A foodie’s travel guide to the world’s best foodie destinations

Travel blog image for best foods worldwide

Food has always been one of the most effective methods to learn about a culture. Traditions are born at the dinner table, and friends, families, and lovers come together to make memories. Food plays an essential role in many religions, with the Gods valuing food gifts.

Food is the ideal way to get a true sense of a country’s essence, and eating with locals and sharing their cuisine is a very intimate and dignified experience.

If you enjoy traveling and eating as much as we do, you’ll enjoy this blog. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 gastronomic destinations and our favorite foods from each so that you can arrange your culinary adventures for 2022.

Here are the top ten foodie countries on the planet!

worldwide famous foods

India

India is undoubtedly one of the most extensively consumed and best cuisines in the world. Therefore it easily makes this list of the countries with the best food.

Quite a few cultural dishes have achieved national dish status in other countries, but the Chicken Tikka Masala (though not completely Indian) has done so in England. Tandoori chicken and tomato-based curries are only two examples of Indian food.

Indian cuisine is a never-ending experience into the history, culture, traditions, and religion of one of the most interesting countries for tourists. Flaky paratha bread, fluffy pav baji buns with curry, fragrant biryanis, spicy rogan josh, crispy panipuri, and a seemingly unending variety of sweets.

The pricing is one of the best aspects of Indian cuisine. In India, you can get a full dinner for less than 50 cents on the street.

Mexico

Mexican cuisine is the only cuisine in the world to be designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco. It is as diverse as it is spicy, making it one of the top cuisines in the world. There are so many activities to do in Mexico, but dining is always our pleasure.

The food here is much more than tacos and quesadillas, and it differs by region, but it’s always great. This is also one of the world’s oldest cuisine cultures, dating back over 9,000 years.

A fusion of indigenous cultures and Spanish colonization and its northern neighbor, the United States, has impacted much of the food.

Burritos, chimichangas, taco salad, fajitas, and even the famed “Mexican” beverage, the Margarita, were born in the United States. On the other hand, Mexico does not require those delicacies to maintain its position as one of the world’s top food countries.

Italy

Although both are done better here than anywhere else in the world, Italian cuisine encompasses much more than pasta and pizza. It’s all about simplicity and high-quality ingredients in Italian cuisine.

Whereas a North American spaghetti recipe might include 20 ingredients (including meatballs, which Italians do not use), the Italian version will likely have less than 5. Because of this level of simplicity, Italy is regarded as one of the best culinary countries in the world.

What keeps Italian cuisine so fascinating is the people’s enthusiasm for it. Italians are undoubtedly the best at appreciating life, and their food reflects this immense respect for the world around them.

China

China’s cuisine is regarded as one of the best in the world. Suppose you’ve ever tasted the variety and regionality of the country’s authentic cuisines (Cantonese, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Sichuan, to name a few). In that case, you’ll understand how different the real deal is from the North American Chinese takeaway equivalent, and it’s almost indistinguishable.

China is one of the best countries for food, with incredible fruit and produce, but outsiders have little understanding of Chinese food culture.

Chow mein, sweet and sour pork and fortune cakes are all missing from the Chinese menu. Chinese cooks made adjustments in other nations to make their cuisine more appealing to western palates.

Though not all Chinese cuisine will appeal to you (even the most daring travelers should avoid street snacks such as enormous centipedes on a stick or thousand-year-old eggs), there are plenty of delicious dishes to sample in this interesting country.

Thailand

Sadly, most of the food in Thailand has been contaminated by an inflow of tourists and western preferences. It’s challenging to locate a genuinely traditional Thai lunch on the islands, and they take away the spice and the dish’s essence with it.

However, delicious Thai food is simple to come by in Bangkok. See what authentic, affordable Thai food tastes like at eateries like Northeast in Baan Nual or local markets like Khlong Toei or Wang Lang.

Alternatively, spend a little more and discover what modern Thai food has evolved into at one of the city’s 176 Michelin-starred restaurants.

When done well, Thai food is easily one of the most gratifying cuisines on this list, and Thailand is unquestionably one of the best countries for food.

