Food is an inseparable part of travel pleasures. Beyond satisfying hunger and enjoying flavors, food connects to the society and culture where you travel, linking to the environment and local ingredients. Many travelers dedicate a significant part of their trip to culinary experiences, and even those not seeking the best restaurant enjoy trying local dishes. And if there is food why not go for the best? We collected some especially tasty places around the world and added recommendations for the most successful dishes you can find there.
Pizza in Naples, Italy
Pizza can be eaten anywhere in the world today, and making it at home is not complicated, but everyone knows there is nothing like Italian pizza, and more precisely, nothing like Neapolitan pizza. Pizza has many versions, but Neapolitan pizza has very clear rules, with the motto “the simpler the better.” Neapolitan pizza consists of very few ingredients: dough thin and incredibly crispy, tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and mozzarella cheese. Marinara pizza does not even contain cheese, but it has garlic and oregano. In Naples, there is even a standard for pizza, which determines that real pizza uses local San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and dough from durum wheat fermented for six hours. The combination of all these, baked in a brick oven, creates one of the most delicious and beloved foods in the world.
Traditional Neapolitan pizza at a local pizzeria. The simplest possible.
In Naples, there are hundreds of pizzerias, and the competition between them is tough, but it is always worth choosing a place with a limited menu that serves mostly pizza. If you need to choose one place in Naples to eat pizza, it is a pizzeria famous for over 140 years. They serve only two types of pizza Marinara (without cheese) and Margherita.
Ratatouille in Nice, France
The vegetable stew, originating from Provence in southern France, inspired a famous movie and also local versions worldwide from Italian Caponata through Eastern European Givetch to Turkish Imam Bayildi. The origin remains Provençal, specifically in Nice on the French Riviera. Traditionally, ratatouille is prepared only in the summer months, when local vegetables are at their peak, and it contains tomatoes, zucchini, red and green peppers, eggplants, onions, and garlic, with a mix of local herbs (Herbes de Provence). Ratatouille can be eaten hot or cold, as a vegetarian dish with fresh bread to soak up the sauce or as a side to meat dishes. In every way you choose to eat it, ratatouille found in Nice and its surroundings in the summer is the tastiest in the world.
Bolognese Ragu in Bologna, Italy
Italian cuisine is loved worldwide, and therefore we chose another dish from it. Alongside pizza, pasta features in many kitchens, and one popular version worldwide is pasta with Bolognese sauce (Ragù Bolognese). This dish has many variations, the most known includes tomato sauce with meat. Classic Bolognese is based on minced meat cooked slowly with aromatic chopped vegetables like carrots, red wine, and a little tomato paste, called Ragù Bolognese. In Bologna, the sauce is served not with spaghetti, as common elsewhere, but with tagliatelle, flat wide egg noodles.
As expected, Bologna, the birthplace of this wonderful sauce, is the best place to enjoy a perfect plate of tagliatelle with Bolognese ragu. Almost every restaurant in the city serves Bolognese ragu, and it is better to avoid tourist traps and choose small home-style restaurants, even if the menu is not in English. One of these restaurants is a small intimate Osteria, serving ragu cooked for hours, considered the best in the city. They also serve classic dishes like tortellini, small pasta rings filled with cheese, meat or vegetables, and mortadella sausage.
Fondue in Fribourg, Switzerland
Switzerland’s culinary contribution is limited, but one internationally successful dish is fondue. Fondue, meaning “melted,” is a mixture of cheeses cooked with white wine, garlic, and black pepper in a traditional pot called a caquelon. Fondue is not eaten alone or in front of the TV. Eating fondue is a social ritual, placing the fondue pot on a burner in the center of the table, where diners dip bread, stir, and eat. Dropping the bread is punished by singing, ordering wine for everyone, or kissing all diners.
The secret to fondue’s success lies in the cheeses used. Switzerland is a cheese powerhouse, and the base is usually two of its celebrated cheeses Emmental and Gruyère (half and half). Each region claims the best fondue, but Fribourg, producing the Gruyère for the fondue base, is the most renowned. Excellent fondue can be found in the medieval town of Gruyères.
Corned Beef Sandwich in Manhattan
Jewish food often brings thoughts of stew, soup with dumplings, or chopped liver. In New York, for Jewish food, you are likely directed to one of the many delicatessens, specializing in giant sandwiches of rye bread, mustard, and pickles, filled with juicy slices of meats like pastrami, tongue, and the most popular corned beef. Many of these delicatessens, despite specializing in Jewish food, mainly Eastern European, are not kosher.
The number of Jewish delis in New York has declined over recent years, but in the Lower East Side, they are still present. The most famous is Katz’s Delicatessen, considered by many the best place for a superb corned beef sandwich and excellent pastrami. Established in 1888, it became a tourist site after being featured in a famous movie scene. The sandwiches here are huge, and it is definitely not a place for dieting.
Pad Thai in Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand is known worldwide for its wonderful cuisine, and the most famous Thai dish is Pad Thai rice noodles stir-fried in a wok with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind sauce, vegetables, and shrimp or chicken or tofu. Crushed peanuts and cilantro are sprinkled on top. Worldwide, including in other countries, you can find Pad Thai, but usually in a diluted version. The secret lies in the seasoning and sauces fish sauce and tamarind sauce. Part of Pad Thai’s charm is the ease of enjoying it Bangkok is full of street stalls offering excellent Pad Thai for very little. You can also eat Pad Thai in restaurants. One highly recommended is Thip Samai, often cited as the best in the city, evidenced by the long line of locals and tourists.
Peking Duck in Beijing, China
Peking duck, or duck Beijing-style, is one of the most recognized Chinese dishes. The duck, brushed with maltose, is roasted whole in the oven for hours. The result is crisp, brown, sweet skin with incredibly tender meat. The skin is integral, served with thin pancakes, sauces, and vegetables, allowing diners to assemble their dish. Due to its complexity and need for a large oven, it is served only in specialized restaurants and is especially popular with locals. Famous restaurants include Quanjude, opened in 1864, and Bianyifang, founded in 1416, which roast the duck differently for unique textures.
Dim Sum in Hong Kong
Gyoza, shumai, wonton, char siu these are names of small dumplings, some made with wheat dough, some with rice dough, steamed or fried, filled with meat, chicken, seafood, or vegetables, forming a dim sum meal. Dim sum is more than a meal it is a cultural experience. In traditional dim sum restaurants, waiters carry carts full of steaming dumplings, and diners choose their dishes. Dim sum is always accompanied by Chinese tea. The origin is Canton, South China, but it spread to all of China and the West. Many argue the best dim sum is served in Hong Kong. Hundreds of varieties are offered; prestigious restaurants serve at least 150 types. Famous places include City Hall Maxim’s Palace and Luk Yu Tea House.
Mole Poblano in Puebla, Mexico
Mole is one of the important and famous components of Mexican cuisine. There are dozens of rich concentrated sauces called mole, each with unique ingredients. Mole Poblano’s main ingredients are chili peppers and chocolate. Fresh cocoa beans are roasted and ground into the mixture, which also includes many types of peppers, nuts, peanuts, sesame, raisins, tomatoes, and more. The sauce is used for meat, chicken, and turkey dishes. Mole sauces are common throughout Mexico, but the best place to enjoy Mole Poblano is Puebla, its birthplace. Local restaurants serve mole dishes, and homemade sauces can also be bought in markets.
