Dal Bati and Churma

The combination of bati—which is essentially unleavened bread mixed with onions, peas, wheat flour and a thick stew of dal—has resulted in the most quintessential dish of Rajasthan. This mouthwatering culinary experience is further supplemented by churma, a typically healthy sweet dish which consists of mashed wheat bread, oil, and sugar.

Lal Maas(Red Meat)

The perennial crowd favourite lal maas gets its name from the fiery red chilies which are added to mutton and served with rice or Indian bread.

Gatte Ki Sabzi

This is without doubt the premier dish of Rajasthan. Soft dumplings of gram flour are painstakingly cooked with curd and oil to provide a truly flavourful dish. Considering the shortage of fresh vegetables here, this dish is a good substitute for a quick tasty meal.

Ker Sangri

Ker means a type of berry, while sangri is a form of bean which grows abundantly in the desert regions of Rajasthan. Both these ingredients form the mainstay during periods of drought and scarcity. The dish is cooked in vegetable oil and spices and served with bajra bread.

Lasun Pickle

Lasun pickle is an extremely popular food accomplishment made from mixing garlic with red chili powder, lime juice, butter and jaggery (an unrefined sugar). It finds its place in most houses and is enjoyed best with bajra roti (black millet flour bread).

Raab

This is a kind of soup or broth made from mixing bajra flour with buttermilk and fermenting it in an earthen vessel to make the sauce. This is then slowly cooked over a low flame until fully prepared.

Panchkuta

This is the most reliable dish, in a desert state like Rajasthan, where one has to travel for days in heat and over sand. The five ingredients which go into its making are found widely in this region. They have a very long shelf life. They are sangri, ker, dry red chili, ghoondha, a type of wild berry and the seed of the deciduous kumat tree. Roti or Indian bread is served with panchkuta.

Though regal in atmosphere, the food of Rajasthan is greatly influenced by the lack of water and fresh produce being an arid state. To adapt to this lifestyle, the locals have managed to produce a range of innovative delicacies that are not only mouthwatering but can last for long periods to offset the extreme weather conditions.

On the other ships, it is offered one night during cruises that are 10 days or less. The price tag of $49 USD per person (it’s a la carte at the permanent restaurant) may make you ponder skipping it, but let me tell you that would be a huge mistake.

We ate during the Rudi’s Sel de Mer night on the ms Amsterdam on our recent Alaska cruise, and it ended up being one of the most phenomenal meals of my life. Tigger even found herself enjoying foods she would never eat otherwise.

Get something handy to wipe your drool and read on.

Starters

Once you’re seated, you are immediately delivered a nice French baguette. Along with this, you are given some delicious butter than has been mixed with sea salt and lightly graced with chives. The butter was so tasty, we were tempted to lick the serving dish clean. You are also presented with a nice array of tapenades, olives, pesto, and other treats to enjoy with your bread.

Shortly after, the friendly server will bring an enticing amuse-bouche.

This dish is to give you a taste of what will be coming; an idea of what the chef’s style will be. And when you bite into this, you may very well make audible sounds. Thankfully, no one was seated too close to us to be concerned by the noises coming from our table.

This particular amuse-bouche was a scallop prepared with saffron vinaigrette resting on a seaweed salad and topped with an exquisite orange foam. These flavors slowly developed while in your mouth, and you were able to appreciate the flavor long after having swallowed your bite.

Tigger won’t eat scallops normally. She tried this and ate the entire offering. This truly tells you of its magnificence.

While purring over this, we received our starters. We chose the foie gras torchon, the popular seafood tower, and bouillabaisse Marseillaise. The foie gras wasn’t as exciting, although the plate did contain small cubes of red currant aspic which were amazing! They would cause an explosion of flavor in your mouth. The seafood tower was cute in its presentation but rather lackluster in flavor.

The bouillabaisse, however, was a true highlight. This dish is often messed up by chefs and/or unimpressive. But the Rudi’s Sel de Mer version was the best I’ve ever had. The broth was full of complex, savory flavors. This was another dish that hade me making audible sounds and saying “Wow!”

Tigger asked if I needed some alone time.

