Food and Drink

Reflecting the ingredients available nearby, cooking is a powerful way to express cultural identity, and if you book guided food tours in any European country – be it the pierogi dumpling bars of Poland or the Dutch cheese markets – you get to peek into its soul. You’ll visit produce stalls, dine in family homes, learn about local ingredients and acquire an insight into the production of regional specialities, sharing dishes that locals have enjoyed for centuries and creating a travel experience you’ll simply never forget. After all, when you taste savoury panisses (chickpea fritters) from Marseille street-food stalls or sample crispy pizza Margherita in Naples, you’re tasting the very essence of local life.

Intrepid travellers intent on getting to know a new city should sample the local cuisine when eating in well-known restaurants. Seek out dishes native to your destination, so in Rome try the simple but delicious cacio e pepe (spaghetti, Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper), and enjoy a seafood paella rice dish when visiting Valencia. Onion soup, boeuf bourguignon (beef stew braised in red wine) and crème brûlée (vanilla custard topped with caramelised sugar) feature on the menus of many a famous Parisian bistro, and although something of a melting pot when it comes to food, London’s iconic dishes remain fish and chips, afternoon tea with sandwiches and scones, or the ubiquitous Sunday roast of meat, potatoes and vegetables.

First, find out what the local specialities are. Southern countries including France, Spain, Portugal and Italy content themselves with strong coffee and pastries, while heavier meals comprising cold meats, cheese and rye bread are typical of Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. The renowned Full English (sausage, egg, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and fried bread) started life as a workmen’s breakfast in the UK, and is still often eaten at the weekend. To find the best breakfast spots in a city, go where the locals go; ask hotel staff for their recommendations and get off the beaten track to eat in buzzing neighbourhood cafés, or buy a delicious takeaway pastry from a popular local bakery.

It’s official – eating green is the new gourmet cuisine! As our awareness of tourism’s environmental impact grows, travellers in Europe are now keen to eat with a clear conscience. The secret to dining more sustainably on authentic flavours is to book restaurants making use of seasonal local ingredients to create regional dishes – for example, pasta or pizza in Italy and paella in southern Spain. As it’s the work of minutes to check out a restaurant’s credentials and menus online, do your background research and only dine in establishments that meet your criteria. Looking to eat regional specialities in your hotel restaurant? Make sure it’s got a Green Key certification.