One of the most wonderful things about travelling is the opportunity to try new and exciting food. The vibrancy of street food, the explosion of flavour and colour in tropical fruits and the sizzle and crackle of meats prepared and marinated in every way imaginable.
Thailand
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Thai Food from my parent’s restaurant! |
The Netherlands
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Dutch Pancake/pannenkoek |
Crisp, soft and delicate yet filling, dutch pancakes are a must-try in The Netherlands. They are served both sweet and savoury and in a portion large enough to satisfy any big appetites out there. It’s cheap and cheerful dining at it’s best! Other quirky popularities in the Netherlands are chips with mayonaise and hagelslag (colourful chocolate/fruit flavoured sprinkles on bread/toast!). Restaurants in The Netherlands are characteristic and unique, with very few chain shops dominating the high street.
Tunisia
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Bread in a Tunisian Market |
Served in a little basket, fresh rolls of home-made bread are normally served as a accompaniment with breakfast, lunch and dinner in Tunisia. Soft, round floury baps line carts in markets and it is a common staple food in the home. It’s the perfect pre-dinner appetite primer! Other Tunisian delicacies include the inventive use of eggs and tuna in a variety of dishes and small, sweet nutty pastries (similar to Baklava).
Nepal
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Momos (Nepalese dumplings) & Daal Bhaat. Photos from Google, but all the other pictures are taken by me! 🙂 |
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Fresh pasta! |
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Sadya: normally served on a banana leaf |
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Big hearty portions after construction work |
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Gnocchi |
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3 fish main course for 8 euros: sword-fish, salmon and another mysterious fish. |
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Cheap/fresh and tasty! |
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Food we ate at school: corn with a bean stock soup |
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Currywurst! |
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Cheese Fondue – 20 euros per person |
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The best kept secret in Lagos, Escondidinho Restaurant |
We strolled up a steel hill, winding streets and pass a cemetery. The restaurant was tucked away in a corner on a very quiet residential street. The food was definitely worth the search! We ordered a tuna steak and sea bream and the fish practically fell apart on the cutlery. At around 12 euros each, the meal did not break the bank.
Other popular delicacies that are definitely worth a try in Portugal are pastel de nata (egg tarts) and piri-piri chicken.
Morocco
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Chicken Tagine |
Meat infused with a citrus tang, olives and herbs: tagines are a sensation of flavours. Morocco is also known as the land of spices. With simple ingredients such as aubergine and couscous combined with spices, these dishes become a taste experience. Morocco is also famous for it’s sweet, mint tea. With a visit to Marrakech, I would definitely recommend the fresh orange juice stalls (only 4DH, 30p) a glass and the fruit and nut stalls that sell fresh dates for a decent price.
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Korean BBQ at a restaurant -‘Kobi’ |
South Korea
It is the lovely, little accompanying side dishes that makes Korean meals such a pleasure to consume. With lunch and dinner, alongside rice, you are normally served a watery tofu based soup, a meat or egg stir fry, vegetables and kimchi. Korean BBQ’s have also become popular internationally. Other korean dishes that are definitely worth a try are patbingsu (shaved ice with red bean and crunchy toppings) and bibimbap (rice with chilli sauce, egg, vegetables and meat).
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Patbingsu |
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Shopping centre: plastic food displays to show what the food looks like! |
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Typical Korean meal: Rice, soup, veg and fish. |
Nicaragua
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Typical breakfast |
10 weeks in Nicaragua! Gallo pinto for breakfast (rice & beans mixed together), rice & beans for lunch, and beans & rice for dinner. It is the staple food in Nicaragua that I did begin to grow fond of after a week of traveller’s diarrhoea. I stayed in a rural community where other delicacies included cuajada (cheese, kind of), tortillas and lots of sugary Nicaraguan coffee.
England
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Lifeboat Restaurant, #1 Fish and Chips in Hastings! |
I think the keywords for British food are hearty and comforting. From the Full English, to a Sunday roast to good old fish and chips.
For two summers, I worked at a chippie on the Hastings seafront, serving up massive portions of cod and chips to pensioners and families. Tea warms the soul. Pubs are rooted in history and in most cases, good places to socialise. Other typical British dishes include sausage & mash and pie.
London
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Borough Market: Foodie paradise |
Home is where the heart is! I genuinely love living in London due to the diverse, ever-changing and countless restaurants you can go to. With diversity comes variety, you can find authentic restaurants all over.
There are markets brimming with food stalls from Europe to Ethiopia and speciality shops where you can pick up international herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables. Some of my favourite restaurants in London are:
- Mirch Masala (Tooting, Indian)
- Al Forno (Wimbledon, Italian)
- Joy King Lau (Soho, Chinese).
- The Chicken Shop (Kentish Town, Chicken)
- Wahaca (Covent Garden, Mexican)
Round up
- I only chose 1 – 2 dishes from each country, sorry to any natives out there if I missed out something worthy of a mention.
- I dine on a studenty budget. All the places where I eat out normally cost under £15 a head. I know this eradicates a big portion of the restaurants out there e.g. michelin starred dining but I do believe that unpretentious dining and even street side stalls provide some of the most delicious/authentic foods out there.
- I try to avoid dining at chain restaurant establishments, there is so much fun to be had finding the hidden gems and supporting independent businesses.
- Name and shame: I really dislike Wagamama and Fire & Stone. One thing these restaurants have in common is the marketing gimmick of ‘fusion cuisine’. Countries have such a unique array of dishes, I think it’s completely unnecessary to blend different cuisines together.
- For cheap European holidays, I always pick self-catering. It gives you the freedom to explore the culinary delights of a country without time restricting/standard hotel meals.
- Chilli becomes the tastiest thing in the world if you give it a chance you will develop a palate for it :).