Greece

Greek food is a gastronomic culmination of its neighbors, from the incredible array of seafood feasts to Middle Eastern-inspired dishes like Gyros. Greece has somehow emerged victorious by blending and fusing the cultures, cuisines, and ingredients.

France

French Cuisine, the gold standard of cooking skills and what all modern chefs appear to be trained in, has been inspired by Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Italy, but it is unquestionably French at its core.

This cuisine has become one of the most influential in the world due to centuries of honing specialized preparation methods. This famous historical devotion has cemented France’s place on nearly every ranking of the world’s finest countries for food, and visiting culinary capitals like Paris is a foodie’s fantasy.

Turkey

Turkish cuisine, a successful synthesis of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Eastern European cuisines, has its roots mainly in its Ottoman heritage.

Turkey’s food is more varied than in the Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries we’ve visited. We’ve tried many dishes prepared in various ways, and there are still many more to try.

Whether you’re hiking Turkey or visiting for a short vacation, there are many reasons to visit this unique nation, and eating is only one of those.

Japan

The Japanese taste is delicate, straightforward, fresh, and unadulterated, and food is elevated to a new degree in Japanese culture. Meals are where business is conducted, friends interact, teams collaborate, and friendships are formed.

The Japanese use food-related rituals to thank their Gods, and Japanese culinary practices have been passed down through the years.

Spain

Spanish cuisine is interesting, varied, and as much a social event as it is a culinary one, with tapas, pinchos, paellas, sliced meats, excellent cheeses, and some of the world’s best wine. Because the cost of living in Spain is relatively low, most people can afford to eat out frequently.

Cocktail hopping from restaurant to restaurant to sample various finger snacks (tapas and pinchos) and tucking into delectable Spanish plates is a big part of what makes visiting Spain so thrilling.

The food has evolved with time, but the culinary methods in general have been influenced by generations of societies that have occupied the Iberian Peninsula and its borders.

The region’s topography and environment similarly define the ingredients used in the recipes. The ingredients and cooking methods together reveal a rich gastronomical history that has evolved with Spain’s history of invasions, conquests, and worldwide trade.

The Top 4 Honorary Mentions

Here are a few destinations that require special mention:

  1. Morocco. You shouldn’t skip the excellent tajine ceramic clay pot meals or couscous, the country’s signature cuisine.
  2. Argentina. This country will not let you down if you’re a carnivore. You’ll find melt-in-your-mouth steaks and perfectly cooked lamb on nearly every menu.
  3. Iran. It boasts some of the best meals in the world! Don’t neglect fesenjan (chicken stew with walnuts and pomegranate), Ghormeh Sabzi (herbaceous meat stew with parsley, leeks, cilantro, and dried fenugreek leaves), and other unusual dishes like camel meat and Tahchin (which is a rice cake with yogurt, eggs, and saffron).
  4. Portugal. Fish and beef dominate Portugal’s cuisine! Bacalhau (salted cod), caldo verde soup (kale soup), Sardinhas Assadas (grilled sardines), and, of course, Port wine are also popular dishes. Portugal’s cuisine is both incredibly delicious.

Take pleasure in your travels to these countries with the best cuisine

In today’s society, food, culture, family, and tradition are frequently so intertwined that traveling as a foodie is one of the best ways to delve a little closer into a country’s true spirit.

We seriously encourage you to participate in culinary tours, food classes, tastings, and wine pairings in the countries you visit to understand better the country’s cuisine and how it has influenced modern life.

Many of the “must-try” foods in the countries listed above aren’t necessarily the greatest. While traveling, be brave and try new things. Don’t be scared to try dishes that may look “abnormal” to your western palate.

Conclusion

You will want to share these new tastes and mouth-watering adventures with your friends and family on social media. Instead of being limited by roaming charges or extra fees from your mobile provider, BNESIM eSIM plans allow you to stay connected while abroad at affordable prices. You can find eSIM data plans for more than 200 countries, and you can activate them on a pay-as-you-go, daily or monthly basis. Stay connected with BNESIM eSIM while you explore the world. 

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