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:

    

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).

Welcome to the NEW Tastes and Travels Blog!!

Well, this is the first post in my Tastes and Travels blog. Welcome!!!

What is this blog about? Well, I love to travel and I love to cook...and eat, so I am combining my loves and sharing them with you.

Travelling has to be one of the most rewarding things to do on this earth. Seeing different places, finding out how others live, taking in the beauty of the world--I can't think of a better thing to do!

Unless of course its eating. And another great part about travelling is that you get to sample different cuisines, different ways of cooking, ways of combining ingredients that you never thought of before, experience the tastes of new ingredients, new fruits, vegetables, spices -- oh, its so EXCITING!!!

I guess you get the idea that I am excited about my new blog. Future posts will get into the nitty-gritty of my travel experiences and even of places I WANT to travel to. I'll also provide recipes I have tried and created from the various places I have visited.

By the way, the picture shown was taken on a visit to Jamaica. It is of Blue Hole on the north coast -- not your typical shot of Jamaica, is it?

Come back and visit and we'll share this taste and travel experience together!!

If you want to get ahead of me, try reading my new ebook Tastes and Travels Ebook