When you travel to a new destination, would you rather try out their local delicacies or just stick to your usual comfort food? I’m guessing the answer is, ‘of course we’d try out local cuisines’. Whatever peculiarities in cooking and eating styles may be, people who travel appreciate good food in whichever forms they come. This works because people always like acquiring new tastes and opening up new dimensions of their palates. Another reason vacation food is so good is that getting to know the fine aspects of a new cuisine is like getting to know the people of the region and their history. So local, traditional, street and even junk food are all a good part of travelling, wherever you go.
Even so, this list isn’t about national dishes that you should try. If you find yourself travelling to these regions, then this is the food you should line up to eat. This isn’t a list of dishes that represent their countries, but rather a list of all the smashing dishes that foodies like me, would love to bits. So if you don’t find the regulars, don’t let that disappoint you. Instead, expect a lot of unknown, waiting-to-be-loved dishes.
35.Jalebi – India:
Jalebi is a beautiful after-dinner sweet in households all over India. It has the right amount of tanginess and happiness-inducing sugars and is best eaten alongside Rabri, a condensed milk sweet. It is surely a sight to behold and a delight to taste, dessert or not.
34.Weiner Schnitzel – Austria:
This is a veal cutlet that is a thinner, extended form of Germany’s Schnitzel. It is part of Austria‘s Viennese cuisines. More than the breaded schnitzel itself, the accompaniments make it a must-try dish.
33.Goulash – Hungary:
Goulash is Hungary’s national dish. It is usually made of beef but can be substituted with lamb, pork and chicken too. The cream infused broth is the embodiment of comfort food. The hot broth-like Goulash will warm you up even in the coldest of days.
32.Baklava – UAE:
Baklava is an Arab dessert that is slowly growing to fame. With nutty undertones and flavours of the UAE sprinkled all over it, it is the exotic dessert-sweet to try now.
31.Nasi Goreng – Indonesia:
Nasi Goreng is Indonesia’s answer to the East’s ongoing fried rice mania. It is basically sticky rice fried along with meat, veggies and sauces, just like any other fried rice. But it is here because it has an edgy twist to it with a little of noodles too.
30.Matcha Icecream – Japan:
Matcha came out during a very apt time when the millennials were raging over weird things. So when it got popular, everything on Instagram had matcha on it. Matcha tea, matcha latte, matcha espresso, matcha cakes- matcha everything. Out of all this, the one that stuck is Matcha Icecream. The springiness in the tea contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the ice cream in it. So it is definitely a hit!
29.Avocado Toast – USA:
Talk about millennials and the avocado is here! If there is any food that can completely represent the quirky and peevish spirits of the millennials, it is undisputedly the Avocado Toast. These splendidly decorated slices are having a blast at every trendy cafe and food blogger’s Instagram. Try it out in America and know why it gets so much hype.
28.Kibbeh – Lebanon:
Kibbeh is a traditional Lebanese cutlet/kabab that has been passed down families since the Biblical times. These beef croquettes are now yummy delicacies that stand out against their other famous but moderate middle-east peers.
27.Poutine – Canada:
Canada is madly in love with this native dish. Imagine crunchy french fries topped with shredded pieces of meat, being seasoned, sprayed by cheese and other gooey things. The result, however, is nothing like you’d think. I would describe it as a yummy mess.
26.Maori Hangi – New Zealand:
Maori Hangi is chicken that was traditionally prepared in pit fires and is slow cooked. The method is hundreds of years old and is a must-try for campers in New Zealand. The smoky flavour infused in the chicken is too good to miss.
25.Butter Chicken – India:
Butter chicken is the creamy, gooey and mouth-watering gravy that dropped straight out of heaven. A little insight on how it’s made: Chicken marinated in cumin, yoghurt and other curry spices is grilled and then later sauteed in a beautiful mixture of more spices, cream and loads and loads of butter. What is left is the delicious and velvety butter chicken curry. It is preferably eaten with naan and chapati but can also be taken alongside pulaav and rice. Butter chicken curry is one of India‘s best curries.
