Try New Foods on Vacation

One of the great things about visiting new places on vacation is that you get to try different cuisine as well.  When you go to Italy, you get to sample the original Italian cooking that Italy is famous for.  In Jamaica, you can taste the jerk pork or the patties that we have here in North America, but are only available in their truest form in Jamaica's own backyard.  Every country seems to offer different cuisine and their own specialities.

It is true too that when you travel, the food you eat can have a major impact on how enjoyable your vacation is.  If you go to a resort, for instance, and the food is not up to par, that can seriously hamper your enjoyment of your stay there.  Needless to say, food is important on vacation.

But, when you do travel to different places, you should try new foods - ones that reflect the country you travel to.  For instance, in Greece be sure to try especially souvlaki, gyros, pita such as tyropita and spanakopita, which are some of their local specialities.  If you travel to Thailand, try their own style of Thai cooking.  Even if you don't care for the type of Thai cooking you may have eaten at home, trying the original Thai food made in their own country may be a better experience (just like the Chinese food served here in North America is not the same as the type of Chinese food you would get in China.)

Don't be afraid to try new foods either.  If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it.  But why not be adventurous and discover something new to add to your diet repertoire.  You may surprise yourself!  And it can be a fun activity.  Try, for instance, choosing beetle grubs in China.  That would certainly be something to remember and to brag about when you come home. 

Everyone has their own tastes of what they like and don't like.  But while you are on vacation, try to loosen up a bit and sample the food that the country you are in is famous for.  After all, those foods must be famous for a reason (a lot of people have liked them in the past).  And you never know.  You may come home with a new set of taste buds that crave those new flavors.  You may even want to replicate those dishes to add to your own household meals, and remember your wonderful vacation as you savour them.

Here are a couple of cookbooks from different cultures you may enjoy:

    

The Importance of Food While Vacationing

There is no doubt that food and dining can make or break your vacation.  Having to deal with crappy food or unsanitary dining conditions simply doesn't cut it when you are trying to have fun on your vacation.  The food you eat is very important.  It can set the whole cultural experience if you are visiting a foreign place.

Take for example, Mexico.  Of course the beaches are nice, but when in Mexico it is a must that you try out their unique food as well.  Who can visit Mexico without at least trying a taco or some of their famous chili?  You may also want to try out some of their more unique cuisine as well, such as their mole sauce or a Spanish paella.  Sampling and trying out new and delicious foods enhances your vacation experience.

It seems every country and culture has food or ingredients that are unique to that particular area or that they are famous for.  What is a visit to Tuscany without trying their wines or olive oil?  Who would want to travel to Jamaica without trying their famous jerk pork or chicken, or sample a pattie (which are all the range in the U.S. and Canada now) right from the source of the invention?  Italy, of course, is known for its pasta (and wines), France is known for its breads, wines and cakes, and even England has it own brand of food that you as a tourist may want to try (like their famous fish and chips, for one) or haggas from Scotland. 

Trying new food and dining experiences can really add a lot to your vacation.  Your dining experiences can take in the culture of the place, like eating with chop sticks in China, or eating with your hands in a community bowl in Indian cultures. 

When you are on your next vacation, don't be afraid to try the local cuisine.  You may be surprised at how good it is, and you may want to add that certain to your own menus at home, and when you do you will feel yourself back in that great place you vacationed in.

Here's a little cookbook to help you bring back a little from your Caribbean vacation:

That Caribbean Flavor Cookbook

Caribbean Food

The sea, sun and sand make the Caribbean a popular tourist destination. But aside from the beautiful weather, the amazing landscape and the total Caribbean experience, Caribbean food is unique and appetizing. There is just something about that great spicy Caribbean flavor!

Caribbean food is not like food from any other part of the world. The Italians have their pasta, the French their pastries, wine and rich cuisines, the English their ‘bangers and mash’ and China has its egg rolls, but the Caribbean has its own unique spicy Island taste that many people appreciate. A lot of Caribbean food involves highly spiced cuisine that titillates the tongue and palate.

The Caribbean consists of many islands that each have their own specialties. Central America, with Mexico, Costa Rico, and Panama can also be considered part of the Caribbean, at least when it comes to tourism and cooking, because they have coasts that border on the Caribbean Sea. Central America, because of its connection with North and South America, has its own style of food as well.

Many popular Caribbean food dishes involve ‘hot’ spices and ingredients, often in the form of curry and hot peppers. Jamaican cuisine offers curry chicken, lamb, beef and goat, as well as meats infused with ‘jerk’ seasonings, making it hot, spicy and delicious. If you can stand up to the heat in the cooking, you can be in for quite a tasty treat when you sample Jamaican cuisine. Jamaica has its own unique variety of fruits and vegetables as well, such as callaloo (something akin to spinach), Ackee (which is part of Jamaica’s national dish of Saltfish ‘n Ackee), and some weird sounding fruit like ‘ugly fruit’, ‘star apple’ and ‘jack fruit’. One of Jamaica’s most popular foods that has made its mark in the United States and Canada is Jamaican Patties, a spicy meat pie with a flaky crust.

