Foods Around the World Every Foodie Must Try

Some destinations reveal themselves through their skylines. Others speak through their spice markets, their simmering broths, their family kitchens. For the travelling foodie, tasting food from different countries isn't a side note to the journey – it's the journey itself.

Here are some of the best dishes worldwide drawn from our own escorted tours: the national dishes, market-fresh staples, and quietly ritualistic meals that have shaped the places we visit for centuries. These are the around-the-world dishes worth building a trip around.

China: Peking Duck and Yangshuo's Market-Fresh Flavours

Beijing's food story is written in its most famous export: Peking Duck, lacquered and carved tableside, its crisp skin and delicate pancake wrap now one of the most popular dishes in the world. But travel south to Yangshuo, and the story shifts from icon to ingredient. Here, fertile farmland between limestone karsts feeds lively morning markets, where our guided cooking experience begins not in the kitchen but among the vendors – selecting fresh produce before preparing dishes balanced for texture, fragrance, and depth.

Vietnam and Cambodia: Fragrant Broths Shaped by River and Monsoon

Across Vietnam and Cambodia, climate dictates the plate. Tropical fruit and fragrant broths reflect landscapes carved by river systems and monsoon rains, with dishes built on a careful balance of sweet, sour, and heat, softened by fresh herbs. It's a cuisine that tastes like its geography.

Uzbekistan: Plov and the Silk Road's Shared Table

Few national dishes around the world carry as much history on a single plate as Uzbekistan's plov. Rice and spices once ferried by camel caravan now anchor family gatherings from Samarkand to Khiva, the dish virtually unchanged in spirit since the Silk Road's trading days. Sharing plov or tearing into clay-oven baked flatbread still warm from the fire, connects today's traveller directly to centuries of migration and hospitality.

Japan: The Discipline of Miso, Sushi, and Hida Beef

In Japan, food is ritual as much as it is flavour. The slow fermentation of miso, the precision of sushi-making in Tokyo, and the marbled richness of Takayama's Hida beef all speak to a culinary culture built on patience and craft. Tokyo, with its density of Michelin stars and centuries-old food traditions, is regularly tipped as the best food city in the world – and once you've watched a sushi chef work, it's easy to see why.

India: Rajasthan's Sacred Hospitality and Kerala's Banana Leaf Feast

In Rajasthan, India, the Sanskrit phrase Atithi Devo Bhava, meaning the guest is God, still shapes how visitors are welcomed. During a traditional dinner inside a family home in Jaipur, guests share recipes alongside stories and customs passed down through generations.

Travel south to Kerala, and that same spirit of welcome unfolds differently: across a banana leaf feast. A glossy green leaf becomes both plate and canvas, laid with fragrant rice, sambar, delicately spiced curries, vegetable stews, and tangy pickles. Eaten by hand in the traditional way, it's an immersive, aromatic ritual – one where sustainability and time-honoured custom sit naturally side by side

Nepal: Folding Momos in the Himalayas

High in the Himalayas, folding momos alongside a Nepali family is more than a cookery lesson. These delicate dumplings carry stories of trade and connection across mountain passes – a quiet reminder that cuisine shapes national identity just as much as language or landscape.

Sri Lanka: From Leaf to Cup

In Sri Lanka, tea is far more than refreshment, it's central to the island's economy and sense of self. Visiting a working plantation in the hill country for high tea reveals the full journey from leaf to cup, shaped by altitude, terrain, and decades of legacy.

Peru: History in Every Pour

In Peru, culinary heritage isn't only on the plate – it's in the glass. Cocktails crafted from regional ingredients reflect a culture shaped by Indigenous custom and colonial exchange in equal measure, offering a sip of history with every round.

A Few Notes for the Travelling Foodie

A handful of practical pointers make these experiences easier to embrace:

• Dress modestly for home visits in India and Nepal – lightweight, covering layers are respectful and practical in warmer climates.

• Tipping customs vary widely – in Japan it's often considered unnecessary, while in much of Southeast Asia and India, modest tipping is appreciated.

Taste the Journey for Yourself

Food from different countries tells a story no guidebook quite captures, and it's one we build into every itinerary. Across our escorted tours, these meals, markets, and family kitchens sit alongside iconic landmarks with equal purpose, because understanding a place means tasting it too.

Explore the regions behind these dishes on our Asia tours, where Yangshuo's markets, Rajasthan's family dinners, and Kerala's banana leaf feasts await. For a different kind of culinary journey, our Australasia, North America, and Africa tours offer their own expertly crafted itineraries, each one designed to balance guided discovery with time to explore independently.