It has been over a year since I put together “The Yummiest Blog Post of the Year“.

As a fan of food (or food porn whenever actual food is not around), I like looking at photos of delicious meals from around the world. Ethnic food, weird eats, indulgent sweets and snacks that allow me an insight on a certain culture or, sometimes, simply make my taste buds day dream.

This year hasn’t been any less yummy than the previous one – maybe on the contrary, as we’ve been traveling in quite far apart regions of the world. So, because I know you love world foods and food porn too, let’s visually indulge on some of the things we have eaten on the past months…





India

We started 2013 in India and this is the country that we have been spending most time in lately. For foodies, things never get boring around Incredible India, because there is such a variety of cuisines within the sub-continent. Apart from enjoying home-made food made with love by Ashray’s Mom, being in the capital, New Delhi, there is also easy access to pretty much all the regional cuisines including preparations such as:

If you don’t know what to order when you’re in India, choose a Thali. This is a platter with a selection of dishes and can be veg or non-veg. Thalis vary depending on the region but they would normally contain a couple of subji (vegetables), daal (lentils), a type of chicken curry (for the non-veg option), pickles & chutneys, curd (plain yogurt) or raita (yogurt with chopped veggies and spices) and one or two forms of carbs – most commonly rice and/or roti (flat bread cooked in a clay oven).

One of my favorite places to indulge in food in India is South Goa. Maybe the fact that you eat with your toes dipped into the sand, while the sun is shinning and the air smells like sea salt does help food taste better… Or maybe it’s just that the pace of life allows cooks to make things properly. As proper as this:

Lounging by the beach, fresh fruits and drinks are ideal to beat the heat!

Hong Kong & Macao

We “escaped” Delhi’s smog and pre-wedding stress with a quick visit to Hong Kong this February. For Asian food lovers, Hong Kong is a super hot spot, where you can dig in world class Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian and pretty much any major cuisine from around the world too:

We stayed in a fancy hotel some of the days we were in Hong Kong. And here’s how I rate top hotels: at least 50% of the importance goes towards breakfast (and it better be included in the room rate!). In this case, I was not disappointed and indulged in a 4 course breakfast marathon every single morning:

Eating dim sum soon became my favorite sport in Hong Kong. And the night that we visited one of the most affordable Michelin starred restaurants in the world, One Dim Sum, is one historical indulgent moment for the foodie in me:

We love Chinese food. But we’re not always in a place where we get to go out and satiate a specific craving. That’s why we took a Chinese Cooking Class, to learn how to be self sufficient! We first went grocery shopping at a wet market and then hit the kitchen:

Macao was quite surreal for me. Being from Portugal, it felt like I was strolling around Lisbon and somehow ended up in China. The fact that there were egg tarts (some of my favorite treats in Portugal) all over the place helped to make that feeling sweeter.

U.S.A.

I didn’t have the greatest expectations on the foodie side of things during our travels around the United States. I have written more extensively about it here.

But one thing that I did like in the US was the fact that breakfast is indeed a meal. Not a “grab & go” quickie…

Traveling in America, one will almost invariably eat a mix of what can be considered “traditional” American food and other dishes from around the world that have become popular as immigrants from all over the place have settled in this country.

God bless America… and its burgers!

And Dios bless all the immigrants that brought their hopes and dreams to the US, and thankfully didn’t forget the good taste for food back home.

And of course, life has a sweeter side to it too in the USA…





An European Summer

Portugal & Spain

As my Mom’s house in Portugal is right at the border and we’re half Portuguese and half Spanish, I almost see both countries as one land. At least food wise, thinking about the things I grew up eating, there is no distinction as such.

I had some of my favorites back home this summer, both at home and eating out.

But I also decided to try something new this time! Just because I lived in Portugal most of my life, it doesn’t mean that I’ve tasted it all before. So, with an adventurous spirit pumped by friends one fine evening out in Lisbon, Ashray and I both tried SNAILS for the first time… not as slimy as one would think (I had pictured the texture to be like gummy bears, but it was not).

We also had some of the best sushi ever this summer, in Cascais (Portugal):

Summer is the ideal time to get together with friends and share great food outdoors. And that’s what we did with the Faria Family and friends, who were kind enough to invite us for a feast that included one of the finest cuts of meat in Portugal:

And because we’re citizens of the world now, we cooked an Indian meal using the closest ingredients we could find in Portugal.

Some days, after holiday time feasting, we kept it simple and healthy too:

France

One doesn’t come to France and ignore all the foodie possibilities this country offers!

Spending a few days in Paris we spoiled ourselves with fresh pastries and baguettes everyday – hands down, my favorite thing about France!

