Discovering destinations through their signature dishes.
"Food is everything we are. It's an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It's inseparable from those from the get-go." - Anthony Bourdain
When you’re planning a trip, what are the key elements you’re researching?
Transport, of course, be that trains, planes or automobiles. The perfect hotel for your needs. The sights you’d like to see. The things you want to experience. The memories you want to make.
And if you’re anything like the 81% of travellers surveyed by Business Wire who believe that ‘ local food helps them understand the local culture’, there is another key element which is going to feature pretty heavily in that planning time.
What to eat when you get there?
Food is a living, breathing marker of culture and identity, more powerful than any temple or museum and a fun, delicious way to get under the skin of any place you travel, no matter how far you go.
A great place to start is with the iconic dishes that each city, region or country is known for. There’s usually fascinating insight into the history of the area in each bite and it’s a memorable way to literally dig into it.
When so many people go out of their way to try them, these can be a fantastic addition to menus in your own F+B. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some signature dishes from cities around the world.
Carbonara in Rome
Just one of the four main pasta dishes of the Eternal City but by far the most famous. Named for coal workers or freemasons depending on who you listen to, we may make it around the world but you really have to hit Italy’s capital to have it done properly.
Made from guanciale, pecorino, black pepper and EGG (not cream), this dish is deceptively tricky to get right. Anyone who does, is onto a winner.
Phở Bò in Hanoi
Where exactly the national dish of Vietnam originated is still strongly contested but one of the most likely claimants is Hanoi, which makes it the perfect place to try this nutritious, delicious and really rather healthy noodle soup.
Flat noodles, rare beef, beansprouts and a light broth, simmered for at least 8 hours, filled with aromatics, herbs and all the good stuff that makes this dish such a signature to be proud of.
Koshary in Cairo
Alternatively spelt kushari or koshari, this is a must-taste when visiting the Land of the Pharaohs.
Believed to have actually originated in India, this hearty dish is now the national plate of Egypt. Devoured from street carts all over the city, it packs an unforgettable flavour bomb of tomato sauce spiced with Baharat, over lentils, macaroni noodles and rice, topped with crispy onions. The percussive sound of its preparation is one known to all Egyptians and the ‘Koshary man’, as the vendors are known, is one of the most popular in town.
Paella in Valencia
You might think that this absolute icon of Iberian gastronomy barely needs an introduction but actually, it’s still widely misunderstood.
Originally prepared over a wood fire by farmers, they used what they had to hand - snails, tomatoes, onions and beans, mixed into rice. On luckier days, a bit of rabbit or duck might hit the pan too.
Whilst the seafood-heavy version may be the most recognisable, the traditional Valencian paella still includes no shellfish to this day.
Poutine in Montreal
Born in the snack bars of 1950s Quebec, it has gone on to become an icon of not just Québécois cuisine, but Canadian gastronomy as a whole. But for the original, it has to be Montreal.
Fresh-cut fries, cheese curds and gravy? There are very few menus around the world that this wouldn’t work on, when done right…
Ramen in Tokyo
This bastion of Japanese eating finds its roots in… 5th-century China. Whilst the relationship between the two countries has been a power struggle at times, a lot of cultural influences flowed back and forth between the two - ramen being one of them.
By the time Japan became industrialised, workers needed something cheap, fast and filling - the dish are we know it today started to find its feet before exploding onto the world stage during WW2.
Wheat noodles in broth is about the only constant with regional specialities changing the spice levels, toppings and extra flavours. In Tokyo, the medium noodles with dashi fish stock have become so ubiquitous that it’s what most people know as ‘ramen’ around the country and the world.
Just don’t forget to slurp for all the extra olfactory experiences.
Jollof Rice in Abuja
A fantastic plate, born of trade routes through Western Africa. Though there’s still a lot of competition around who makes the best version of this dish, from Togo to Senegal and The Gambia to Ghana, Nigeria counts this as their national dish. And in the capital? You’re going to see it on most menus. So, how do they make theirs?
Most people are going to have their own spin on it but you can usually count on tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnet, curry powder and stock to create the holy trinity of spicy, smoky and sweet. One big difference is that Nigerians tend to use long-grain rice as it’s believed to soak up the juices better.
Who does it best? It’s a debate we’re staying out of, but when in Abuja, it’s an absolute must-try.
Khachapuri in Tbilisi
Smack bang in the middle of the old Silk Road, Georgia is a country that has soaked up a lot of influences from a lot of places over a long time - soup dumplings, kebabs, meat and potatoes all feature, along with spicy, bitter and savoury flavours.
But a dish that is truly and undeniably Georgian? Khachapuri. We don’t know much about its origin story but it’s been around for years and is an iconic ‘fast food’ street snack.
Like with most things, there are regional differences but at its most basic, it’s an egg and cheese-filled pastry with a whole yolk baked into the top.
Simple? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely.
These are just a few of our global favourites. What sort of dishes would you put on your menu to represent your city’s heritage and history? Let us know over at @wired.fnd
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