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Travel without trying new food is like Angelina and Brad flying without a brood of children in tow. It just isn’t right. That is why tasting delectable dishes during our journeys around the world is the most important part of our day!
During breakfast we always discuss what we’re having for lunch and during lunch we always discuss where we should eat for dinner. It’s the most fun we have when travelling.
Adventures in Dining
We’ve had the opportunity to try some unique and flavourful meals over the years and we wanted to share our most memorable dining moments in honour of heading to the food capital of the world next month. Italy is next and some of the most mouth watering dishes await our arrival.
So pack your bags, entice your taste buds and bring your appetite through a journey of the world’s greatest cuisine.
Sichuan Hot Pot – China
Damn that's Spicy!
It was hands down the most exciting meal we’ve ever had during our travels and coincidentally it was during an Intrepid Travel Tour through China. We were in Sichuan Province in the city of Chengdu when our guide Karen told us that we’d be eating at an authentic hot pot restaurant. We were the only westerners in the crowded eatery so we knew it was going to be amazing.
Dining moves fast in China and in seconds our sunken burners were filled with spiced oil and water. Within minutes they were sizzling while meat and vegetables made their way into the room in endless supply.
There is something special about cooking your own food when dining out. Everyone was excited over the process and the conversations took on an energetic buzz. As the meats and veggies cooked in the bubbling water, the aroma of the spices filled the air. At first we didn’t feel the bite of the Huajiao pepper; the key component of the Sichuan hot pot, but as time went on, it’s potency strengthened and soon we experienced a burning sensation so strong that our mouths went numb. We would eat a morsel, feel the burn and laugh hysterically as we lost feeling in our tongues. It was addictive, uncomfortable and wonderful all at once.
Wat Stews and Injera – Ethiopia
Eating wat stews served atop Injera is the most fun you’ll ever have eating out. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city our meal consisted of an array spicy meat and veggie stew served atop a pancake of giant flat bread made with fermented flour. There were no utensils used during this meal, it was all about eating with our hands as we ripped off pieces of bread and scooped up the zesty sauces. There is something decadent about diving in to food and grabbing a handful of hearty meats and vegetables while dining in the middle of Africa. Meals are just so much more fun when you eat with your hands in a foreign land and our wat stew and injera treated our mouths to a cornucopia of taste sensations.
Traditional Bedouin Meal – Jordan
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIeJDgADmGY]
We were camping in the middle of the Arabian Desert when we were treated to a true Bedouin Feast. Lamb, Chicken, potatoes and vegetables were cooked in the ground upon racks of iron. It was a fascinating process to watch the men unearth our dinner. Digging several feet into the desert sand our feast awaited in a deep pit covered by a thick blanket to protect our meal from the elements.
With great skill, they removed the heavy racks from the earth and carried it away to be carved and displayed for our eating pleasure.
Meats cooked in the ground come out so tender and juicy and we ate until we burst. We were barely half way through our feast, when we couldn’t eat another bite.
The Jordanians however are a giving people and they won’t take no for an answer. When we tried to refuse another plate, the look in our hosts eyes were of great shock! “You must keep eating, there’s still half a platter on the table.”
Ceviche – Peru
If you like seafood, you’ll love ceviche. It may be described as raw fish stew but this meal is a tasty treat. Don’t let the description fool you, it may not sound appetizing but it’s a mouth-watering treat. Freshly caught fish is marinated in citrus juice and spiced with chili peppers. We ate ceviche throughout our entire time in Peru; we couldn’t get enough of it. Accompanied by corn, sweet potato and avocado it is the perfect meal.Ceviche is so light and refreshing and it’s usually eaten at lunch or brunch. Of course we didn’t know this when we ate it each day, we just knew that we loved it!
Laap – Laos
I see a pattern here. We seem to like the spicy stuff and lime juice makes more delicious. The national dish of Laos is a spicy meat meat salad made with lime juice, mint and chillies. This was our first meal that we ate when we got off of the bus from Vietnam to Vientiane. We stopped at a river side vendor and ate outside in the fresh air for peanuts. It was one of the best meals we had in Laos and our go to whenever we ordered our dinner.So make 2012 the year for you to sample some of the world’s greatest culinary dishes. Do you have a favourite? Maybe you’ve always wanted try genuine Italian pizza or authentic Green Curry in Thailand, how about savory butter chicken in India or a chocolate, black bean mole sauce in Mexico. Share your favourite food. We’d love to hear it!
Book your own Intrepid Travel Delicious
Discoveries vacation and carve 15% off before March 31! Intrepid Travel is featuring Delicious Discovery destinations around the world and to celebrate their offering a 10% Discount on one of their featured food experiences. Book Before February 29th to take advantage of this offer.
Visit Intrepid Travel’s Global Foods Digital Brochure to book your culinary journey and quote promo code 6584