Main Dishes

While this is a seafood-dominated affair, they do offer some other great options for people, and Tigger happily ordered the steak. I had a harder time choosing since so much looked so appetizing, but I ultimately ended up ordering the salt crust baked branzino (European sea bass).

I later learned that the fish is baked while encased in meringue to ensure its tenderness. It ended up being quite impressive and had been topped by citrus pieces and lemon peel shavings which caused another wonderful blast of flavor upon the first bite without overpowering the taste of the fish.

Dessert

While waiting for dessert, we were treated to a small selection of chocolate truffles and strawberries covered with milk or white chocolate.

We eagerly awaited our crêpes Suzette and Rudi’s soufflé, which is based on the infamous Salzburger Nockerl. While the soufflé was light and airy, it was impossible to compare the impeccably prepared crêpes Suzette. I have had this dish served many different ways in many different countries, and this was absolutely the best I’ve ever had.

Once again I found myself struggling against dining room etiquette and my desires to lick every drop off this plate.

I just can’t recommend this dining experience enough. It’s a meal that I continue to fondly and vividly reminisce. So if you’re going on one of their cruises, find out when the Rudi’s Sel de Mer night is and make your reservations!

Have you eaten at Rudi’s Sel de Mer? What was your experience?

Iceland is known as the Land of Fire and Ice, and it’s definitely an appropriate nickname. Its lack of trees, among other things, created unique challenges for its early settlers for not only heating their homes but also with food preparation and preservation.

Without wood or coal to use for fuel, the early inhabits took advantage of the geothermal pools and rivers to prepare their food. We sampled some of their popular brown bread that is still cooked in this manner, and it was quite good.

Angelica is a plant that grows wild in Iceland. Many people consider it to be like a weed. It was a big part of the diet for awhile before it became like currency. It is now making a resurgence and reappearing in some Iceland foods.

We sampled angelica tea as well as had it toasted with some garlic and other ingredients. It had a nice, almost nutty flavor with a subtle hint of licorice. It is a bit “twiggy,” though.

The Tin Can Factory typically serves a traditional lamb soup, but the night we went we enjoyed a seafood soup along with fresh rolls and a cold bottle of Icelandic beer.

One of the really fun parts, besides the good food, was making Icelandic pancakes which are very similar to crepes. Jam is applied to one half of the pancake with whipped cream on the other before it is folded together to eat. Tigger got to try her hand at cooking them and had a lot of fun.

Before we left, we were also treated to a taste of the infamous fermented shark known as hákarl. It is an old Viking food. This particular shark does not have kidneys, so its ammonia and urea is absorbed by the flesh. Because of this, you cannot eat the shark without special preparation.

It is first left to drain for three months to get rid of all the toxic stuff. Once that is completed, it is basically stored and allowed to ferment for a few more months as a means of preserving it.

It is such a strong flavor that most Icelanders don’t eat it. However, it’s kind of a badge of honor thing to sample it when you visit the country. I can honestly say it’s the foulest-tasting thing I have ever put in my mouth.

What’s worse is that the flavor does not leave your palate for hours, so you’re treated to reminders of the taste for a long time. I tried eating various foods and having different drinks to rid my mouth of the residual and was unsuccessful until I sucked on a spoonful of peanut butter.

While Iceland’s cuisine may not be considered impressive overall, they do get an A+ for their most popular street food—hotdogs. These are actually made from lamb and are quite tasty. I am not usually fond of hotdogs, but we ended up getting them at least 3 different times during our 2-week stay.

You will find these booths spread out throughout the city; however, we have been told multiple times that the oldest location, which is across the street from the Harpa is the best. If you get a dog with everything on it, your meal will have ketchup, remoulade, and fried and fresh onions.

They’re absolutely delicious. They’re also popular because they’re pretty darn cheap, something that can’t be said for most of the food found in Iceland. A hotdog costs about $2.80 USD.

We also visited the Sea Baron restaurant (Saegreifinn) which offers sample sizes of minke whale meat for less than $3 USD. I definitely can recommend it. My daughter, who is extremely finicky, liked it so much she wanted to order a minke steak.

They also have a lobster soup which is supposed to be quite excellent, and they have many other great seafood options.