24.Arepa – Venezuela:
Arepas are traditional Venezuelan corn-dough bread stuffed in the middle with patties, meat and other delish stuff. They taste as good as they look too!
23.Kimchi – Korea:
Kimchi is the crazy Korean street food that everyone cannot get enough of. It has slowly reached its way up to the USA now and is gaining popularity all over the world. Full of screaming colours and exploding tastes, this dish is one of the best Korea has ever produced.
22.Crepes – France:
Crepes are France‘s best sort of comfort food. They come in all shapes and all flavours. I, personally could stare at pictures of them all day long. A pastry in some forms, a wafery pancake in some, a jam-smeared paper in others. Cafe foods do not get any better than these. Sitting all day, eating flowery, buttery crepes topped with whipped cream, with a book in hand and a long coffee on the side is the most perfect day imaginable. Maybe even add a jar of Nutella to it.
21.Trdelnik – Czech Republic:
Trdelnik is the Czech Republic‘s most celebrated dessert. The arrival of these pastries on the streets once meant the arrival of Christmas too. Now they are extremely celebrated desserts in Prague and every other town in the country. They are rolled and dusted with various flavours such a poppy seed, pumpkin paste, almond powder, castor sugar and maple syrup.
20. Oysters – France
If you cross the threshold of that initial aversion, eating oysters is the most French thing to do. If you’re feeling pretty savvy that day, maybe even shuck an oyster and feel like a Michelin starred chef. Eating an oyster in itself needs a finer taste of sorts and when you do it, you immediately become much more of a gentleman. All of that apart, when you eat an oyster it feels like you’re getting a scoop of the ocean, with all the tangy sourness and the metallic creaminess. Also, oysters are supposed to be one of the best aphrodisiacs.
19.Waffles – Belgium:
Why not have waffles in the land of its birth? Yes, at Brussels you get the hottest, creamiest and spongiest of them. The above picture must be proof enough.
18.Paella – Spain:
Paella is a rice dish that is a portal to the Spanish beaches around Valencia’s coast. It is basically a wide pot full of steamed rice slow cooked with a hundred spies. As if this wasn’t enough, there is tons and tons of seafood cooked along with it. Mussels, clams, lobster, prawns, squid and crayfish you name it! Each bite will take you closer to these shores.
17.Moo Nam Tok – Thailand:
Moo Nam Tok translates to ‘waterfall’ in Thai. It is a watery salad made entirely of meat. Sometimes it is a spicy stock soup surrounding the meat too.
16.Macarons – France:
Cute little button macarons that look like a work of art is everybody’s dream aesthetic food. They are one of the trickiest treats to be made and are numero uno dessert items. If you’re ever in Paris and are looking for something to eat, go to your nearest macarons store. Eating one is equivalent to eating a cloud, a flavoured cloud.
15.Souvlaki – Greece:
Everything good about Greek cuisine put together and wrapped up in packages of foodie heaven.
14.Pie Floater – Australia:
Pies or dumplings floating in creamy pea soup. Bring it on!
13.Banoffee Pie – UK:
A Banoffee pie is every Pinterest lover’s dream recipe, a must-try for people looking to taste new and local desserts. A typical British meal will consist of meat and mince pies. That is why this dessert pie is a beautiful number on this list. It mainly consists of milk cream, condensed milk, toffee, caramel and of course, bananas. This sinful mixture is baked on a crumble/buttered cookie base. The story of how it was invented is more delightful than the dessert itself. Read it here.
