Here’s the third installation of food tours across the world. This post is a collaboration with some of our favourite travel bloggers who have explored some amazing destinations through food tours. Don’t forget to check out our first and second food tours across the world collab post, if you haven’t already.
Table of Contents
Porto, Portugal
Porto is paradise for anyone who considers themselves a foodie. Portuguese food is having something of a renaissance right now – and rightly so, it has been underrated on the world palate for too long. However, Porto has a unique foodie culture even within the menu of national food. In a single day, you can experience delicious meat, fresh and preserved fish, sweet treats and one of the worlds most renowned tipples.
Our food tour started with a Pastel de Nata – pastry tart oozing with sweet yellow baked custard. We brunched on on Bolinhos de Bacalhau – salted cod fishcakes. Lunch consisted of bifanas – bread rolls filled with pork fillet marinaded in a hot broth of peri peri. In the middle somewhere, we managed to find belly-space for tasting pungent local cheeses, cured meats and tinned sardines. Of course, no Porto food tour would be complete without a tasting of the famous port wines.
Not on the tour – but to complete the Porto menu – we were finally defeated by one of the worlds most famous and stomach-filling sandwiches – the iconic Francesinha. Filled with cheese, meats and drenched in sauce, see if you can get through the entire thing!
Sarah and Tom | Trip Gourmets | Blog | Instagram | Facebook |
Ljubljana, Slovenia
One of the best food tours in Europe is that of Ljubljana, Slovenia, run by Ljubljananjam. Not only the food and drinks during the tour are delicious: the guide provides lots of insights on the history and culture of the country. The food tour goes around the capital to show the lovely local markets and a bunch of eateries, wine bars and even a taste of craft beer. Among the local specialties tried during the tour there’s local bread, oil and spreads; kale soup; pogaca (which is similar to focaccia); ajovi krapi, which are ravioli made of buckwheat filled with cottage cheese; štruklji (dumplings); pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce; local charcuterie; salt chocolate (yes, you read that right!); and even fresh gelato. The tour typically ends in a lovely, local coffee shop.
Claudia Tavani | My Adventures Across The World | Blog | Instagram | Facebook |
Sofia, Bulgaria
Balkan food has always concentrated on the basics. Today’s food from the region is no different. You’ll find good, fresh ingredients flavoured effectively and presented well. While you can seek it all out for yourself, you can discover it all in the capital city, Sofia, in a free food walking tour. In a two hour wander around this gorgeous capital of Bulgaria we tried the traditional breakfast of mekitsa – a light, but fried flatbread concoction served sprinkled with icing sugar. Oh, my. Then we munched on cheese stuffed flaky pastry (banitsa) and dipped fresh brown bread into tarator yoghurt soup. We mixed it with shopska, the tomato, cheese and pepper salad, the colours of which reflect the nation’s flag. For me, though, it’s the roasted red pepper dip, called lutenitsa that embodies the taste of rural Bulgaria, no recipe is ever the same.
We toasted friends, and our hosts, the Balkan Bites folks, with the traditional liquor, rakia, and left with a warm feeling and a sense of wellbeing.
Sarah Carter | A Social Nomad | Blog | Twitter | Facebook |
Capetown, South Africa
In South Africa it is all about meat; juicy steak, lamb chop or game wors (sausage) are always on the table, one of the favourite South African activities is braai (BBQ). In Cape Town there are plenty of restaurants to spoil yourself. For a great steak go to Headquarter Restaurant (HQ), average bill US$25-30 including drinks.
For more budget option head to Spur (a local restaurant chain) and try their famous pork ribs or beef steak, price US$10-15 per person. The best burgers, according to locals, you can get at the Dog’s Bollocks. During the day they serve great tacos and after 5 pm burgers. For more romantic and fine dining check out one of the wine states in the city, e.g. Groot Constantia (the oldest wine estate in South Africa), Vergelegen, Buitenverwachting.
In any on these places you can teste great wines and have an exquisite meal. To enjoy fresh sea food and fish go to Cape Town Fish Market, a glass of cold white wine will go perfect with it. For vegetarians some of the best places to eat in Cape Town are Hungry Herbivore, the Royal Eatery, Masala Dosa. It’s always nice to have a cup of fresh brewed coffee after a meal check Truth Coffee or Delux Coffeeworks both have great coffee, delicious desserts and cool vibe.
Alya Akhmetgareeva | Stingy Nomads | Instagram | Facebook |
Mexico City
The best introduction to Mexico City’s incredible food scene is one of Eat Mexico’s acclaimed tours. The Street Food tour is an excellent way to familiarize yourself with common Mexican street treats. Four hours flew by as our small group chatted and noshed on food from a dozen different vendors. Our friendly guide provided a handout with the locations we visited as well as useful Spanish phrases for ordering. Taking the tour helped me recognize common offerings like tamales and tacos de canasta and increased my confidence buying from Mexico’s ubiquitous street stalls.
More adventurous eaters should try the fascinating La Merced market tour. Our guide was a professional chef passionate about Mexican culinary culture. We explored the massive market and its surroundings for hours, tasting iconic delicacies like tongue and tripe tacos, gusanos (worms), grasshoppers, and flying ants. The tour ended in the peaceful atmosphere of a historic restaurant sipping creative cocktails and nibbling on delicious grasshopper tacos.
Ingrid | Second-Half Travels | Facebook |
Like it? Pin it for later
Have you been on a food tour? Which one was your favourite? We plan to make this post as a series in the future. If you are interested, send us a write up of 100-150 words with a minimum of 1/2 photos and your blog link and social media links at @shruti{at}siddharthandshruti{dot}com
