When it comes to food and travel you come across many firsts. In the street markets of Bangkok you could be served insects on skewers, in Japan real sashimi or in Scotland, haggis. All foods that you wouldn’t necessarily come across back home.
As a backpacker you find yourself in situations that automatically expand your food horizons and encourage you try new things. I am an avid chocoholic and I never really venture past a good chocolate brownie on a desert menu. But after enjoying a delicious Italian feast at Hosteria La Vacca M’Briaca the owner offered me complementary tiramisu that he made himself. He was so proud of it as he explained it was the first one his aunt had let him make all on his own. I couldn’t turn it down, even though I was stuffed from the meal. And my world changed. I thoroughly enjoyed and savoured every delicious moment. This is what food and travel is all about.
To make a list of my favourite meals is challenging. For this top five I have gone for meals that were surprising and unexpected delights. The meals I remember and want to go back again and again for. Sadly, being on the road often makes this impossible, but instead you get to explore and find new favourites. Which makes this an ever-changing list and I’m sure in a couple months’ time the five below will look very different. Here are my current top five culinary delights:
1. Stuffed Grilled Squid, Croatia.
The number one dish that stands out above the rest was experienced just last year in Hvar Town on the island of Hvar; one of Croatia’s many islands. The setting was perfect. A balcony on the second floor of a building right on the harbour, looking out over the dotted islands off Hvar’s coastline, where I became mesmerised by the yachts coming in and out of the harbour. Plava Alga was our home for the next hour and at the end of the meal I wish it could be home forever. After a very confusing translation of the menu, we determined grilled squid was the dish of the day, so we happily ordered the squid, a glass of a local Hvar white wine and were offered complementary starters of freshly baked breads and several dips and pates. Each morsel was exquisite and excitement for the main was growing to the point that it could never reach our expectations. But it did. Served in good time was perfectly grilled squid, stuffed with caviar and a delicious sauce in perfect ratio. The side was potato and spinach, which again was cooked in such a way that it was the best potato and spinach combination I have experienced. This is a must-do dining experience and meal. It is a reason on its own to visit Hvar Town; not that Hvar needs any more reasons for a visit.2. Chicken Schnitzel, Australia.
When you think of the best schnitzel in the world you automatically think of Germany. This would be correct if it were for a veil or port schnitzel. However, after searching Germany high and low for a chicken schnitzel none topped the $7.50AU “Snitty” of North Wollongong Hotel in Australia. Served with fries and your choice of salad this $7.50 deal on a Wednesday brings practically the whole city of Wollongong to the pub, with lines sometimes spilling out the door and circling the building. Even with these lines, there isn’t much of a wait once you order as the team have perfected a speedy system. The line-up is definitely worth the wait.
Chicken schnitzel in Australia also comes in a burger. Fishnets, in Corrimal on NSW South Coast also has one of the best chicken schnitzel burgers at amazing value. This burger has the perfect balance of schnitzel, lettuce, bread and mayonnaise. This is a delicate balance since the burger contains two chicken schnitzels! A meal large enough for lunch and dinner or to be shared.
3. Saltfish and Ackee, Jamaica.
Jamaica has two traditional foods that every traveller must try. Jerk chicken is the most commonly known local delicacy, which you can pick up on any street corner where locals spend the day cooking chicken on barrels and covering it with their coveted jerk sauce, providing a cheap and delicious meal. My favourite Jamaican dish however is not jerk chicken but saltfish and ackee which is Jamaica’s “national dish”. Ackee is a red fruit found throughout Jamaica and comes from the same family as the lychee. Some parts of the fruit is toxic if prepared incorrectly, adding more adventure to the dish (as a national dish of Jamaica you are in the safe hands of experts). Once cooked it has a yellow appearance and tastes similar to scrambled eggs. At Yum Yum Café in Negril this dish is prepared with homely love and expertise. Saltfish grilled to perfection, ackee, rice and black beans. It is simple dish yet amazing and the best meal in Jamaica’s steamy heat.
4. Steak, Argentina.
When it comes to gluttony, there is nothing better than a giant hunk of perfectly cooked steak to gorge yourself on, taking you back to your caveman past. There is no better place to enjoy a succulent mouth-watering giant steak than in Argentina. To be precise in the city of Mendoza, which is also famous for its wine – Malbec. Many travellers stop into Mendoza to take wine tours of the famous district or just as a transit point to Chile. There is no better way to prepare yourself for a wine tour than an amazing restaurant serving the finest steak cuts of the district, cooked on a large grill by experts. And you need not feel any guilt as the following day you can hire a bike, tour the area and burn off the kilojoules. It balances, right?
At Hostel Laos much time was spent on debating where we should go for our epic meat feast. Finally everyone agreed to throw our budgets out the window and dine at Don Mario. After a mad hatter taxi ride, flying through Mendoza’s streets, we crawled out of our two vehicles to realise we were severely underdressed. As we entered the restaurant everyone turned and stared, and despite many empty tables, the host declared the restaurant fully booked. Luckily the hostel had already booked us a table. To our delight, and his dismay, he escorted us to our prepared table. It took all of five minutes for us to point at the selection of meats we were after and the word “Malbec” on our menu. With our poor Spanish we were truly excited at what surprise we might receive. Well, either we selected our meat perfectly, or everything on the menu was amazing. With great hunks of the finest cuts placed elegantly in front of us, we had definitely bitten off more than we could chew. It seemed we had a whole cow on the table . To our frugal traveller delight, we took our leftovers home and they lasted eight of us several days.
5. Grilled Chicken Breast Burger.
This grilled chicken breast burger holds a special place in my heart. Although many meals could knock this off its perch in the top five, the memory allows it to hold onto its title. Arriving in Wuss in what seemed like the middle of nowhere on Canada’s Vancouver Island, I was starved and saddened by the thought that all I could get was an old gas station sandwich as there were no other options in the tiny town. To our delight the gas station was the home to a small café – Kawasa – that resembled a small dining hall, very basic, and I wasn’t expecting much as I chose a grilled chicken burger off the minimalistic menu. The quiet elderly lady running the café solo set to work straight away, preparing our meals with few words or greetings. Waiting for the meals to be cooked, we realised she was starting from scratch and taking her time about it. Was this a good or bad sign? Not too long later I experienced a life-changing mouthful of the best grilled chicken burger in the world. I did wonder if it tasted so good because I was starving, so I dropped back there a few days later and again it was gorgeous and succulent. What a find!
There you have it, my Top 5 Global Culinary Delights. For now…