What savory homemade goods survive the mail well?

July 30, 2009 4:49 PM

I want to send a homemade gift package to a friend. The wrinkle: He doesn't eat sweets. (more inside)

I've searched for this without a lot of luck. I want to send a homemade gift package to a friend (as in I make the contents of the package). Normally, I'd bake cookies or brownies, but sugar in that quantity makes my friend sick (trace amounts, as in homemade bread, are fine). Artificial sweeteners also make him ill.

Last time I tried, I made homemade bread which got moldy in transit (Priority Mail, Chicago to DC), spiced nuts (which went over well), and cheddar/jalapeno muffins (arrived safely and still tasted good).

Other possibly relevant details:

* Friend is male, late 20s
* Friend really likes breads, muffins (not too sweet), ethnic, and spicy food (including very spicy)
* Friend does not like dried fruit

I'd like to find stuff that is interesting, different, tasty, and mails well.

posted by eleanna to food & drink (19 comments total)

crackers!
posted by sulaine at 4:52 PM on July 30

I don't know what they're called, but my aunt makes these really tasty things out of twisted puff pastry with seeds and spices and they are AMAZING.

If he likes spicy stuff, maybe you could make some sauces or salsas? (I don't know how hard it would be to make those and can them, but that might be nice)
posted by NoraReed at 4:55 PM on July 30

Roasted chickpeas!
posted by elsietheeel at 5:03 PM on July 30

Cracker nuts?
posted by rokusan at 5:06 PM on July 30

Jerky?
We had a bar snack the other day: peas in wasabi - better than you might think. Could you find a recipe?
posted by biffa at 5:11 PM on July 30

Pickles/relish/chutney?
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:14 PM on July 30

Salted plantain chips.

Well, they're dried fruit, but they sure taste like potato chips to me.
posted by Ky at 5:17 PM on July 30

granola?
posted by Flacka at 5:22 PM on July 30

What about a sort of savory cookie, like these (self-link) Parmesan Thyme Crackers? They stored pretty well on my counter for up to a week and they were very tasty.

I don't have a recipe on hand, but vegetable chips might be fun to make too. These are my favorite store brand, but I'm sure you can find a good recipe on the web to make your own.
posted by geeky at 5:25 PM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Murukku! My mother's best care packages always have some. I would never have made it through school without it. Spicy and fried, I've never had it show up bad. If sealed in Ziploc or other airtight container, it will last awhile. Google for other recipes (I'm not sure if the linked one is best -- but it seems traditional).
posted by bluefly at 5:27 PM on July 30 [1 favorite]

Good old-fashioned Southern-style cheese straws. Cheesy, buttery, peppery, crunchy, and toasty--in short, ridiculously addictive. And they keep so well! If you want to wow your friend with fancypants presentation, you can run the dough through a cookie press to form the straws. (Which is suggested in one of the recipe reviews I linked to.)
posted by sarabeth at 5:34 PM on July 30 [3 favorites]

Chex Mix? The variations are endless. I made a really spicy one last Christmas.
posted by sugarfish at 5:59 PM on July 30

Duude.

Good ingredients + recipe + cookware + postage = pure love.
posted by paanta at 6:00 PM on July 30

You might check out this old AskMe of mine, in which I asked people to suggest things that are the savoury equivalent to cookies.
posted by orange swan at 6:03 PM on July 30

Wasabi peas.
posted by pompomtom at 10:05 PM on July 30

My mom's cheese cookies are savory and delicious and travel well.
posted by trip and a half at 4:44 AM on July 31 [1 favorite]

I'm with sarabeth, I was just going to suggest cheese straws.
posted by heather-b at 6:39 AM on July 31

An anime revolving around bakers and bread-making called Yakitate!! Japan taught me that wasabi and alcohol will both help preserve bread if mixed into the dough.

It also taught me that, like taking medication or alcohol, I should not eat especially delicious bread while driving or operating machinery. I will forever live in fear of a crazy reaction to the taste, culminating in a pop culture reference or Japanese pun. (God, even the name of the anime is a pun: the protagonist wants to make Japan, a national bread for Japan, the wordplay being that pan is Japanese for bread.)
posted by ThatRandomGuy at 9:16 AM on July 31

Wow. You guys rock. What a lot of fabulous suggestions.

@orangeswan -- I'll definitely check that out.

@ThatRandomGuy---Hee. And wasabi is wonderful stuff.

@sugarfish -- good idea:)

Seriously though, these are all good. I will now have suggestions for multiple packages:) Thank you.
posted by eleanna at 11:25 AM on July 31