francophile with a sweet tooth, he will be in good company with this gift and join a host of top chefs who love the Mad Rose specialty gourmet foods. Rosenthal’s newest venture is Justine’s on Hudson, a wine bar in NYC’s West Village, opened in partnership with his daughter Justine.

Dishwasher Dad

If dad is the designated dishwasher, he’ll appreciate having a handsome, kitchen-friendly hand wash by the sink in the kitchen. The unisex Compagnie de Provence Black Tea Liquid Marseille Soap set cleanses gently, is packaged in a good-looking refillable glass bottle, and comes with a large refill.

ITALY

Pizza, Pizza

Naples is known as the heart and soul of pizza and for dads who love a great pie (who doesn’t?) a gift of Taste of Talia 8-pack –handmade pizzas sustainably shipped directly from Naples–is a very special gift. (They are also available at Whole Foods and Sprouts.) Flavors include Margherita, Artichoke, Tartufina, Vegan and these offer the next best thing to sitting in an Italian Trattoria in Napoli.

Super Sauce

If dad loves pasta, chances are he’s familiar with Rao’s, which may very well be the best jarred tomato sauce out there! Even if he’s not a cook, he can prepare plenty of dinners with the Rao’s Homemade Pasta and Sauce Sampler. If he is a cook, and turns up his nose at jarred sauce, this will be the exception–it’s that good! The sampler includes six 24 oz. jars of sauce–Marinara, Arrabbiata, Tomato Basil, Vodka Sauce, Roasted Garlic, Bolognese, along with dried pasta in the form of Fusilli, Linguine, Penne, Spaghetti, Farfalle. And it comes with a jar opener, just in case.

Spread It Around

Ever since White Lotus was filmed on location in Sicily, it’s been a madhouse there. Dad may not make it there this summer, but he can get a taste of Sicily with Bona Fortuna’s From Sicily With Love gift set featuring three delicious spreads that evoke the sun-soaked island. The set includes green olive tapenade, sweet pepper pesto, wild fennel almond pesto, along with a small golden spoon and recipe booklet. The products are made on La Furtura Estate on a nature preserve. Perfect for spreading on crusty bread or with pasta! Bona Fortuna is a Certified B Corporation and contributes to 1% for the Planet.

USA

Zero Proof

The high-end nonalcoholic beverage category is booming with over $10 billion in sales, and it’s projected to grow by 47 percent by 2025. Some people are going dry, while others enjoy drinking a mix of alcohol and non. Zero Proof’s The Best Selling Wine Bundle, six de-alcoholized wines including rose, pinot grigio, syrah and more, is so good that it can be savored and enjoyed almost as well as a glass of fine wine. They look and smell like wine–the packaging is beautiful–and provide a delicious alternative.

Bread Basket

The home bread-baking craze may have died down, but our taste for fresh bread has not. A subscription box from the Boston-based family-run Wildgrain is the perfect solution, with slow-fermented sourdough, fresh pasta and artisanal pastries delivered to your door, frozen and ready to bake–no defrosting necessary. The “clean carb” ingredients are natural, and fresh bread is ready in 25 minutes.

Down on the Regenerative Farm

Farmer Jones Farm, along the shores of Lake Erie, has been a family-run farm for 30 years. Through the Chef’s Garden, they have collaborated with chefs to use regenerative farming practices to grow a range of specialty produce of extremely high quality. The Father’s Day Grill Box is a perfect gift for dads who appreciate great seasonal veggies, and it also includes Regenerative-Raised Meats and BBQ sauces from REP Provisions. Also inside the box: summer BBQ recipes–grilled veggies, anyone?—from Chef Jamie Simpson from The Culinary Vegetable Institute.

Sparkling Water

If dad, when posed with the question, “sparkling or flat?,” always answers “sparkling,” then the Carbon8 is a great gift for him. Sleekly designed and easy to use, the Carbon 8 is a one-touch sparkling water dispenser that will reduce waste significantly–no more glass or plastic bottles! Plus it is self-sanitizing, and it dispenses sparkling water directly into a glass, providing immediate gratification!

Maui Meat

If dad is obsessed with grilling, and enjoys trying new things, the Maui Nui Venison Starter Box is perfect. Sustainably and ethically harvested in Maui, the box includes ground venison, medallions and rib chops, rib racks, strip loin or other premium cuts. Healthy, flavorful and delicious!

HOLLAND

The Sharpest Tool

Any chef will tell you that a good set of knives makes all the difference in the kitchen. The new Boska Kitchen Knives Copenhagen Set, is not only beautifully designed, the five stainless steel knives are extremely sharp with an ergonomically comfortable design. The Dutch family-owned company is a newly certified B Corporation. Sleek and beautiful, the set includes a bread knife, chef’s knife, carving knife, serrated utility knife and paring knife.