We considered going to SushiSamba which offers an “Icelandic feast,” a multicourse meal with samples of Iceland foods like smoked puffin, arctic char, reindeer, and so on. In the end, we just couldn’t justify spending over $50 USD per person. There are other restaurants offering some of these delicacies at less expensive prices, so if they’re on your list make sure to check out different places.

Another food I definitely fell in love with was Skyr. It’s classified as a soft cheese but is very similar in texture to Greek yogurt. It is absolutely delicious and has a wonderful texture. I get excited every time I find it outside Iceland.

Have you tried traditional Iceland foods? What was your favorite? Are they any you simply would not try?

Vietnamese Food Ingredients

Generally speaking, Vietnamese food sustains a balance between sweet and salty. I like to believe this equilibrium represents the reality of life, recognizing that daily existence contains both of these elements. Or, perhaps it is related to a type of yin and yang as Vietnamese culture has been heavily influenced by the Chinese over the centuries.

Another common thread is the use of fresh vegetables. In the States, I pretty much avoided vegetables. Most of the time they had been canned or frozen, and they just had flavors and textures that didn’t work for me. However, in Asia I have been eating more vegetables than any other time in my whole life! They have such great flavor, and since they are fresh their texture is so much more palatable as well.

Vegetables are not only fresh, but often dishes will contain raw veggies. In the south, when you’re given a bowl of pho, it is accompanied by a large supply of leafy vegetables and herbs. The person who is about to devour their bowl of yumminess adds these into their soup right before eating, and the greens retain their crispness and flavors.

Where Thai food tends to homogenize flavors, Vietnamese cuisine is all about the individuality of flavors and textures.

“Parts” are not wasted either. In Vietnam, pretty much the whole animal is consumed. A trip to a wet market can be quite fascinating. Unless you have a weak stomach.

You will find everything from live frogs, fish, and crabs to brains, intestines, pigs ears, and even piles of cooked, shredded pig skin.

Regional Differences in Vietnamese Food

The north is not an ideal agricultural area. Most of their produce is shipped from the central and south areas of the country. Because of this, northern dishes tend to contain less vegetables.

The central and southern areas are much better suited for growing food. During what is referred to locally as “the American war,” the US had an active deforestation program to counter guerilla attacks and ambushes, among other things. Decades later, these areas have mostly rebounded, and the food from these regions celebrates this abundance. A south Vietnam dinner would not be complete without the presence of vegetable dishes.

Saigon (officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the Fall, but still referred to by most people, and even signage, by its former name) in particular offers much more diversity in food. The local markets in Saigon easily rival any market I’ve seen in the world so far.

Even if you don’t plan on shopping, the locals’ market is worth the experience.

Food is medicine

Many Asian cultures share this concept, and Vietnamese food definitely is no exception. Chinese medicine has a concept of foods having hot and cold energies. The body has these as well. Foods are eaten in such a way as to balance out the body’s energies, thereby maximizing health.

It’s the best-tasting medicine you’ll probably ever have.

Presentation

Even in its simplicity, Vietnamese food doesn’t require a lot to appear delicious. Lacking Western sensitivities to food and a belief in using the entire animal, food prepared in Vietnam does not try to hide what you’re eating. If you order pigeon, it won’t be nicely chopped up so that you have no visible evidence to remind you of the little birdie you’re eating.

Remember that whole “waste not” philosophy? Well, some things are considered edible that might surprise you. Once again, they aren’t going to hide you’re eating something that many might consider unusual.

Isn’t there anything “normal” besides pho?

Oh yes! And plenty of it. But sometimes the unusual is just too tasty to ignore. Although, you won’t find me snacking on deep-fried silkworms either (pictured above).

What’s your favorite Vietnamese food?

Walks of Italy hosted us on on their Florence food tour, and I knew we were in for a treat when our guide announced “We’ll be having wine for breakfast.”

Wine at 9 AM? Why not?

We visited a local wine shop that is bringing back an old tradition. Aged wine is more expensive and certainly has its advantages, but there is also something to say for wine that hasn’t been aged as long.

This shop sells unaged local wines, and you can fill your own bottles right from the vat for a very low price.

