If you consider yourself a foodie, then these travel experiences are for you. Whether you've got a sweet tooth or you like to be a little adventurous, the world has a lot to offer on a plate.
Long the world’s prime cocoa producer, Ecuador was usurped by West Africa in the twentieth century when mass-produced chocs, made with cheaper beans, became fashionable. With gourmet chocolate in vogue again, Ecuadorean cocoa farmers are busier than ever. Guayas province is scattered with family-run plantations; visit during the April and May harvest to see them in action.
Rugged Gascony is a sleepy, untouristed region celebrated for its punchy cuisine – think black sausage, gizzards and foie gras washed down with Armagnac – and it’s become something of a foodie hotspot in recent years. Gascony’s most prized dish is confit de canard: salt-cured duck roasted in its own fat – an ages-old preparation that results in deliciously crispy skin and melt-in-the-mouth meat.
Duck legs confit with potato gratin and mushroom sauce © Anna_Pustynnikova/Shutterstock
After visiting the Hermitage Museum’s extensive art collection, some Russian-style sustenance is in order. The Caviar Bar in St Petersburg’s swanky Hotel Europe is the best place to sample top-notch caviar, selected from a trolley which comes loaded with the traditional accompaniments of blinis, sour cream and chopped eggs. A vodka sommelier is on hand to pair your sevruga with your Stolichnaya.
Black caviar © Goskova/Shutterstock
Truffles certainly don’t look like a delicacy – but their unique aroma can transform a humdrum dish into something really special.
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Authentic bird’s nest soup (as opposed to the inauthentic noodles-as-nest variety) is made from the nest of the swiftlet, a small bird found throughout southeast Asia. Rather than twigs and leaves, the nest is made from saliva strands, which harden when exposed to air. Served in a steaming bowl of chicken broth, the dish is reputed by the Chinese to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Bird's nest soup with bird's nests on the side © imppp/Shutterstock
An unlikely delicacy, tube-shaped percebes, or “gooseneck barnacles”, cling to
© mimohe/Shutterstock
As the world’s second-biggest producer of coffee (after Brazil),
© Tati Nova photo Mexico/Shutterstock
The world-famous Sacher-Torte – a deliciously dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam and dark chocolate icing – was invented by 16-year-old kitchen hand Franz Sacher in 1832. Despite city-wide competition,
Raclette has been Swiss comfort food for centuries. Shepherds in the Alps would warm themselves around a fire and melt a wedge of the local cheese, before scraping an oozy layer over potatoes and cornichons. Today, the heat comes from an electric grill, but the social aspect remains the same: this is a meal to linger over with friends.
Raclette cheese melted by raclette pan is putting on freshly boiled potatoes © bonchan/Shutterstock
Exotic durian, revered in southeast Asia as the “king of fruits”, is known for its pungent smell (think smelly socks and sour milk). If you’re tempted, avoid the fruit itself – durian ice cream or biscuits make a more gentle introduction. The fruit is grown throughout southeast Asia (just follow your nose), but durian connoisseurs rate the quality offerings grown in the Balik Pulao region of
Quinto quarto, Rome typical meal © andrea federici/Shutterstock
Grilled salmon garlic herb by lemon © vanillaechoes/Shutterstock
Once considered only fit for school dinners, the humble rhubarb has been championed by celebrity chefs in recent years. It thrives in the “Rhubarb Triangle” between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell in West
Freshly picked rhubarb placed in a wooden garden trugg © Peter Titmuss/Shutterstock
In the late nineteenth century, a wave of Italian immigrant fishermen arrived in
Homemade italian seafood cioppino © norikko/Shutterstock
Thanks to the concentration of fresh and salt water on the coast in this area, world-class oysters from
© Shutterstock
If you fancy an extreme eating challenge, get hold of a tin of surströmming, or soured Baltic herring. Caught in the spring, the herring is fermented in barrels for a couple of months before being canned, where it ferments for another six months. Opening a tin unleashes a powerful, overwhelming stench – which perhaps explains why the Swedes like to eat it alfresco.
Fugu (literally “river pig”) is Japan’s most notorious dish. This innocuous-looking pufferfish harbours a deadly poison 1250 times stronger than cyanide, requiring careful preparation to remove the toxins before it’s eaten: Japanese law states that only rigorously trained chefs are allowed to handle it. Fugu can be served in a variety of ways, the most popular being sashimi.
Basque sailors introduced cider to the Normans in the sixth century, and it’s still a favourite local tipple.
© mythja/Shutterstock
Tangia has always been a bachelor’s dish in
Tangia Marrakechia, Morocco © keeshaskitchen.com/Shutterstock
The Irish monks that first introduced whisky to
Two glasses of good whisky with ice © Shaiith/Shutterstock