Other Caribbean Islands have their own unique and tasty dishes as well. Caribbean food dishes like conch fritters, coconut mango chicken, Arroz Con Pollo (a Spanish-style rice and chicken dish), Paella, and Red Pea Soup, arising from different Caribbean Islands, along with dishes coming from Mexico like empanadas, burritos and enchiladas are all part of that great Caribbean taste experience. In Mexico, hot chili peppers are often part of the ingredients in many of their signature dishes.

As one might expect, Caribbean food often incorporates seafood into its cuisine. You can find many Caribbean recipes that include many types of fish or shellfish, such as cod fish, mackerel, grouper, lobster, crab, or even a combination of fish and shell fish as in a Boatman’s Stew, a Paella dish or a seafood chowder.

Whatever island you choose for creating a Caribbean food experience, you won’t go wrong when it comes to taste and flavor. In the Caribbean, the weather is heated up by the spicy offerings of the Caribbean food. From Cuba, to Turks and Caicos, and the Cayman Islands to Mexico, Panama and Costa Rico, Caribbean food is something everyone will enjoy.

Introduction: If you enjoy that spicy Island style of cooking, this article outlines what makes Caribbean food special. From Cuba, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to Mexico, Panama and Costa Rico, Caribbean food offers a unique blend and style of flavors that everyone enjoys.

If you would like to try tempting your family with Caribbean food recipes, try this new Caribbean cookbook: That Caribbean Flavor Over 50 great recipes include: Jamaican Beef Patties, Paella, Codfish Fritters, Jerk Sauce, Cuban Pork with Mango Salsa, Curry Chicken and much more.

Food and Travel

There's no two ways about it -- food and travel go hand in hand. One of the best things about travelling is new experiences, and that also extends to food. For instance, would you really travel to France without trying out at least one of these famous French restaurants? Or would you travel to Italy and pass up trying real Italian pasta dishes?

Besides, everyone the world over loves to eat. So when you are travelling, one of the best ways to enhance your travel experience is to eat the local foods. Every place you travel will have its own specialities. Every place you visit will have foods you have probably never heard of before and foods that are local that you can't find anywhere else. You may even be surprised that places you think you know will often have new things for you to try that you never heard of before. For example, many people have been to Jamaica, but have you ever tried an 'ugly fruit' or do you know what 'callaloo' is?

Even if you don't like the food that you may be exposed to in new places, at least you will have had a new experience. You can say you tried it. You can come back home knowing that although some new food may not have been completely to your taste, at least you can say you ate it (and brag about it).

New foods, new lands and new experiences. That is the true beauty of travelling.

If you would like a chance to learn a little more about various countries and their unique cuisines, why not try my new Ebook: Tastes and Travels Ebook It offers reviews on various travel destinations and has articles on the cuisine of each place (as well as recipes that you can try).

Let's Talk About Food

If you come from a specific background, you probably already know about the cuisine from that culture. For instance, if you are Italian, you probably are more than familiar with fettucine, Italian Wedding soup, pizza, Tuscan cooking, Sicilian cooking--I could go on and on. The food from the areas mentioned are unique and the dishes of Italy are well-known to you and others.

But--it is great to try foods from other areas of the world and get new taste experiences. Just because you are familiar with one style of cooking doesn't mean that you won't like anything else. There are many dishes the world over that are classics and they are delicious. No matter what background you come from, most of you have probably had these classic dishes and loved them (like spaghetti from Italy or ratatouille from France).

One thing that is great about traveling is that you get to try new cuisines. The food from other cultures is amazing and if you are up to new taste experiences you can get a lot of enjoyment by trying the local foods and dishes.

If you go on a Carribean vacation, for instance, why not try some of the local island dishes to add to your food repertoire. Try the curry goat from Jamaica, or the jerk pork. Sample the conch soup from the Cayman Islands. Taste a little empanadas from Panama or Arroz con Leche (rice pudding) from Cuba. You may be pleasantly surprised at the wonderful tastes these dishes have to offer.

Different cultures offer a chance to taste and sample new cuisines and to learn how to appreciate them. Each region of the world has its own special ingredients and style of cooking, suited to their climate and the availability of the ingredients that surround them. Each are unique and you can learn a lot about the specific country from the way its cooks and the ingredients it uses.

If you would like a chance to learn a little more about various countries and their unique cuisines, why not try me new Ebook: Tastes and Travels Ebook It offers reviews on various travel destinations and has articles on the cuisine of each place (as well as recipes that you can try).