Unaged wine doesn’t have a full body, but that also means it’s quite refreshing. Just perfect for a refreshing drink and cheap enough to enjoy as a daily drink.

Along with the trials of the various wines available, they served up quite a spread of different types of bruschetta and treats. I tried to pace myself knowing we’d have more stops, but it wasn’t easy.

We also stopped to sample Firenze’s traditional street food. Before you give lampredotto a taste, it’s important to remember that Tuscany is a deeply agricultural-based culture. Therefore, much of its food is considered “peasant” farmer food. When you’re living off the land, you don’t waste animal parts like we do in the US.

Why does this matter for lampredotto? Well, most people are familiar with the fact that cows basically have four stomachs. Those who are more adventurous or lived in farming areas are probably familiar with tripe, which is mostly commonly the 1st stomach (but can be from the 1st through 3rd stomachs). Lampredotto comes from the 4th stomach which is more glandular and therefore eaten more rarely.

The flavor is . . . an acquired taste. The texture was more of an issue for me than the actual flavor. And it isn’t easy to get rid of the after taste, much like with Iceland’s hákarl. Although not nearly as disgusting memorable.

Lots of Florentines are quite enamored with the stuff, though. This one particular vendor had fairly brisk business.

Being an agricultural area, this also means the fresh markets are quite impressive. We saw so many absolutely luscious and delightful produce. Earlier in our stay, I bought some peaches from a market, and they were the best I’ve ever had.

Juicy, sweet, and without a mushy texture. I miss those peaches!

While at the market, we stopped at a cheese and cured meat vendor. Its owner is a former football star, and he’s quite the card. He expertly flirts with every female customer while under the watchful and nonplussed eye of his wife.

Our guide gave us a great education about the different local cheeses, their processing, and we also learned the difference between prosciutto and Parma ham.

We stopped for lunch at a local haunt that serves food in traditional family style (plates are shared rather than served as individual meals). A large container of house wine is put on the table, and customers pay according to how much they’ve drank. I wonder how many people are surprised when they get the final bill.

The experience is topped off with a visit to a winner of Florence’s esteemed best gelato award. The gelato is freshly made from ingredients he finds that morning in the market. It doesn’t get much fresher than that!

He’s very creative with his ingredients and always trying new things. After having some of his product, I’m absolutely not surprised he won the top prize.

Aside from the great food on this tour, my favorite part was visiting places that the typical tourist would probably never see or experience. These aren’t tourist haunts. You go, eat, and drink where the locals visit in Firenze.

And you definitely don’t want to eat anything before you go on this tour!

Do you do foor tours when you travel? Which was your favorite?

The noodle soup pho is probably the most famous Vietnamese dish. While pho is quite enjoyable, it pales in comparison to other Vietnamese cuisine.

There is no way to sum up the large array of food in Vietnam, but I’ll touch on some basics.

Soups

I’ve always been a bit mystified as to why soup is so huge in this steamy country. Living for so much of my life in the Pacific Northwest and in Colorado, we have definite soup weather. I associate soup, chowder, and stews with fall and winter weather. When it’s cold and damp outside, nothing can warm you from the toes up like a nice hearty stew or chowder.

Perhaps it’s, like with Chinese food, a belief in the medicinal value of food. Or perhaps it’s related to the older days where refrigeration wasn’t something that existed or was easily acquired. I imagine keeping food at a boiling temperature is safer than leaving meat to sit out for hours.

But even in this sweltering heat, I’ll gladly order a bowl of liquid deliciousness.

A strong contender for pho’s crown is the dish known as bún chả (pronounced boon chah). This northern Vietnamese dish, believed to be a Hanoi specialty, should come with instructions. Although it did provide great entertainment to the proprietor when I looked at the three bowls of food sitting before me and asked “How do I eat it?”

For the more adventurous, there is bun rieu. Like pho, there are regional variations, but generally it’s more of a seafood lover’s type of dish.

If you want to participate more in the preparation of your meal, then order a claypot dish. In the north, these were usually small, manageable portions. However, in the cool mountain town of Dalat, a claypot order could easily feed at least three people. I found this out by surprise when I ordered it thinking I was getting one of the nice, smaller pots.

