For true foodies, there’s always one thing at the top of their vacation list: trying new-to-them standout cuisine.
Eating your way through a destination is one of the best routes to understanding a place’s culture and traditions. Not to mention, you may learn a cooking technique or two to bring back home. It’s the souvenir that keeps on giving!
So if delicious dining is on your travel wishlist, where should you go next? Consider these top 3 spots for bonafide foodies:
1. Puerto Rico
Just a short flight away from many U.S. destinations, Puerto Rico is a culinary haven that doubles as a sun-splashed island getaway. If you consider yourself a foodie, be sure to spend some time in Puerto Rico’s attractive capital, San Juan. Go on a street food crawl to taste PR favorites like mofongo (smashed and fried spiced plantain), stuffed arepas made with coconut flour, or pastelon (a lasagna-like dish layered with plantains).
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Puerto Rico has got you covered with creamy favorites like flan, tres leches cake, rice pudding, and more. Start your morning with a sweet guava-filled pastry, and then start your afternoon with—what else?—a pina colada made with Puerto Rican rum. In fact, the pina colada was declared the official drink of Puerto Rico way back in 1978!
2. Peru
Peru may be best known as an outdoor adventure lover’s destination, with its cloud forests and hikes to Machu Picchu. But Peru’s vibrant cities are home to an eclectic cuisine that needs to be tasted to be believed.
What makes Peru’s cuisine so unique is its fusion elements—it’s an enticing mix of traditional Incan food (think: lots and lots of potatoes) plus Asian, Spanish, and other European influences. Head to Lima, considered one of the best food cities in the world, to try some can’t-miss Peruvian dishes like ceviche, lomo saltado (a Chinese-influenced stir-fried beef dish), or even wood-smoked guinea pig stuffed with herbs. You can dine like kings and queens whether you’re trying out Peru’s affordable street-food options or sitting down to a Michelin-star dinner. However you’re dining, be sure to wash it all down with a pisco sour, the tangy-yet-sweet national cocktail.
3. Italy
Is any foodie travel list complete without Italy? But instead of just hitting the hotspots like Rome, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast, venture to more under-the-radar regions to experience how varied Italy’s culinary traditions really are.
For example, you can get a taste for cucina povera in Puglia, where traditionally working class residents perfected how to turn humble ingredients into flavorful meals. Don’t miss strolling along the strada della orecchiette in seaside Puglian capital Bari, where home chefs roll and sell bundles of the region’s famed ear-shaped dried pasta right out of their doorways. For another twist on Italian cuisine, head to Italy’s Northwest region in Friuli. Since the towns that sit in the gorgeous shadows of the Alps are neighbors with countries like Austria and Slovenia, the fare here tends to be heartier. You’ll dig into warming potatoes, dumplings, and meat dishes all with a Slavic twist. Incredibly crisp white wines are produced in this area, too!
Ready to make your own delicious getaway? We specialize in planning delectable culinary travel experiences—just book your complimentary consultation call to get started!