NORWAY

A Healthy Grilling

Swap out the classic burgers and dogs with a healthy and delicious alternative: Blue Circle Foods Cookout Box, which includes salmon burgers (98 percent salmon, two percent herbs and spices) and salmon sausages in original and apple thyme. The salmon is sustainably raised in Norway on a family farm that dates back generations, with fish free of hormones, antibiotics, and synthetic colors. It is upcycled-certified through the Upcycled Food Association, because it doesn’t meet the size requirement for a filet, although the meat is the same.

MEXICO

Taco Tuesday

If you don’t live in Mexico or Texas, great-tasting tortillas can be hard to come by. The Masienda Tortilla Starter Kit is an easy way to DIY. Gather the family for Taco Tuesday, with fresh homemade tortillas. The Kit comes with a colorful tortilla press along with white and blue heirloom masa flour and it is very easy to use. Delicioso!

Mighty Mezcal

Handcrafted in Durango, Mexico, using ancient techniques, the award-winning IXO Sotol Mezcal Joven from Izo Spirits is made from hand-harvested wild Cenizo agave hearts slow roasted with oak in lava-lined fire pits for a subtle, smoky flavor with aromatic herbal and grassy notes, and a hint of earthy fig and date. The sleek, minimalist bottle, with its beautiful Mexican onyx stopper, is as smooth as what’s inside.

AFRO-CUBAN

Fabulous Flavor

California-based celebrity chef Kai Chase is known for drawing on her Afro-Cuban California roots to create delicious flavors and spice blends in her cooking. Chase has been a personal chef for Mary J. Blige, Kevin Hart, President Barack Obama and more. With the 3 Spice Holiday Gift Pack, dad can try all three delicious spice blends: California Citrus Salt, 5 Spice Habanero & Ginger and Warm Cajun & Chicory. Great on grilled meats, roasted vegetables and sprinkled on salads and sandwiches!

ASIA

Never Enough Noodles!

Chef David Chang, of Momofuku fame, was born in the US to Korean parents, and his signature noodles, oils and sauces are Asian-inflected, with noodles air-dried, not fried, in Taiwan. Whether dad’s been to the Momofuku restaurants or not, he will love a Momofuku Bundle, a gift that is deeply satisfying to anyone who loves inventive, flavorful Asian food. Go for the big one, the Bestseller Pack that includes five packs of Soy & Scallion Noodles, five packs of Spicy Soy Noodles, five packs of Tingly Chili Wavy Noodles, along with Momofuku Soy Sauce, Chili Crunch Oil and Savory Seasoned Salt.

THE BALTICS

Divine Decadence

Many enjoy caviar, but few will indulge themselves, which is why it’s a perfect gift. The San Francisco-based The Caviar Co. Perfect Pair Cooler Gift Set features fresh, light and flavorful classic White Sturgeon and Siberian Sturgeon, as well as Trout Roe, along with all the accoutrements: crème fraîche, French blinis and mother of pearl spoons. All you need is to pop open a bottle of champagne!

SPAIN

Extra Virgin

Made with Picual olives from Spain, the Graza Drizzle & Sizzle set of single-origin EVOO with squeeze-top bottles and a bouncy, bold graphic design, includes Drizzle, a delicious finishing oil perfect for topping off pasta and other dishes and Sizzle, for any style of cooking from sauteeing to searing.

For Papi

When I would get a Jamon Iberico craving, there was always Despana, a Spanish market in New York City filled with all manner of gourmet food delights from Spain. Mercado Famous is a charcuterie brand that sources from free-roaming acorn-fed pigs raised on sustainable farms on the Iberian peninsula and the charcuterie meats are very high quality. The Papi Chulo Father’s Day Bundle includes Jamon 100% Iberico, Chorizo Iberico and Lomo Iberico. All Papi needs are some green olives, Spanish cheeses, a bottle of cava and he’s good to go!

JAPAN

Wagyu Pork

Kurobuta pigs were gifted to the Japanese emperor in the 19th century, and they’ve been held in high regard ever since. Like Wagyu beef, Kurobuta pork is well-marbled, which makes it especially delicious and extremely juicy. The Kurobuta Berkshire Pork Bundle is sourced through a network of small family farms in the US, and includes pork chops, tenderloin, pork shoulder and ribs. Held in high regard, Kurobuta is still under the radar and isn’t easy to find, but it’s truly special.