How do you know which you’re getting? Generally, you’ll notice the small reddish claypots sitting around in the restaurant or street food cafe. If you don’t see them but notice claypot on the menu, you may be getting the larger cauldron. Another way to possibly differentiate between them is the price. The smaller ones are often around 60,000 VND (about $3 USD), and the large ones are closer to 150,000 dong.

Street food

Almost always a diverse assortment, street food in Vietnam has something for everyone. “Meat on a stick” is readily available, although it tends to get added to a lovely French-style baguette and called bánh mì. Some vegetables will get added along with a slightly spicy sauce. The result is a filling combination that delights your taste buds with a wonderful mix of unique flavors. Vegetarians can usually find tofu quite easily.

This blend of diverse flavors is one of the trademarks of Vietnamese cuisine. Where Thai food brings several sweet and sour flavors together and joins them, this country’s food highlights individual flavors. The taste of each ingredient stands out making it quite delightful. Even if it won’t make you break out in a sweat.

My recent street food addiction is bánh bao. They closely resemble Chinese dumplings, and we like to refer to them as “crack balls” because they’re remarkably addictive.

Imagine pork or chicken mixed with onions, mushrooms, and vegetables. Add a couple of hard-boiled quail eggs, wrap it in a fluffy dough, and cook it with steam. It may not sound like much, but once you’ve bitten into one of these delightful soft balls, I think you’ll be hooked, too.

Not only will they please your mouth, but they’ll make your pocketbook sing as well. The average price for a dumpling a bit larger than my palm (and I have large hands) is 10,000 VND, or about 50 cents. I have found them for as low as 3000 dong, though. Two can easily be a meal.

Just remember to peel the paper off the bottom before biting into it. Picking out partially masticated paper from your mouth isn’t as much fun as it might sound.

Spring rolls

These are usually served fried or fresh. When they are listed as fresh, they are usually wrapped in rice paper. It looks like plastic wrap, but it’s 100% edible and has a very mild, subtle flavor.

Spring rolls are often a vegetarian’s best friend and when served fresh they can be quite healthy. When ordering these in a restaurant, don’t be surprised if you have the opportunity to roll them yourself. I think it just adds to the fun.

The best fresh spring roll I’ve had so far were catfish spring rolls. They had amazing flavor. Of course, it’s hard to go wrong pairing fresh herbs with grilled fish. Just another example of the explosion of flavors that is common with Vietnamese food.

When served fried, they are very reminiscent of what are often called eggrolls in the States, although they are smaller. I love the texture of the crunchy wrapping, but I don’t find the flavors to be quite as good as with the fresh rolls. The flavors are more homogenized when fried.

Social component

The Vietnamese culture is very social. At night you will find locals in the street seated on small, low plastic chairs at roadside cafes, sharing food in restaurants, and/or playing games in coffee houses. It is fun to hear them laugh and tease each other. Vietnamese people are very playful, especially in the south, and you really get to experience this in the nighttime eateries that seem to spring up out of nowhere. Like in France, meals are meant to be enjoyed and shared.

The food is just part of the overall experience.

Do you have a favorite Vietnamese cuisine that wasn’t included above? Please share it with us in the comments section!

Czech

Czech food is quite heavy and basic really. Flavors don’t change that much. Beef is not a common meat, and its quality is generally substandard compared to other countries I’ve visited. I think more attention is paid to crafting wonderful beers. Pork is a big favorite and very good.

Street food is mostly sausage and pork oriented. It is quite inexpensive and usually pretty darn tasty.

I really enjoyed U Medvidku for typical Czech fare. They have a good selection of beers, too. It’s a really relaxed atmosphere. If you don’t smoke, walk through the first dining area to the rear where you’ll find the nonsmoking section.

For some reason, the nonsmoking section in Czech restaurants usually includes a trek through a smoke-filled room.

If you’re in the mood for trying some of the less-common beers, head on over to the Prague Beer Museum pub. Their beer menu is quite plentiful, and taste sizes cost around $1 for most of them. Their food is average, but their beers are wonderful. Make sure to have cash on hand, though. They don’t accept credit cards.

