Travel To Eat: Best Destinations For Culinary Tourism

In the past few years, travel experiences have gotten more personalised, leading to the emergence of various travel trends. One of these, which happens to be on the rise, is culinary tourism. Apart from travelling to a destination for its great history, or stunning landscapes, or nightlife experiences, more and more visitors are now willing to explore different places in the world for their food culture.

Exploring the local food culture not only lets you better understand the nuances of the destination you are visiting but also gives you a slice of how history and tradition have shaped local life. And the best part of indulging in culinary tourism is that the options are endless. Your experiences don’t have to be limited to one monument, or one visual. You can explore everything, ranging from authentically cooked dishes, and fusion fare that has influences from around the world, to even local food exclusive to the region.

Internationally, many destinations, like Italy, France, and Japan have been on the list of must-experience food havens but with social media, many underrated gems like Greece, Turkey, and Vietnam have also gotten popular. Closer home, while places like Amritsar, Kolkata, and Hyderabad have been long popular, many are now exploring the culinary adventure destinations like Indore, Kozhikode, Mangalore, and the state of Nagaland.

International culinary tourism destinations
Naples, Italy 

If you are new to the idea of culinary tourism, let's start with the most obvious as well as the easiest to explore. Italian cuisine is well known around the world, with pizza and pasta loved by people of all age groups and ethnicities. A trip to Naples, Italy however, will open your eyes to an absolutely different side of the cuisine. From the freshest ingredients to seemingly simple cooking techniques, Naples in Italy, which is believed to be the birthplace of pizza, is a culinary adventure that you just cannot miss!

Istanbul, Turkiye

Istanbul is the most literal representation of East meets West. The stunning city divided between two continents has a beautiful culinary history. Mediterranean flavours, spice route influences, and Arabic influences make this city a must visit if culinary tourism is your thing. It also has a great coffee culture, and whether you’re into street finds or fancy establishments, Istanbul has it all.

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Oaxaca, Mexico

We cannot talk about culinary tourism, and then not mention Oaxaca. Included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage sites, Oaxaca will widen your culinary horizons like no other. The holy grail of Indigenous Mesoamerican cuisine, with influences from all around the world, Oaxaca is home to many iconic eateries serving dishes like Tlayuda, Empanadas, and Tamales. While with other culinary tourism destinations, you get to experience the cuisine, with Oaxaca, you get to experience the culture it stems from, making it one of the best to explore.

Chengdu, China

The capital of Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu is simply underrated. They say, in Chengdu, if you’re not sweating, you’re not eating right. The spice is understandably a way of life here and with dishes like Dandan noodles, Chilli oil wontons, Zajiangmian, Zhusun Wuji Tang, one can’t complain! The region is also home to the very iconic Sichuan hot pot, and whether you try it at a ‘fly restaurant’ or a fancy establishment, this just simply cannot be missed.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is another not much talked about culinary travel destination. If you’re into coffee, the city’s stellar cafe scene is enough of a reason for you to visit it. But apart from that, it is also home to a huge immigrant population from all around the world, creating a beautiful melange of flavours. 
What makes it even better is that it is quite close to some of Australia’s best wine regions. Sip, dip, wine, and dine, Melbourne has it all.

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Indian culinary tourism destinations

Indian food destinations aren’t lagging behind. With a country as diverse as India, with cuisines changing every few kilometres, culinary tourism is a great way to explore the culture. And it’s not that we don’t have celebrated food destinations, Amritsar is loved for its brilliant Punjabi food, old Hyderabad is a biryani lover’s paradise, Kolkata is loved for its breakfasts and Indo-Chinese fare, and nobody does Chaat like Varanasi.

But there are more, and if you’ve covered these four, we suggest exploring the likes of Pudducherry for its Franco-Tamil food, Mangalore for its fresh and wholesome flavours, Gangtok for a Himalayan food adventure topped with millet-based brews, and Indore for its street food market. Two other options you must explore happen to be Surat and Kohima.

• Surat: Vegetarian flavour heaven Surat’s Locho, Undhiyu, Ponk, and Handvo will blow your mind with their simple yet wholesome flavours. And as far as street food is concerned, every corner has carts (laris) serving buttery Pav bhaji, Surti Dabeli, and sizzling Dosas with a million Chutneys that you just can’t miss.
• Kohima: Bold, unfiltered, and oh so good! Kohima is the place to be if simple, sharp flavours, smoked meat, bamboo shoot curries, and fermented goodness are your thing. Try Axone, Raja mircha chutney, silkworm delicacies for a kick of umami like no other.