What food souvenirs can I bring back from Bali?

Short answer

Good food souvenirs from Bali are Kintamani arabica coffee, Amed or Kusamba sea salt, palm sugar, dried spices and Balinese spice mixes, vanilla, Kubu cashews and local chocolate. If you fly back to France or the EU, meat and dairy products from outside the EU are banned, and fresh fruit generally needs a phytosanitary certificate. Skip kopi luwak, usually produced with caged civets.

In detail

Kintamani arabica coffee has been a protected geographical indication since 2008, and Amed salt since 2015, also protected in the EU. Kubu cashews from Karangasem are another registered speciality. Buy sealed, labelled packs from shops or cooperatives.

French customs rules for travellers from outside the EU: no meat or meat products, no milk or dairy; fish and seafood up to 20 kg; honey up to 2 kg. Bananas, coconuts, pineapples, dates and durians are allowed, but other fresh fruit such as salak or mangosteen needs a phytosanitary certificate. Declare animal products, or they will be seized and destroyed.

Alcohol allowances when flying in from outside the EU are 1 litre of spirits over 22% (such as arak, legal in Bali since 2020) or 2 litres under 22%, plus 4 litres of wine and 16 litres of beer, for travellers aged 17 and over. Put liquids over 100 ml in checked baggage.

Kopi luwak is coffee passed through civets. A study by Oxford and World Animal Protection found that all 16 Bali plantations examined kept civets in poor conditions, and there is no reliable way to verify "wild" kopi luwak, so it is best avoided.

Good to know

Buy vacuum-packed coffee, spices and salt: they travel better and are easier for customs to identify.
If you are unsure about a product, call French customs on 0 800 94 40 40 before you fly.
Avoid coffee plantation visits that show caged civets.

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Sources

Rules and prices in Indonesia change often. Always check official sources before you travel.