Bagels

Of course these deserve their own category! After sampling bagels from various shops, I give the blue ribbon to Bohemia Bagel. They have two stores, and I visited both of them. In the name of research, of course. The store at their Masna location (metro station Staroměstská) is by far the best one. Since it’s also very close to the big square, that’s an extra nice part.

They have some great bagels and bagel sandwiches, but they also have some other great food. I had a delicious walnut fudge pie while picking up my last batch of bagels. It tasted even better than it looked.

Mexican food

There are various Mexican restaurants, more than I expected to be honest. Most seem to be selling tourist-type fare (what some expats call Czexican) which is a big turnoff for me.  We only found one restaurant that was really good, but it appears they are no longer open.

For a fast food version of Mexican cuisine, we were pretty pleased with Burrito Loco. They offer burritos that are very reminiscent of the Chipotle chain back in the US. They get an extra bonus for carrying our favorite Mexican beer—Sol.

They’re also open 24 hours in case you get a late-night craving or need to get some food in you as you’re stumbling back home from a bit too much nightlife.

Their Štefánikova location (tram stop Andel) also has a small shop selling things like true hot sauce which is hard to find.

Asian

Chinese

We’ve been to a couple of fairly good Chinese places. Expat friends tell me all the restaurants have similar quality, but I can definitely recommend Restaurace Stesti. And the “strange taste” chicken really doesn’t taste all that strange. Nearest metro stop is Hradčanská.

Indian

We’ve only been to one restaurant serving strictly Indian food, and that was Indian by Nature II (metro Hradčanská). During the week they offer an inexpensive lunch buffet which was really quite good.

Thai

This is one of my favorite cuisines, and I tend to be rather picky about Thai food. Yam Yam had really good food that was very similar to what we had while in Thailand, although a bit sweeter and less spicy.

If you’re visiting on a weekend night, make sure to reserve a table in advance. The restaurant is small, popular, and near a concert venue.

Vietnamese

On the outskirts of town in the Praha-Libus area, you’ll find what an area I call Little Vietnam. It is a Vietnamese community of shops, markets, and restaurants. Most of the restaurants are hole-in-the-wall places. If you’ve been craving pho, you’ll want to come here!

You’ll want to arrive at the bus stop Sídliště Písnice. You’ll see a small plaza advertising Vietnamese food. Go through the building to the other side, and you’ll see the complex just past the restaurant and hotel.

Middle Eastern

There are plenty of places selling doner and foods of that nature; however, Klub Cestovalelu (metro/tram: Narodni divadlo) is worth a visit. Their menu is more than just Middle Eastern, and it is quite tasty.

If insects are your thing, I have a friend who recommends their worms. I’ll pass.

Some of their a la carte options are a bit weird, though. For instance, neither pita nor bread come with the humus, and it’s about $1 a piece for pita!

Dessert

There are tons of bakeries around, and restaurants often have a great selection of desserts; however, if you want something a bit more special, Ovocny Svetozor is the place you want to go.

They have several locations, and due to its justifiable popularity you should expect to have to wait in line for a bit. Their cakes, torts, and ice cream are all quite good.

If you’ve been there, which Prague food is your favorite?

One of the things that really attracted me to this particular cooking class was that they focus on using local ingredients. The owner and instructor for Icelandic food (they also teach other cuisines) Auður even goes so far as to drive for hours during the summer to pick blueberries herself rather than just buy them in the supermarket.

Once I arrived and saw the layout of her kitchen and the amazing view, I knew I was in for a real treat.

The menu we would be preparing included a salad, main dish, and a dessert. We were given a lovely folder containing the recipes so we could re-create the dishes at home, and the folder contained some handy conversion charts for those not familiar with metrics. This came in quite handy when I went to re-create one of these dishes while in Mexico.

Auður walked us through each process and made sure we learned how to improve our chopping and other cooking techniques. As we prepared the food, she talked to us about the various ingredients, how they’re made or used, and what we could use to substitute for Icelandic foods we might not be able to find outside the country, like Skyr.

The class takes a few hours, and she serves some wonderful wine with the meal. It’s a great time to not only eat the delicious food you’ve prepared but to get to know her and your fellow classmates more.

