Food for thought on your travels
I’ve never doubted that I was a foodie traveller. Every great travel memory I have is centred around food. I still remember the delicious shawarmas packed with juicy bits of grilled chicken, french fries and lashings of garlic sauce I used to devour when I lived in Riyadh as a kid.
My favourite memory from Lisbon involves my travel companion and I inhaling freshly baked egg custard tarts sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar on a park bench in the rain, after we’d queued for ages to get our hands on one.
The famous pasteis de belem was originally created by fundraising nuns from Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, but these sweet pastries have been sold publicly for more than 150 years now, and they are worth the queue.
I found new loves on a river cruise through France and Germany; cinnamon sugar-topped Baumstriezel, a sweet doughnut-like pastry cooked on a rotary spit; and tarte flambee, or flammekueche as they say in Alsatian. It’s like pizza. Only better. The original recipe consists of thinly rolled dough, covered with creme fraiche, onions and lardons (or bacon), and it is beyond delicious. Many variations exist today with the addition of different types of cheese, mushrooms or sweet versions.
When I plan a holiday, the first thing I do is research the local delicacies, the street food, and the restaurants you must eat at. After reading about Brook and Radha’s food adventures on pages 4-5 I’ve put Budapest firmly onto my list. Who knew langos were a thing?
Are you a foodie traveller too? We’d love to hear how you travel, what’s important to you and what you want to see from us. Head to stuff.co.nz/ travelsurvey and answer a few questions and you could be in to win one of five $500 travel vouchers from House of Travel.