Travel Destinations for the Gourmet Traveler Culinary Vacation Travel!

1 Italy Get to know the true promise of Mediterranean food with regional differences: Pasta, penne, polenta, prosciutto, parmigiano and pecorino, rigatoni, risotto, vitello and scaloppine, tiramisu and panna cotta. The country offers also some of the best wines in the world. Italy's quality wines are DOCG labelled. You will love it. 2. Indonesia "I think that Indonesia is more beautiful than the customers told me. The people are very kind and the nature is green". - From Wehl Reisbureau Holland (FamTrip, April 14-29, 2011) http://www.facebook.com/indonesiatravel?sk=app_4949752878 3 Spain ¡A comer! Discover the secrets of traditional Spanish cuisine, an array of unique cuisines heavily based on seafood, particularly in coastal regions, but also meat dishes made from lamb, beef, etc. are very popular. Spain's history and as well beeing a seafaring nation brought many culinary influences to the Spanish cuisine of today with thousands of recipes and flavors. 4 Japan Japanese cuisine is not only Sushi and Sashimi, for its gastronomic specialties it uses some of the most expensive ingredients. There is for example the bluefin tuna, for which Japan's high-end restaurants pay a king's ransom to purchase it. Or the most expensive beef in the world, Wagyu - Kobe beef, or Matsusaka beef, its consumption welcomes you to the beef-eaters heaven; try it as shabu-shabu, steaks, sukiyaki, or beef sashimi. Dare to enjoy? Japan's cuisine offers also thrilling experiences like that of the consumption of Fugu fish. Fugu can be lethally poisonous, therefore it has to be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat. Fugu is served as sashimi and chiri-nabe (hot pot). During the winter months you can enjoy nabemono or nabe, a very traditional way of cooking and eating in Japan. 5 France France is a synonym for exceptional culinary arts and famous chefs. The French kept, refined, and reinvented the very best from all culinary influences of the last 2000 years. France offers a state-of-the art cuisine and the world's best wines. But in recent times it lost some of its international reputation because many restaurants are using more often ingredients that are factory-made or processed, instead of using fresh ingredients. The French government is trying to reverse the trend by awarding chefs who uphold culinary traditions with the title of 'master restaurateurs'. But so far just a few have qualified for the title. Therefore France has lost its number one rank in "Travel Destinations for the Gourmet Traveler". 6 China For people who love new experiences. Regional cultural differences vary greatly amongst the different regions of China, giving rise to the different styles of food. There are eight main regional cuisines, the Eight Great Traditions (八大菜系) and they are: Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan, and Zhejiang. Among them, Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, and Huaiyang cuisine (a major style and even viewed as the representation of the entire Jiangsu cuisine) are often considered as the standouts of Chinese cuisine and due to their influence are proclaimed as the Four Great Traditions (四大菜系). 7 Caribbean Hot, hot, hot, and a little spicy. The Caribbean cuisine is based on cooking cultures of Caribbean Indians, African hunters, European sailors, and Indian and Chinese merchants. Caribbean food is basically fish or meat flavored with hot pepper, lime, curry and other spices served with rice. Whenever you're on Anguilla try Cap Juluca. 8 Peru A culinary hot spot: try traditional Peruvian cooking, a mix of Spanish and native Indian food. Highlight of Peru's Nouveau Cuisine is Novandina, based on Incan ingredients. 9 Viet Nam The Vietnamese cuisine has influences from China, mainly from the Cantonese style of cooking as well as some from French cuisine. Staple foods are Rice and rice noodles, a wide variety of vegetables and the usage of fresh herbs and spices. Some eating habits in Vietnam may appear very exotic to westerners, there seems to be no food taboos in Vietnam, almost all animals are suitable for consumption like poisonous snakes and scorpions, Like in Chinese cuisine many if not all of these specialities are considered to have a medicinal or aphrodisiac effect. Whenever you're in Hanoi try Hanoi Garden Restaurant in Hanoi's Old Quarter (30-36 Hang Manh street), und you will know what Vietnamese cuisine is able for, and some call this average. 10 Malaysia The food in Penang is widely regarded as the best in Malaysia. George Town the capital city of Penang is known as the culinary capital of Malaysia. 11 Singapore fights for the title of the Food Capital of Asia, you might want to visit the Singapore Food Festival, one of Asia's foremost gastronomic event. 12 Thailand The Thai cuisine are actually four regional cuisines of the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (Isan), Central and Southern. Thai food is mainly based on the use of fresh herbs and spices, and the way to chose individual dishes, accompanied by rice. The various dishes try to find a balance of the five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal - spicy, sour, sweet, salty and (optional) bitter. Beeing in Bangkok try Mango Tree Restaurant (near Silom; 37 Soi Tantawan, Surawongse Rd) and Just One Restaurant (Sathon Soi 1) Simple rule of thumb: if at home and if you don't know the restaurant with foreign cuisine, look if it is used by a bunch of home country nationals, if yes just try it.