12.Fondue – Switzerland:
Molten cheddar cheese kept in warm pots. Perfectly cut up pieces of bread immersed in the previously mentioned pot. Imagine both of these put together. The result obviously is a forever memorable experience. Cheese Fondue comes in a lot of shapes and flavours, all over the world, but the ones you find in Switzerland, ladies and gentlemen, is a paradise put in a dish. Thank God for the Swiss Gods who invented this, we now have the perfect idea of an alpine Sunday
11.New York Cheesecake – USA:
The classic New York Cheesecake is a simple yet phenomenal dessert that is made in delectable ways, making the best out of cream cheese. A beautiful Graham cracker buttered crust is used as a base. Slightly spongy and completely caramel-y is the texture. It is a burst of mellow flavours that you will crave for after you’ve finished it.
10.Kurtoskalacs – Hungary:
Kurtoskalacs are Hungary’s beautiful chimney cakes. They are rolled around a cylinder and kept in a chimney-like oven, hence the name. You will fall in love with this dessert just by the festive looks of it! They are yummy too.
9.Pavlova- Australia and New Zealand:
Pavlova, named after the Russian ballerina, is a meringue dessert. Funnily it is a large matter of conflict between Australians and New Zealanders since they started to exist. This creamy, fruity is a mouth-watering dish, just by the fluffy appearance.
8.Rote Grutze – Germany:
After harvest every year, folks from a certain area of Germany and Denmark made these delicious desserts using the yield. Fresh currants, strawberries, raspberries and cranberries went into the making of this dish. This pudding dessert’s name translates to Red Groats and looks like a red coloured forest. You know what I’m talking about, look at the picture above.
7.Moules Frites – Belgium:
There is no perfect way of eating Moules Frites. It is a bowl full of different mussels. A palate full of vibrant flavours. Forget chocolate. This is the dish you should be ordering when you’re in Belgium.
6.Peking Duck – China:
Peking Duck is a colourful Chinese dish that was beautifully adapted by the chefs from the Imperial influences. Breaking the duck is one of the most beautiful things to watch. The crunchy almost-brittle duck skin is cut wonderfully into shards and eaten like tiny pieces of steak or with noodles/rice.
5.Lamingtons – Australia:
Lamingtons are feathery little tea-time cakes that any tourist must try in Australia. This spongy butter cake is dipped in a layer of chocolate. It is then sprinkled with grated milk chocolate. Perfect for an evening of binge-watching, right? Maybe even binge-eating.
4.Neopolitan Pizza – Italy:
Founded in the region surrounding Naples, Italy, this is supposed to be Neopolitan Bonaparte’s favourite type of pizza(who can blame him for it!). A simple dough is wrought into a pizza with fresh herbs, button tomatoes, fresh basil and fresher mozzarella cheese to top it all. You get the groove, right? It might sound simple but you gotta try this at the land of its birth. You’ll know.
3.Suspiro de Limeña – Peru:
Suspiro de Limena roughly translates into ‘a woman’s moan’. The name came to be because of its sweetness and the amount of love it brews. This Peruvian dessert is made of caramel and liqueur meringue.
2.Crème Brûlée – France:
Just the thought of ravishing a Crème Brûlée brings so much joy to my heart. The golden brown caramelized sugar coat evokes such cravings! When it arrives on your table, it will seem like the cutest dessert ever. You will have to crack the glassy layer with the back of your spoon. After a few taps, it breaks, revealing luscious folds of buttery cream. The whole dramatic flair, along with the beautiful tastings makes this dish one of the best ever invented by man.
1. Biryani – India:
Did you actually think that I, being the crazy south-Indian that I am, would leave out Biryani here? Biryani, the colossal dish, tops this list because any list featuring world’s greatest dishes will have to have Biryani; right at the top. All of these allegations are not proofless. It has deliciously cooked meat, rice steamed along with the traces of all the best Indian spices. The smell itself is enough to completely entice you. Somehow even the most accurate of descriptions would fail when you actually try it. Trust me, after you’ve had a mouthful of it, you will completely agree with me.
If any of the above dishes impressed you, don’t wait for a moment and try them in real! Book a trip with Pickyourtrail right away. Or maybe choose from this list of itineraries.
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