There are many reasons to eat locally when travelling. A delight for the senses, authentic encounters and recipes to take back in your bag: these are reasons you’ll love eating local specialities when you travel.
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Eating local when travelling without getting sick: the right thing to do
For some people, eating locally when travelling is an integral part of the adventure. Others, more cautious, dare avoid venturing into the unknown territory of a country’s culinary specialities. Fear of the unknown, fear of falling ill, the all-inclusive option, prejudices about gastronomy: there are many reasons to think twice before pushing open the door of a local restaurant or street stall. However, we can only encourage you to overcome these fears because there are only good reasons to eat locally when travelling.
Fly to the coffee plantations of Colombia, the cult pizzerias of Italy, the taco stands of Mexico, the spice markets of India, or the vineyards of Australia. To convince you, here are seven arguments for eating local when you travel, followed by a few tips on where to find these dishes and how to avoid the notorious intoxication, also known as “tourists.”
- Discover an essential part of the culture
Food is a museum. Recipes can reveal a country’s history and part of its identity. A dish’s aromas and flavours can reveal traces of past civilisations, old friendships between territories, or even colonisation.
- Getting closer to the locals
Tasting local cuisine with a family that welcomes you with open arms is an unforgettable experience. And you’ll see just how much more significant and more spontaneous the network of free hospitality is worldwide than you might think! Food brings people together, facilitating dialogue and sharing around a pleasant emotion.
Around a table or stall, you can feel the pulse of a country. Even sharing a few minutes with a producer at a market will bring you closer to the authentic way of life of the locals.
- Support the local economy.
Every purchase can become a commitment. By choosing a small family restaurant instead of an international fast-food chain, you are contributing to ethical and responsible tourism. You are helping to preserve the local produce, know-how and jobs in the area you are exploring.
You’ll be helping to pay the producers and craftspeople who work tirelessly to promote the culture and appeal of their country or region.
- Eat fresh, seasonal food.
By eating locally when you travel, your food will naturally follow the cycle of the seasons. And that’s all to the good: fruit and vegetables have more taste and flavour! Moreover, they’re much better for your health, as they don’t have to endure the hardships of transport that alter their nutrients. Foodstuffs are guaranteed free from external agents designed to extend their shelf life.
When picked at the right time, they ripen naturally, boosting their concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Save money
One of the main reasons for eating local food when travelling is to save money! The price of local food is often much cheaper than that of the prominent tourist brands. This is because food prices are adapted to the standard of living of the local population (and it’s no secret that the euro is a much stronger currency than most international currencies).
So, you can drastically reduce your food budget by buying more small street restaurants or a basket of produce from a market.
- Protect the environment
Eating locally when you travel helps reduce your food consumption’s carbon footprint. With no energy-intensive farming technologies to grow out-of-season produce, less transport, no over-packaging to withstand long journeys, no excessive watering, and no cold stores, your plate’s energy balance is pretty good.
Eating local food also means opposing intensive farming methods, which have terrible environmental effects: soil erosion, reduced fertility, and desertification, all threatening living things.
- Bringing new flavours home
What could be better than shared happiness? When you taste the authentic flavours of a faraway land and take the time to learn how to prepare a few exotic recipes, you can share them with everyone around you as soon as you get home. And there’s a good chance you’ll be a hit with some Indian cheese naans, Australian pork ribs, pad thai from Thailand, empanadas from Argentina, Creole rougail or other Italian dessert farandoles.
With your little dish from elsewhere, you can take your loved ones on a journey from your dining room. You’ll be giving them a taste of the world and giving them an excellent opportunity to recount your adventures.
How to eat local?
Are you convinced of the good reasons to eat local? Then forget the big chains and the hotel restaurants. Instead, follow these few tips to discover real treasure troves and return home with a head and stomach full of memories.
Join a food tour
Food tours are guided tours based on tasting local specialities and meeting the best food artisans. It’s a delicious way to learn about history.
Stroll through the markets
Colourful and lively, markets are at the heart of life and a favourite meeting place for the locals. You’ll find the raw ingredients used in local cuisine as well as street food ready to be enjoyed.
Take a cookery course
As well as filling out your travel program and bringing you face-to-face with people from all walks of life, a cookery class is a golden opportunity to learn about cooking ‘from the inside’. Guided step by step, you’ll learn the techniques and secrets behind the dishes that sometimes make an entire country famous.