Food tastes better with friends, that is no secret. And in little French bistros around Paris, that is no exception.

Hitting the coast of Normandy (in Etretat), we geared towards seafood.

Czech Republic

I knew little about Czech Republic before we visited this July and that meant a food discovery from the very ground level.

It doesn’t take more than a glance at the menu of any restaurant serving local specialities to realize this country LOVES meat. Grilled, stewed, fried.. it doesn’t matter! But pretty much always served with chunky dumplings (made of flour or potatoes) and a lot of pickled cabbage, known as sauerkraut.

Germany

A brief stay in Berlin and an even briefer stop-over in Munich allowed us a quick intro to German cuisine and, of course, a never-ending world of sausages!

I must say that nothing beats a currywurst or a simple proper hot dog out of a road-side vending cart in Berlin in the middle of a night out:

I was very impressed with the variety of restaurants in Berlin: we had the chance to go out for fusion vegan food, Sudanese falafel, Japanese fast food and Korean traditional dishes – and it’s a shame that we couldn’t eat more, but we literally didn’t have more meals during the 2 days we spent there! Thumbs up for the amazing prices of food in Berlin too! We couldn’t believe we were indeed in Germany….

Netherlands

We were supposed to fly from Germany back to Portugal but decided to instead do so after a few days in Amsterdam. The price of flights from Amsterdam to Lisbon helped us create a great excuse to add a new country to the European itinerary and discover some more food in the process too.

We rented an Airbnb apartment in the same street as the Dappermarkt, one of the most multicultural street markets I have ever visited in my life. There, one can buy things such as Indian samosas, Belgian style fries, Dutch fried fish, Vietnamese steamed buns and Middle Eastern hummus all being sold by people originating from those parts of the world. I love multicultural places and when this influences what people eat too, we can easily observe how food brings us all together!

There was a lot of cheese involved in our Amsterdam stay too… Hey, we LOVE Gouda!





South-East Asia

Our most recent travels have brought us to South-East Asia. We’re based in Thailand (Chiang Mai) right now for a few weeks and this is one fine city for those who plan their travels around food too. But before Chiang Mai we were in…

Cambodia

I have read how a lot of the traditional Khmer cuisine has been lost with the devastation that the country has suffered in recent history. The lack of preservation of culinary tradition and the shortage of ingredients didn’t help carrying recipes from generation to generation. But things are changing now.

We even went for a cooking class in Siem Reap that aims to spread the word about Cambodian cuisine with new people, so that the world realizes Cambodia knows a thing or two about food too!

Thailand

Thailand is, quite probably, one of the best countries out there to eat on a budget. It’s borderline ridiculous how much good food there is available, the incredible variety, the omnipresence of food stalls.. and the fact that prices are the greatest ever. I mean it: EVER!

Thai breakfast was a new discovery for us. Rice was never a part of my first meal of the day, unless it was in the shape of Rice Krispies, but things have changed around here…

If you know anything about eating in Thailand you’ve probably heard praise regarding the street food. Not only you’ll never get hungry around Thailand, you won’t also need to be rich to enjoy wholesome preparations made from scratch in front of you.

Generally clean, safe to eat, cheap and even cute, Thai street food is proof that almost anything can be put on a skewer – well, maybe not little insects, but those taste better by the handful anyway!

Curries and rice are to Thailand what burgers are to the US, what pasta is to Italy or what bacalhau (salted cod fish) is to Portugal.

There is no such thing as “Thai curry” because in reality the recipes vary according to the region of the country, but coconut milk seems to be a staple ingredient.

Rice comes as a side for curry (like steamed Jasmine rice) or fried with a little bit of it all.

Yet my preferred staple in Thailand are noodles, particularly swimming in broth.

The food-courts in Thai cities are great to get acquainted with Thai food too. Apart from offering local dishes, they are some of the most appealing places to try other Asian foods too. As everything is on display, even if you don’t know what the items are or don’t know how to order from a menu in Thai, you can just point your finger and take a pick!

We’ve been spending some solid time in Thailand, which means we’ve been less nomadic than usual and sometimes even have our own kitchen to cook. This has lead to some mild experimentation of European dishes with a few Thai ingredients. It hasn’t actually been half bad, you know?

When it comes to dessert in Thailand, I’d rather go for the fruits – exotic, refreshing and abundant!

If last year our hearts were stuck in Mexico and Peru, it seems that lately our palates are all over Asia. If there was a “best country for food award” we’d surely give it to Thailand: for variety, richness of flavor, freshness and affordability.

What is your favorite country for food?