A box of chocolates and a bottle of cognac is one of the universal gifts, which pretty much "gives off mothballs", and it says that he was chosen in a hurry. A worthy alternative would be a gastronomic basket. Its contents may be different, the choice of products depends on your budget, as well as age, gender and, of course, gastronomic preferences of the recipient of the gift.
Pick your recipe
Gastronomic baskets are different. In fact, they represent a certain set of products, which is placed in a voluminous chest, an original box, a wicker basket and is beautifully decorated. Baskets differ in their contents, so their cost can vary from several hundred to several thousand rubles.
The components of a gastronomic gift can be very different. There are no strict rules for the selection and design of products. The main thing is that they harmoniously combine with each other. Meanwhile, the emphasis in ready-made gastronomic baskets is on exclusive delicacies, rather than ordinary products. When compiling a kit yourself, it is better to follow this unspoken rule.
At a premium are baskets with chocolate, sweets, fruits, cheeses, tea, coffee, alcohol. These products can both solo and complement each other. Combined gastronomic baskets are in greatest demand.
An original solution is a set in which products are united by a national theme. Such gastronomic baskets will taste literally any country in the world. So, in the Italian basket there may be wine, olive oil, Tuscan bread, tomatoes dried in the Sicilian sun, pasta, gorgonzola or mozzarella cheese, sausage with truffles, in German - premium beer and Bavarian sausages, and in French - fragrant baguette, duck foie Gras, Armagnac. The basket can be decorated in oriental style. Such sets include traditional Arabic delicacies: nougat, baklava, Turkish delight, nuts in sesame and honey. This composition, as a rule, is crowned with coffee for the Turks and spices for its preparation - cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, saffron.
Many find single-product baskets boring. However, with today's gastronomic abundance, this is not so. On the contrary, such a basket looks more serious and respectable. It can consist of just one thing: spices, coffee, tea, alcohol, cheese, pies and so on.
Cinnamon, chili peppers, coriander, ginger, vanilla can be included in the basket with spices. They are usually enclosed in original jars. Such a basket will suit both a man and a woman. Cinnamon will soothe, chili will inflame feelings, vanilla will inspire new achievements, and ginger will drive away longing. A kaleidoscope of aromas will turn your head and turn the life of the gift recipient into an exciting journey.
A more original choice will be baskets consisting of several types of paste. In this case, the emphasis is usually placed on uncommon types of meat or unusual combinations. Such baskets usually include a paste of pheasant or ostrich, wild boar meat with chestnuts or duck with berries.
A separate discussion deserves alcohol baskets that contain exclusive and traditional alcohol for any occasion in various price categories. Such sets will be a great gift for a man.
Special in the variety of “tasteful” gifts are corporate gastronomic baskets. Their content is different. They will allow you to effectively congratulate employees, customers of the company or business partners.
There are many types of gastronomic baskets, but all of them have one indisputable advantage: the donor can participate in a joint tasting of the presented set. After all, according to etiquette, it is customary to immediately share gifts presented with dishes (except perhaps collectible alcohol).