Loosen your belt and don’t fill up on bread for these top foodie escapes

Tasty trips

Often the way to a traveller’s heart is through their stomach. Whether it’s the steaming street food of Vietnam or the sizzling steak of Argentina, thrilling local dishes invariably bring a country to life. Today, tour operators are becoming experts in whipping up tasty itineraries, and these nine are some of the best on the menu.

1. Colombia Travel by chocolate

On Wild Frontiers’ From Coca to Cacao – A Colombia Chocolate Tour, you’ll unravel an industry entwined in Latin America’s history. Visit Santa Marta, Bogotá, Cartagena and beyond in the company of chocolatier Amelia Rope, tracing the journey of cacao from field to factory, restaurant and market stall, all the while admiring Colombia’s colonial charm, its famed salt cathedral and sampling plenty more local delicacies along the way. Who: Wild Frontiers (020 8741 7390; wildfrontierstravel.com) When: 25 Aug 2018 How long: 14 days How much: From £4,295 (excl flights)

2. Portugal A bite-size weekend in Lisbon

Join Riviera

Travel on its Lisbon Taste Break and munch your way round the steep Portuguese capital’s intricately tiled buildings, cathedrals and palaces. Make a beeline for the Ribeira Nova market, where you can snack on octopus salad, grilled sardines and clams. Then, after a day spent climbing Lisbon’s many hills, treat yourself to one of Portugal’s iconic pastéis de nata (custard tarts) – or even two. Who: Riviera Travel (01283 245359; tastebreaks.co.uk) When: 21 Jun, 19 Jul, 16 Aug & 6 Sept 2018 How long: 4 days How much: From £525 (incl flights)

3. Vietnam Savour pho- nomenal cuisine

Taste the Flavours of Vietnam with Bamboo

Travel. Dine on pho (noodle soup) and banh mi (stuffed baguettes) as you zoom the aromatic food stalls of capital Hanoi on the back of a Vespa, then savour the sweet and spicy notes that flavour the imperial dishes of the ancient Nguyen dynasty in Hue. Finish amid the towering karsts of Halong Bay and the paddy fields of Vietnam’s ‘rice bowl’, the Mekong Delta, soaking up local delights. Who: Bamboo Travel (020 7720 9285; bambootravel.co.uk) When: Nov–may How long: 13 days How much: From £2,725 (incl flights)

4. Georgia Gorge out in Georgia

Eat like a local on Regent Holidays’ Cheese & Wine Tour of Georgia. Soak up the vineyards of the Kakheti region and the ancient stonecut presses of Uplistsikhe, then dine on Imereti cheese in a Kutaisi guesthouse before tasting the fruits of a local family’s wine cellar in Koreti, as you devour the rustic delights of Georgia. Gaumarjos! Who: Regent Holidays (020 7666 1250; regent-holidays.co.uk) When: Year round How long: 10 days How much: From £2,345 (incl flights)

5. Morocco

Chomp on Berber dishes

Nibble into a unique cuisine on Fleewinter’s Moroccan Gastronomy Tour. Accompany a chef and shop the souks of Essaouira and Marrakech, enjoying a classic Berber lunch, local hospitality and pastry-making classes, before riding a camel along the coast for a picnic and learning how to bake Moroccan bread high up in the Atlas Mountains. Delicious. Who: Fleewinter (020 7112 0019; fleewinter.com) When: Year round How long: 8 days How much: From £750 (excl flights)

6. Italy

That’s amore

Enjoy a greatesthits journey through Europe’s favourite cuisine on Great Rail Journeys’ Gastronomic Italy 2018 trip. Sip wine while soaking up Florence’s architectural wonders, master pasta in Bologna and finish up in Parma, exploring the stories behind its top foodie trio – Parma ham, parmesan cheese and wine. Who: Great Rail Journeys (01904 521936; greatrail.com) When: 8 Sept 2018 How long: 10 days How much: From £2,615 (incl rail travel) 7. Mexico Sights, smells and flavours of Oaxaca

Visit one of Mexico’s tastiest corners with Travel The Unknown

and discover the Flavours of Mexico. Whip up a classic mole sauce with a chef, taste your way through food markets and cook up dishes with locals using ingredients like cacti and agave flowers. Throw in day trips to valley-nesting Santiago Apoala and the Monte Albán ruins to enrich your stay. Who: Travel The Unknown (020 7183 6371; traveltheunknown.com) When: 6 Oct 2018, 9 Feb & 5 Oct 2019 How long: 9 days

How much: From £1,565 (excl flights)

8. Japan From sushi to sake

Head to a land where food is art on World Expeditions’ Food Lover’s Japan tour. Sculpt sushi dishes in the skyscrapers of Tokyo, be treated to a tea ceremony by Kyoto’s geiko (hostesses) and work it off on the Unesco-listed Kumano Kodo trail before holing up with a chef in a mountain minshuku (B&B) to hone your palate. Who: World Expeditions (0800 0744 135; worldexpeditions.co.uk) When: 8 & 22 Oct 2018 How long: 13 days How much: From £3,950 (excl flights)

9. Peru Food fit for an Inca emperor

Twin iconic travel destinations with local flavours on Journey Latin America’s A Taste of Peru trip. Fill up on history at Machu Picchu, ancient Inca capital Cusco and the Sacred Valley, then sample the famed fusion food of Lima, as well as pisco (brandy) tastings, a real ranch barbecue and a trip to a chocolate museum. Bliss. Who: Journey Latin America (020 3131 7959; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) When: Year round How long: 12 days How much: From £3,150 (excl flights)