It's the foods that define these destinations and ones you just can't miss while you're in town.
Local delicacies are as much a part of any traveler's experience as the sights and sounds of a destination. Here, we introduce culinary delights you just can't leave without having experienced.
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Rice, Rice Baby
What is it? Bario Rice
Where from? Central Sarawak Highlands, Malaysia
In the village of Bario, spiritual home to the Kelabit people, these mountains hold one of Malaysia's best-kept food secrets. Considered one of the finest in the world, Bario rice is famed for its soft texture, mild aroma and clear, pristine taste. It contains no pesticides or chemical fertilisers, can only be grown in the cool climate of the highlands (above 1200m) and has all the attributes of organic rice.
Accordingly to local custom, the rice is only ever eaten by the longhouse chief on special occasions. The Brunei royal family is rumoured to fly in a plane regularly to import Bario rice. It is also one of only two Malaysian foods listed in the Ark of Taste, an international catalogue of over 800 heritage foods in danger of extinction maintained by the Slow Food movement.
Photo credit: DK Limited/ Corbis
Good to the Last Dropping
What is it? Civet coffee
Where from? Indonesia
Coffee brewed from coffee berries that have been passed through the digestive system of a wild mongoose-like animal is probably not everybody's err...cup of tea. Yet, kopi luwak (civet coffee), despite the fact that it was once animal droppings, is the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world.
That animal in question is the Asian Palm Civet, which somehow knows to ingest only the ripest and sweetest berries. They excrete the berries (intact but chemically altered) a few hours later, which are then quickly gathered by workers, thoroughly cleaned, sun-dried and finally lightly roasted. The resulting brew is smooth, full-bodied, aromatic, thick but with a lack of a bitter aftertaste, the characteristic that distinguishes kopi luwak.
Indonesia is the largest producer of civet coffee mainly in Sumatra, Java (there is a cafe called Civet Coffee in Jogjakarta), Bali and Sulawesi but it can also be found in Vietnam and the Philippines. Recently, kopi luwak made international headway appearing on cafe menus is Australia and London sold for as high as US$600 per pound!
Photo credit: AP File Photos
Stall order
What is it? The 'best fresh produce market' in the world
Where from? Central Market, Adelaide, Australia
A riot of colours wrapped up in a mess of noise enveloped in an abundance of the freshest produce Australia has to offer, this 140-year establishment is not only part of everyday Adelaide life but is also one of the city's major tourist attraction (they even have tours!).
Giant mushrooms, fine cheeses, seafood, condiments, olives, pastries and even a stall (Wild Oz, www.wildoz.com.au) specialising in Australian game (kangaroo, wild goat and even crocodile) and rare native herbs and spices (Kutjera powder, ground wattleseed, Outback pepper spice) can be found here, reinforcing the city's reputation for fine local food and wine. The market also has stalls selling non-food items like books, souvenirs and even a camera shop.
Photo credit: Vivian Chong
Monk manna
What is it? Korean Temple Cuisine
Where from? Baru Restaurant @ Jogye Templestay, Insadong, Seoul, Korea
You are going to discover that there is beauty, artistry and an amazing dining experience to be had in vegan food, specifically Korean Temple Cuisine. A blend of Buddhist culinary traditions and Korean influences, what was once just another form of meditation has now been elevated into the realms of 'culture' and 'modern cuisine'.
Baru (a Korean word referring to the monks' food bowl) is a part of and managed by Jogye Templestay branch (
www.templestay.com), a programme where guests can stay overnight and experience life at a Korean Buddhist Temple. The food served depends on the seasons and ingredients are sourced from the mountains of Korea. Sample deodeok root salad with a nutty pine nut dressing or the much-vaunted temple 'sushi' which replaces seaweed and wasabi with bamboo shoot and soya bean paste.
Photo credits: kkigirl@naver.com & Vivian Chong
Here's a 'Bulli' we love!
What is it? elBulli Restaurant
Where from? Catalonia, Spain
Since taking over in 1987, head chef Ferran Adria has elevated the restaurant to Michelin 3-star status and is responsible for its reputation for creating some of the most controversial and whimsically imaginative haute cuisine.
In effect, Senor Adria has created a new culinary language, one where phrases like 'Frozen Air of Parmesano with Muesli', 'Popcorn Cloud' and 'Esferication Olives' sound as enigmatic and evocative as they taste.
Time, though, is fast running out for those who have yet to experience elBulli. Adria recently announced that the restaurant will be closed from 2012-2014. As it stands, the restaurant opens for only six months a year (the other six is devoted to lab work), so only 8,000 people get the privilege of dining here each season.
Photo credit: AP Photos
As good as it gets
What is it? Donkey meat
Where from? Verona, Italy
In rural Italy, donkeys are a common sight, often seen carrying loads for their human masters. But in these very same places, they are equally useful for stewing, mincing and consuming.
Eating carne di asino (donkey meat) is an age-old tradition that survives in the Italian countryside up till today. In Verona, particularly in the famous wine hills of Valpolicella, regional specialties like spezzatino di asino (donkey stew in local wine) and lasagnette al musso (linguine dish served with donkey meat) can easily be found.
In fact, all over Verona, asino (as well as horse meat) can be found in pasta sauces, turned into ragout, cured as ham or salami and eaten with gnocchi.
Photo credit: Alinari Archives/CORBIS
Where the Nose Knows
What is it? Unpasteurised artisanal cheese
Where from? France
The French know a thing or two about cheeses; they're not called 'the land of a thousand cheeses' for nothing. So when they say the best tasting cheeses are those made from unpasteurised milk, there has to be something to it.
It is estimated that there are around 100-150 remaining artisanal producers of unpasteurised cheese in France today. It is also believed that they are disappearing at a rate of 3-4 per year, mainly due to economic factors and the inevitable retirement of many of these traditional cheese-makers who have no one to pass their craft on to.
But as unpasteurised cheeses have obvious health risks in consuming raw, untreated milk, many countries with strict health regulations forbid the import of such cheeses, meaning that outside of France, most of the French cheeses we consume are inferior pasteurised versions.
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Sushi Stars
What is it? A 3-star Michelin Restaurant
Where from? Tokyo, Japan
As far as Michelin ratings go, the French have long dominated the field...until now. Today it is Tokyo which has more 3-star Michelin restaurants than Paris (11 vs 10 in the 2010 listing).
This, however, shouldn't really come as a shock. Japanese cuisine is often viewed as an art form: creative, pure, healthy and often visually stunning too. Of Tokyo's current heavenly 11 (Japan has 18 in all), three serve French cuisine (L'Osier, Joel Robuchon Tokyo and Quintessence all have received 3 stars for 3 consecutive years) while the rest serve Japanese.
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One Hump or Two?
What is it? Camel meat
Where from? Dubai, Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East
Eating camel meat has long been a Middle Eastern tradition. Described as closest to (superior) beef in taste and non-gamey, camel meat has now gone mainstream in Dubai and Riyadh where camel fast food joints have opened up to introduce this delicacy to tourists. The Dubai eatery, Local House, serves camel in just about everything - soup, salad, burger, kebab, steak, briyani, curry and ribs with camel sausage, bacon and pizza in the offing. The one in Riyadh, on the other hand, specialises in 'hashi' burgers, i.e. baby camel.
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