Wonderful food is a key part of a fabulous holiday, and a memorable meal can be the thing you remember long after your suntan has faded. Wherever you travel in the world, there are quintessential meals that are really unmissable – how many have you tried
There's nothing quite like experiencing the real thing, the most authentic local fare – from the freshest sushi in Japan to the most succulent roast duck in China. Sate your appetite with our round-up of eight essential foodie experiences in some of the tastiest destinations in the world. Prepare to feel hungry...
1. Sushi in Tokyo
Tokyo is not known as the Big Sushi for nothing – its variety and quality of food and drink is unrivalled. The Japanese love to eat seafood as close as possible to its natural state – either as sashimi, slices of raw fish served with a dip of soy sauce and wasabi (horseradish), or as sushi, on vinegared rice. The best-known sushi is the Tokyo style known as nigiri-sushi. Some of the best sushiya (sushi shops) are found near the central fish market in Tsukiji – head there for a sushi breakfast. Experience this for yourself on Insight Guides' Japan Culinary Sensation holiday; our local expert will take you to the best sushi stalls around. Although guaranteed to be memorable, dining at a top sushi restaurant can be a dauntingly expensive experience. The cheaper alternative is a kaiten-zushi shop, where small dishes of sushi pass by on a conveyor belt, sometimes for as little as ¥100 per plate.
2. Rice and curry in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's national meal is not referred to as “curry” but as “rice and curry”: a mountainous plate of rice generally accompanied by a culinary compendium of contrasting textures and flavours, from highly spiced meat and fish curries to gently flavoured dishes of pineapple, sweet potato or aubergine, plus servings of unusual local vegetables – anything from drumsticks (murunga, a bit like okra), ash plantain or jak fruit to other, more arcane regional foodstuffs – as well as the classic mallung (shredded green vegetables cooked with grated coconut and turmeric). You’ll also be given a bowl of dhal, some crispy little poppadums and at least one or two dishes of sambol. Locals will take balls of cooked rice and rub the highly spiced accompaniments into them, massaging the mixture gently between the fingers to blend the flavours. Tuck into Sri Lanka's best food on your very own trip with Insight Guides: review suggested itineraries online now.
3. Steak in Argentina
Irrespective of Argentina’s increasingly diverse gastronomy, it remains the case that most travellers land in the country with one overriding ambition: to seek out and devour one of the giant, flavoursome, and butter-tender steaks for which the country is renowned. It is not a difficult mission. If you are more than five minutes away from a parrilla (steakhouse) in an Argentine city, you are probably lost. These are ubiquitous and run the gamut from upmarket establishments with prodigious wine lists and bilingual menus to holes in the wall with garden furniture and a binary wine choice (red or white). Feeling tempted? Ask our local expert about the food and wine experiences featured on our Argentina's Northern Highlights trip.
4. Pho in Hanoi
A hugely popular dish all over the world, pho is never better than in its own homeland of Vietnam, where it is the unofficial national dish. This rice noodle soup is the most common street food in Vietnam, especially in Hanoi. Usually eaten for breakfast, it makes a tasty meal at any time of the day. A hot, aromatic broth is poured over noodles topped with either slivers of beef (bo) or chicken (ga) to which diners add their own chillies, lime and sauces. In the south, a huge plate of herbs accompanies each bowl. Mouth watering? Check out our dedicated Vietnam Culinary Discovery tour, which includes tastings, cooking classes and market tours.
Streetside pho in Hanoi. Photo: Shutterstock5. Peking duck in Beijing
The earliest mention of Beijing’s most famous dish, Peking duck, can be traced back to a 12th-century cookbook. Numerous restaurants in the city now serve this dish. To prepare the ambrosial Peking duck, the bird’s unbroken skin is inflated like a balloon, filled with water and glazed with sugar. The duck is then roasted in an oven heated by burning the wood of fruit trees such as date, peach and pear. When the roast duck arrives, you fill your own pancakes at the table. Use your chopsticks to pick up some spring onion and use it as a kind of paint brush to dab a salty hoisin bean sauce on the pancake. Add one or two pieces of duck, roll the pancake and enjoy. Contact Renee, our China expert, about our China and Tibet – An Unforgettable Adventure itinerary and to add stops in Beijing's best restaurants.
6. Mezze feast in Dubai
Dubai is well known for its wide range of top-notch cuisine, but when you want to keep it a bit more homegrown, it's an excellent place to eat Arabic mezze, perhaps better known internationally as Lebanese. Mezze – small dishes and dips – are the Middle East’s equivalent of tapas. Staple mezze to scoop up with flat Arabic bread are: hummus (a chickpea dip with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice); tabbouleh (finely chopped parsley and mint with tomato and bulgar wheat); fattoush (a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber with toasted Arabic bread); moutabel (similar to hummus, but made with roasted eggplant); and falafel (deep-fried, mashed chickpea patties). Mezze are usually followed by a main course such as shawarma or grilled meat, but can be a satisfying and filling meal in themselves. And don't forget to try one of Dubai's famed Friday bottomless brunches!
7. Som tam in Thailand
Thailand is known for its delicious food and is often considered one of the finest cuisines in the world, so choosing one dish is hard. But for an authentic taste of Thailand, you can't beat the spicy-savoury-sweet-sour taste explosion of som tam (shredded green papaya, garlic, chillies, lime juice, and variations of tomatoes, dried shrimp, preserved crab and fermented fish). This dish originated in the northeast of the country and is famed for its searing heat, but can be found all over. Learn to create this dish and more for yourself in a one-on-one cooking class on Insight Guides' Bangkok Gourmet tour.
8. Pollo con mole in Mexico
One of the real “must-tries” of Mexican cooking – rarely done well in Mexican restaurants outside the country – is pollo con mole, chicken in a thick savoury chocolate sauce; traditionally, the richest moles come from Oaxaca. Mole is a curiously rich sauce that’s said to have been invented by a nun during colonial times. Mole is, in fact, one of the most obvious Spanish-indigenous combinations on any menu. As many as 40 ingredients go into its preparation, including chilis, spices, tortilla, nuts, and even chocolate. The sauce, served with chicken or the native turkey and accompanied with corn tortillas and rice, is often eaten at parties or wedding feasts. Every variation of mole can be sampled at the yearly mole festival held in San Pedro Atocpán (Mexico City). Want to experience this festival on your own trip to Mexico? Submit a trip request online now.
Pollo con mole. Photo: Shutterstock
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