More and more people in North America are embracing culinary travel – the act of travelling to a specific region, country or city for the food. Yes, that’s right: travel is now an excuse to eat amazing food, and we have the scoop on why, how and where.
Why culinary travel?
The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance defines culinary tourism as “the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences.” This simple, yet straight-to-the-point, definition perfectly sums up what it means to be a culinary tourist, or to travel specifically to experience the foods and drinks of a town, city, country or region. But you aren’t just going to Naples to eat pizza, or Portland to get your fill of what the city’s food tucks are offering. Culinary tourism is a way to learn about the culture and heritage of where you’re going, through foods and drinks. You can be a “food tourist” in your hometown or halfway around the world as long as you’re curious and interested to learn about the best foods and drinks a place has to offer.
What does it involve?
Culinary tourism is more than simply eating and drinking, it’s the enjoyment that is a large part of the experience, but culinary travel can also involve a variety of other ways to get to know the local specialties. Take a walk through a local farmer’s market and talk to the farmer’s about what they’re growing and how, visit bakeries and cheese-mongers, take a brewery or winery tour, take a cooking class, visit a local market – do anything that will help deepen your understanding of the food culture in your destination. Other ways to experience the local foods include attending food festivals and events, dining out where you’ll find local specialties and shopping at food stores.
Where to go and how to make it happen
There are some obvious must-sees when it comes to culinary travel, such as Europe, Napa Valley and even Mumbai for the kaleidoscope of marvelous street foods on offer, but you can also be a culinary tourist closer to home. The first step is deciding what you want to learn more about in terms of foods and drinks. The next step is figuring out if you want to take a DIY approach which involves planning your own itinerary, or if you’d rather take a tour (either a daylong tour or extended tour). Where you ultimately end up will also be shaped by budget, time frame and your interests. But no matter where you go and what you eat and drink, you’re sure to have a memorable experience and come away with a new appreciation for where you’ve been.
Lead photo: Groume used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
