Best souvenirs from China, Italy, Mexico, Canada, Australia and South Africa, from art to food

Universal souvenirs such as shot glasses, magnets and key chains are popular for a reason: they’re small, inexpensive and collectible. But they don’t usually say much about where you’ve been. For an elevated keepsake, look for objects that embody the unique culture of your destination. These tend to be items that locals use in their own homes, wear themselves or wrap up as gifts to other residents and visitors. Think beyond disposable trinkets to things like clothing, food, artwork and handmade goods with a history. Here are souvenir suggestions for six countries with good shopping options. 1. Australia Here’s a souvenir you can use on your trip: an Akubra hat. The iconic outback hat – think Crocodile Dundee – has a wide brim for protection from the strong Australian sun. Its name comes from the company that originated and still sells them, though the Dundee style has been discontinued and the rabbit fur felt used to make them is now sourced from Russia. For those who would rather a cruelty-free option, similar outback hats can be found from other manufacturers using material such as straw and oilskin. Indigenous art has received well-deserved recognition recently. The best-known form, established in the 1970s, is bright acrylic Aboriginal dot painting, in which the traditions of body painting and sand art are transferred to canvas. But there are many other forms of indigenous art; the term encompasses both Aboriginal Australians, whose mediums also include bark carving and soft sculpture, and Torres Strait Islanders, whose artwork includes wood sculpture and lino printing. Check the website of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia for guidance on purchasing indigenous art, or visit an indigenous community art centre. For a super-transportable souvenir, consider Australia’s national stone: the opal. There are three main types found in Australia, which has the world’s largest supply: black, white and boulder (cut from a host stone). Purchase from a reputable dealer, who will provide you with a certificate of authenticity from a member of the Australian Opal Association. 2. Canada Maple syrup is the country’s original sweetener, dating to aboriginal times. The boiled sap still flavours a full day of dining, from sunrise (doughnuts, pancakes) to snack time (cookies, confectionery) to nightcaps (whiskey, ice wine). For tree-to-bottle syrup, visit a sugar shack in Montreal or Quebec. Look for the “pure” label. You don’t want to end up with some modern-day treacle. Early Europeans used blankets from retailer Hudson’s Bay as currency with indigenous peoples, trading the wool item for beaver pelts. Today, the pricey blanket is still made in England and sold at Hudson’s Bay, a national department store in Canada. The off-white blankie with the green, red, yellow and blue stripes isn’t just for sofas and beds; the design also appears on mittens, scarves and blanket coats. The range of indigenous art is culturally and geographically wide. Inuit and Haida pieces portray slices of northern life, such as spear fishing with narwhals, and explore ancestral customs, mythologies and religious beliefs. For quality works, including totem poles, sandstone carvings and graphic prints, shop at reputable art galleries and museum stores. Or visit a native community and watch the artists transform a block of wood or slab of stone into a masterpiece. 3. China Tea is so synonymous with China that it has worked its way into our idioms – we wouldn’t trade anything for all the tea in China, for example. It ticks off a lot of other souvenir boxes, too: it differs depending on the region, is light and can be packed in pretty canisters. Go to a tea shop or a tea market, where vendors will prepare and pour samples for you. Unless you are buying aged tea, check the date it was bagged to make sure it is fresh – no more than a year old. The Chinese have used seals, colloquially known as chops, to sign artwork and documents since the Shang dynasty (about 1600BC to 1046BC). You can purchase them in many markets. Pick out a piece of stone you like, and the merchant will carve the characters you choose into the bottom. Chops are a few inches tall and are packed in silk gift boxes, sometimes with a container of red ink paste. Jade is valued for its beauty and strength; it is said to protect wearers and bring them luck. Confucius ascribed 11 virtues to it, including truth, credibility and morality. Unfortunately, not all sellers share those virtues. Find a reputable dealer in a large city (ask some locals) and make sure you get a certificate of authentication. Jade comes in three categories: A is completely natural material, B has been chemically bleached and injected with resin, and C has been dyed. 4. Italy All of Italy’s regions produce olive oil, but the best extra virgin originates in Sicily, Liguria and Lake Garda. Look for olive tree groves while driving around, then prepare to stop at the farmhouse selling bottles of oil squeezed from those trees. At grocery and chain stores, expect to pay more for small-batch production than industrial size. Handcrafted paper received a modern makeover in the 13th century, when artisans in Fabriano experimented with new techniques involving animal gelatin and watermarking. The town in the Ancona province still produces the luxurious paper and even has a museum where visitors can make their own sheets. Florence is the capital of Tuscany – and leather goods. Pick up purses, belts, wallets, gloves and key chains if you’re on a budget, and a coat if you’re not. If you can sniff out the real Italian leather from the fake, scour the street markets, such as San Lorenzo. For less detective work, drop into a reputable leather store, where the goods should boast “Made in Italy” and “Vero Cuoio” (“Real Leather”) tags. For shoes, dream big at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence, then head to Milan for more realistic shopping. Many of the shoe designers and makers go back generations. 5. Mexico Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos) figurines are popular all year, not just on November 1 and 2, when Mexicans throw a welcome-home party for deceased loved ones. The papier-mâché or clay skeletons perform land-of-the-living activities, such as dancing, dog-walking and getting hitched. Stephanie Schneiderman of Tia Stephanie Tours suggests buying directly from the artists in Puebla, Oaxaca and Michoacan. Talavera pottery picked up several influences on its way to Mexico during colonial times, including a high-temperature firing technique from Moorish Arabs and nature-themed motifs from Asia. Local artists transform the hand-painted earthenware into tiles, plates, dishes, vases and bowls. The cities of Puebla and Guanajuato specialise in the clay art form and support several established workshops, such as Talavera Santa Catarina and Talavera Uriarte. Oaxaca and Puebla both take ownership of mole, a traditional sauce. But there’s no need to take sides, because both regions produce a stellar product. Visit a local market to sample the vast array of flavours, such as negro, which contains 30 ingredients, including chocolate; and yellow, a simple blend of ground corn meal, dried red chilli and a green herbal leaf. 6. South Africa Shweshwe, the printed dyed cotton fabric manufactured in South Africa, goes by several names: the Sothos call it seshweshwe, the Zulus refer to it as isishweshwe and the Xhosas label it ujamani. Despite the different monikers, the patterned cloth is the same – and nearly unchanged since it arrived via Europe in the 1800s. Today, the only original shweshwe manufacturer left in the world is Da Gama, in the Eastern Cape. Designers create table linens, decorative pillows and clothing out of the textile. Zulus, the country’s largest ethnic group, uses the vibrant ornamentation of their beading as a form of communication, with the geometric patterns and primary colours relaying information about the wearer. Zulus share their tradition with tourists through jewellery, ceremonial headdresses, collars, napkin rings, coasters and artwork, including wire animal sculptures. For shops, Sunit Sanghrajka, founder of tour operator Alluring Africa, recommends the Big Five Duty Free chain in major airports, and the Sandton City shopping centre and Rosebank Art and Craft Market in Johannesburg. Rooibos, or red bush, only grows in South Africa – the Cederberg region of the Western Cape province, to be exact. The caffeine-free, antioxidant-rich herbal tea supposedly contains more healthful and healing properties than green tea. Buy it bagged or loose leaf, and drink it black: you don’t want to muddy the earthy flavour. Non-tea drinkers can get their rooibos fix through infused cosmetics (check Boots pharmacies and the Cape Grace Hotel), chocolate (try Le Chocolatier outlets) and spirits (Cape Town Gin’s Rooibos Red).