I don’t know about you, but I always consider my travels to be as much a culinary adventure as a way of relaxing – and I must say, the two usually go hand in hand! Over the years, I think I’ve visited some destinations that have really opened my eyes in terms of cuisine; below, you’ll find my list of the top five places to eat around the world. Enjoy!
1) Spain
I think Spain is probably my favourite place to eat on the entire planet. One of the things I enjoyed most was tapas, which are little dishes you can order as a snack, or lots of them together as a main meal. Yes, there are tapas bars in the UK, but nothing compares to the authentic venues you get in Spain itself.
Popular tapas dishes include croquettes, Spanish omelettes (an absolute must-try!) and patatas bravas. And, whether you go for a seafood, meat or vegetable variety, paella is an another must – particularly when washed down with sangria.
The real surprise for me when I went to Spain, though, was the pastry and hot chocolate. I had no idea the nation did pastry so well, and I cannot recommend tucking into a banda de crema – a traditional tube-shaped pastry with a creamy filling – for breakfast highly enough.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the amount of food to try in Spain. Barcelona city holidays allow you try all of these delicacies in one spot since it is such a large and vast city. Be sure to take the hop-on, hop-off tour bus while you’re in Barcelona as well, it’s a great way to see the city.
2) Greece
Next on my list is Greece – a veritable heaven for foodies. Of course, Greece is famous for its history, and I love the fact that the cuisine has similarly impressive roots, dating back around 4,000 years. So, to eat authentic Greek food is to experience a real slice of local culture.
Greek dishes usually use a lot of local olive oil, cheeses such as feta, meat like lamb and pork, and pitta bread served with dips. If you want to try as many different dishes as possible while you’re here, go for meze, which is similar to Spanish tapas in that it comprises lots of small dishes you and your travelling buddies can all share. By the way, you can find out more about top meals to enjoy and places to stay through travel companies like Sovereign.
3) France
No list of the top countries to eat in would be complete without France, would it? France’s cuisine has long been famous for being some of the best in the world and, let’s be honest, it’s a reputation that’s well deserved.
What I love about going to France is the regional variation you can enjoy. For instance, when I was in Paris I tucked into exquisite fresh pastries for breakfast and had classic mains like steak frites and traditional light lunches like croque monsieur. When I stayed in the mountains in the south, though, I went all out on the cheese dishes, tucking into warming fondue, raclette and tartiflette – delicious!
4) Italy
Italian food is so ubiquitous in the UK that you might think it’s not really worth travelling to Italy to try it. It absolutely is, though – here in the UK we’ve put our own twist on classic Italian dishes, so often what you will eat in Italy is a lot different.
Usually, it’s much more rustic – and I think it’s all the better for it. Order a pizza in Italy and you get a thin, crispy base, and you can really taste the full flavour of the simple toppings. I’d also urge you to try the gelato (ice cream), which is easily among the finest in the world, having a rich, almost chewy consistency and coming in all kinds of decadent flavours.
5) Thailand
I thought I’d end my list with Thailand – because who doesn’t love Thai food? What I adore about eating here is that there’s such a huge variety of dishes to choose from and, what’s more, the flavours are really different from those I’d usually experience in the UK.
The key of Thai cuisine is that it aims for a balance of flavours between sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter. Dishes are usually served with rice and will comprise many individual elements that are designed to be combined and shared with others.
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