(Eating your way through Europe )

I love food !!!  How often do you hear that phrase.  When travelers talk about their trip to Europe, one of the things that people remark on is the food !!!! The Food !!!

Europe is so diverse when it comes to different tastes and traditional dishes in each country.

There is a thriving “food tour” business, offering “secret” local restaurants and tastes in many different cities.  Check out some of the options:

Italy:

The Italians have definitely done it right.  We typically associate Italy with Pasta dishes and  wines, there are so many other tastes on offer in the different regions.

For Example:

cannoli’s – Sicily, pizza – Naples, carbonara- Rome, ragu ala bolognese – Bologna, searda(pastries) – Sicily, pesto genovese – Genoa, parmigiana, reggiano-Lombardy, spritz(aperitif)- Venice, limoncello-Capri, white truffles – Piedmont, extra virgin olive oil-Puglia, gelato-Sicily, red chile peppers – Calabria…  The list is endless….

     

There are also some wonderful food tours available here.  If you’re in Venice – check this food tour out: Venice Bites Food Tours – https://www.venicebitesfoodtours.com – it comes highly recommended by personal friends of ours.

Florence: Eating Italy Food Tours Florence guide. http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/florence/travel-guide/

France:

Known for it’s wines, France’s popular wine producing regions are Bordeaux, Reims, Épernay, Dijon, and Cognac.  Famous foods from France are escargot(snails), baguette(French bread), soup a l’oignon(french onion soup), croque monsieur(Ham & Cheese Sandwich), mousse au chocolat(chocolate mousse), coq au vin, beef bourguignon, confit de canard (french duck) and many more.  French cuisine is renowned all over the world and generally is a rich flavorful taste and portions are typically smaller than what we are used to in the US.

There are also some great food tours available here.  Our friends over at Tour de Forks http://www.tourdeforks.com/  have some wonderful offerings in France.

Germany: 

Generally associated with beer and bratwurst !!

This country has a lot to offer.  One of the most popular dishes is called spatzle – spätzle are a kind of pasta, but the dough only consists of eggs, flour, salt and a hint of fizzy water, of course bratwurst, and then there’s currywurst (sausage with ketchup and curry powder), schnitzel (veal cutlet), bratkartofflen (sliced potatoes), gulash(variation of Hungarian Goulash)  pretzels too !!!

Spain:

Now this truly is a blend of old world and modern cuisine. Barcelona is in the Catalonia region of north east Spain on the coast, while Madrid is right in the middle of Spain.    Listed as the top “must try” dishes from Spain (courtesy of (www.bbcgoodfood.com ) :

Paella from Valencia, gazpacho from Andalucia in southern Spain, tortilla espanola, gambas al ajillo(sizzling prawns in garlic butter) YUM, iberico ham, patatas bravas(fried potatoes), cochinillo asado( roast suckling pig or lamb), pisto (Spanish ratatouille), turron (almond nougat).

           

Netherlands-Amsterdam.

Some of the “essential” foods to try in The Netherlands are:  bitterballen-(beer snacks), gouda Cheese, pannekoeken and poffertjes(Dutch pancakes, and doughnut type treats), patat(fries), herring, stroopwafels(waffle sandwich), Indonesian cuisine ???  Yes!!!  Famous here

A variety of ‘foodie” tours are available too:  http://www.eatingamsterdamtours.com

       

Prague, Czech Republic:

Taste of Prague Food Tour: www.tasteofprague.com/praguefoodietour

This one I have experienced first-hand and it was phenominal !!!

“The “Taste of Prague” food tour starts in the Old Town, takes you to the New Town, and then takes you to an up-and-coming residential area. The food is rooted in the Czech tradition but adds some modern and trendy Czech fare, too. It shows things in a more social context,         explaining the development of the Czech society after the velvet revolution through the food we eat here in Prague.”                                                                                    “Jan The Man”                                           

          

Some photos from our Prague Food Tour – here’s a link to the blog: https://www.tasteofprague.com/pragueblog/?category=Prague%20off%20the%20beaten%20path 

London:

Fancy some fish’n’chips a pint of Bitter or bangers ‘n’ mash mate ???   We all know these London staples.  Some more British fare includes: bubble”n”squeak, bread and butter pudding-(one of my fav’s).  Of course England is well known for it’s beers and pub culture.  Lots of food tours available here too if you fancy it.

http://www.eatinglondontours.co.uk/ 

Soho adds an International flare to the traditional London food scene with Chinese, Mexican, Spanish tapas and lots more.

So there ya have it !!! All this food talk is making me hungry !!! Talk to us about setting up some incredible food tours during your trip to Europe, you won’t be disappointed.