Check out this amazing food!

Tip: Don’t trust Google Maps to find the class by the business name. For some reason they keep trying to lead people to the former location. Instead, search for the address of Þórunnartún 2 and that will bring you right to her doorstep. The school is located in a large building, but there is good signage to let you know where to go.

Like with most cooking classes, don’t eat much for breakfast beforehand. You’ll want to make sure you have plenty of room for the amazing dishes you’ll be preparing.

As mentioned above, they offer classes in other cuisines as well. These are taught by local top chefs, so they’re worth checking out if you’ll be in the city long enough to partake.

I definitely would recommend this class to learn how to cook Icelandic food. And you won’t even have to eat any fermented shark.

This is especially true for many of the world’s most popular cuisines, such as Mexican. Most people who have had Mexican food but have not actually eaten in a nontourist locale in the wonderfully diverse country have never really had the delicious traditional stuff.

I know this may shock some people, but items like nachos and burritos are not very Mexican. Just like french fries aren’t French.

My favorite street food is usually sold by people in portable carts. It typically is fresh, flavorful, fast, cheap, and surrounded by locals.

Street Food Safety

I know a lot of people get a bit nervous about food hygiene when it comes to these carts of culinary delight. There are some general things you can do to help prevent getting the local, creatively named origin of diarrhea (Delhi belly, Montezuma’s revenge, etc.)

• Do they use a separate tub for washing & rinsing dishes? Hang by and watch them for a bit. If they’re simply taking the used plates and dunking them in a bin of dirty water, you’ll probably want to avoid this particular cart. Most places use disposable dishes now, but they still have to wash their grill, etc.
• Are there tons of locals visiting other carts but this one is practically empty? Skip it. If the locals won’t eat there, you probably shouldn’t either.
• A cramped working area can still be kept relatively clean. If surfaces and equipment all look messy and dirty, I’d probably pass. If they show attention to presentation, organization, etc., chances are better they’re being a bit more careful with hygiene.
• Give a higher priority to carts selling food that is made to order or premade in small batches. It’s usually pretty easy to identify which items have been sitting around for a long time. If pots are kept over a flame or items are packed in ice, it’s less of a concern.

Don’t stress, though. Generally, most of the time you’ll be fine. I’ve been traveling for decades, including full-time travel for over five years. I’ve only had food poisoning twice, and both times were in the States after eating in a regular, brick-and-mortar restaurant, one of which was part of a popular chain. My son eats at the same places I do, and he’s never become ill from the food either.

Also, keep in mind that food rules in developed nations are based around their style of food transportation and storage. When weeks can go by between slaughter or harvest and use in your kitchen, you need much more stringent precautions (like in the UK and US). In most undeveloped or developing nations, however, the time from harvest to your hands is around four hours.

This is part of the reason why you can find meat hanging unrefrigerated for hours in a wet market, and you still won’t get ill from it. Fresh is simply healthier in many regards.

So, it isn’t necessarily important to ignore the tasty chicken that’s sitting in a bowl without ice or a flame beneath it.

One of our favorite choices is “meat on a stick.” That’s what we call any meat that’s served on a skewer or stick. These are usually safe bets as they tend to be cooked quite thoroughly.

Greater Selection

One of the coolest things about street food is the varied selection. Buffets can be wonderful because you can sample so many different items. Night and walking markets offer similar opportunities but with fresher and tastier food.

The challenge may be having enough room in your tummy to handle it all, though. I always want far more food than I can reasonably consume in one sitting.

Culture

Food vendors have a tendency to congregate in an area popular with locals, which gives you greater access to mingling. You can get insights into daily life that you won’t observe while staying in your hotel’s restaurant or by going to a typical eatery.

It also can really enhance your travel experience. While in a medium-sized town in Thailand, we frequented the night market for dinner. Unaccustomed to large amounts of tourists, there is a big language barrier since many of the people don’t speak English. It was so much fun to interact and laugh together at our communication struggles.

You also have a great vantage point to see how people are with each other, which items are the most popular, and to see differences in various groups.

Broadening the Palate

I’m sure it can be tough for people who aren’t very “food brave.” The night markets and other street food areas are great for helping give you the push to try new things, especially if you are limited in communication. Some things look good, but you have no idea what they are. I’ve been incredibly pleasantly surprised by trying things that mystified me by their appearance. Since no one could tell me what they were, I figured I had nothing to lose. $1 is a small price to pay for a nibble of food that perhaps I didn’t enjoy in the end (like the time I thought I was getting grilled chicken but it was grilled chicken skin), but I have found some real winners with this method. It’s rare that I sample something that I absolutely can’t stand.

Beetles and grasshoppers would be two definite exceptions. And lampredotto wasn’t a great joy either.

Have you sampled street food? What’s your favorite?

I love learning to cook local dishes as we travel. So far my favorite cooking classes have been in Penang where I learned how to prepare some Nyonya dishes (and loved them so much I bought a recipe book) and in Thailand. In Bangkok, I had the opportunity to learn how to prepare some of my favorite Thai dishes, which is my favorite cuisine, and fell in love with some others.

What is a class like?

Most cooking classes begin with a trip to the local market where food is the freshest. Not only do you learn about fruits and vegetables you may have never seen before, but you learn the culture and history behind the food. This is my next favorite part of culinary travel, second only to actually eating.

In Penang, as we went through the market we were treated to samples of Nyonya foods to whet our appetite. Once the tour is accomplished, it’s time for the real fun—cooking!

You will learn how to prepare, clean, and cut all the ingredients you’ll need for your dishes. Instead of simply following a recipe, you are walked through the various steps (now I know the secret to making crispy shallot rings!), including explanations as to why you’re doing a step in a certain way.

Some of these classes have also enhanced my cooking skills by teaching me new techniques and refining them.

After learning all these wonderful things, you get to do the best part which is actually eating your creations.

Finding a class

There are several ways to find a good cooking class. Obviously, personal recommendations are highly valued, which is how I found out about Pearly in Malaysia. Another solid method is to use social media to your advantage. Twitter is most likely your best friend with this type of search. Before heading to Vietnam I found a cooking school to attend by doing research on Twitter.

Of course, there are always searches through engines like Google and TripAdvisor, where you can also read reviews from people who have attended a class.

Picking a cooking class

• As far as I’m concerned, a trip to the local food market is essential. If the class isn’t doing this, I usually won’t sign up. This is where you learn more about the foods you’ll be preparing, and you get invaluable insights into the culture. They’re also where some of the best street food can be found during the daytime.
• Do they provide transportation? It can be hard to get from the meeting area to the market and from there to the location where the class will be offered. Generally, they’ll take care of this part for you, and that’s a really beneficial service.
• Will you be able to replicate the foods when you leave? It’s kind of pointless to learn how to prepare a specific dish and never be able to reproduce it at home. If the dishes they teach are too specialized, it may not be worth your time and money in the end. Most schools seem to grasp this, but if you find one that doesn’t, that’s probably a sign to look elsewhere. A class I took in Iceland was great with this. We were given a conversion sheet so we could easily change the cooking information to the system used back home. As she introduced ingredients, she would also tell us what we could use at home as a replacement. The class in Thailand was good about this well.
• When evaluating the cost, consider all the above factors, but also remember you’ll be eating all this wonderful food you’re preparing. A $50 (per person) class might seem a bit pricey, but when you factor everything in, including that you’ll probably be eating at least 3 different dishes, you’re really getting a good bargain.
• How long is the class? Most of the schools I’ve researched offer half-day classes, and some offer a longer full-day class for those who are interested. If you only have 4 days in an area, a full-day class may be too long for you. Once again, it’s important to factor in what you’ll be learning. For me spending a day learning how to create my favorite Thai and Vietnamese dishes so that I can have them everywhere I go (practically) is worth a whole day.

Learning to cook some of the foods from your travels are great ways of not only sharing the cultures you’ve experienced but also bringing those memories back to life. Nothing can evoke memories like smells and tastes. A cooking class is the souvenir that keeps on giving without taking up any valuable space in your suitcase.

Have you ever taken a cooking class while traveling? Which dish did you enjoy learning to cook the most, and what made it so special?