The 20 Best Countries in the World For Food

Which are the Best Countries in the World for Food?

When you are out of country, you need some hints not to get lost in the variety of tastes and flavors. We will give you a list of stories not only about best destinations for food, but also about how to understand what is on your plate. What are the must-eats and must-drinks? And what you should avoid not to get into awkward situations…

Which are the Best Countries in the World for Food? Let’s start! Don’t get overexcited though, this list is not a rating- it’s just a collection of delicious destinations!B

Vietnam

The main ingredients of Vietnamese food include shrimp paste, fish sauce, rice, herbs, Thai basil, fruits and vegetables. But at the same time, unlike other Asian countries, Vietnam has one of the healthiest foods in this region.

• Goi cuon – spring rolls stuffed with coriander, greens, minced pork, shrimp or crab.
• Banh mi – sandwich with vegetables, omelette and various different fillings.
• Banh Xeo – Vietnamese pancakes. The literal translation is «sizzling pancake».
• Pho – noodle soup.
• Cha Ca – white fish, sauteed in butter with spring onions.
• Must-Drink in Vietnam: Jasmine tea, Bia Hoi – local beer, strong iced coffee, lemon iced tea.

Greece

There are many things in general you can try, from salads to hot dishes, from sweets to soups. But if you want something traditional, cheap and fast – it`s definitely souvlaki. The iconic dish of Greece is a fast food that you usually can find anywhere on the streets, in the bars, in small take-out shops and cafes. You will see souvlaki over the whole country. And if you are lucky enough to be invited to a house party of Greek people – ask for mousaka. It is the best when it`s homemade.

• Greak salad – it is called just «salad» in Greece. Be aware of this when you order in restaurant.
• Souvlaki – “Little skewers” in Greek: it`s basically little pieces of marinated pork, fried on grill.
• Mousaka – is an eggplant- or potato-based dish. You definitely would want to give it a try.
• Must-Drink in Greece: ouzo, tsipouro

Italy

It’s hard to speak about Italian food, it’s better to enjoy it. The traditional colors of Italian cuisine – red, green and yellow always create a great mixture of flavor and taste. Usually all the dishes are based on tomato, bread and olive oil. The secret of the cuisine is not in a sophisticated preparation process, it is more in the freshness of the products.

• Pizza – Margherita, Quattro Formaggi, Speck e Mascarpone & many more…
• Pasta – choose Carbonara, Pesto, Cacio e pepe and Amatriciana: these are the best options.
• Caprese – ask for it just if the ingredients are: original mozzarella di bufala, “Cuor di Bue” tomato & Extra virgin Olive oil. With a slice of Italian fresh bread, it’s a simple and amazing dish.
• Panna cotta – a creamy dessert made of heaven, usually served with red-berry jam.
• Must-Drink in Italy: Red Wine (Barbaresco, Barolo, Brunello di Montalicino & many more…), White wine (Gewürztraminer, Muller Thurgau, Chardonnay, Vermentino, Arneis & many more…), Sparkling wine (Franciacorta & Prosecco), limoncello, San Pellegrino water.

Pakistan 

Pakistanis, being Muslims, don’t consume pork and alcohol, they rather concentrate on beef, chicken, fish and vegetables. They also use a lot of flavors, you will see these in majority of dishes: chilli powder, ginger, curry, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and garlic.

• Shahi tukra – a sweet dish made with sliced bread, cream, sugar, milk and saffron.
• Chicken tandoori – chicken marinated and roasted in tandoor
• Roti – local bread
• Dhal – is a stew made with lentils
• Raita – vegetable salad with yogurt
• Must-Drink in Pakistan: lassi (yogurt drink)

Philippines

Filipino cuisine is based on a mixture of different traditional foods of India, Spain, China and America.

• Adobo – not a photoshop tool, but rather chicken cooked in garlic
• Torta – omelette
• Pancit – noodles
• Lumpia – spring rolls
• Puchero – a strange but intriguing mixture of taste, created by beef in bananas and tomato sauce.
• Must-Drink in Philippines: palm wine or gin made by Ginebra San Miguel

Thailand

Like many other Asian cuisines, Thai cooking uses rice as a basic ingredient for the majority of dishes. The word “food” in Thai language means literally “to eat rice”. Furthermore, it has 5 main tastes, which you may meet in almost every dish. These are: sour lime, savory fish sauce, hot chilli, salt and sweetness (usually added by palm tree).

• Tom Yam Goong – a delicious soup with lemongrass, kalgan, laim, chilli, coco, shrimps and cream
• Pad Thai –  a stir-fried rice noodle dish, made with tofu, eggs, tamarind and other delicious ingredients
• Som Tam – a spicy green papaya salad.
• Must-Drink in Thailand: there are multiple breweries in Thailand, so drink beer. As a stronger alternative you may use Sang Som which is the local rum, distilled from sugarcane.

Japan

Japanese food is one of a kind. You will never mistake it. Sushi, sashimi, unagi, and sake… we all know this. But this cuisine is not only about products and recipes, here a lot is about their indigenous culture and traditions. It is not surprising then that they made the whole world eat with chopsticks instead of knives and forks.

• Tempura – the Japanese contribution to the world’s love for deep-fried foods.
• Wagashi – sweets, made of red bean paste
• Unagi – eel
• Soba and Udon – types of Noodles
• Tonkatsu – deep-fried pork cutlets
• Must-Drink in Japan: Yakitori beer, Sake, Tea

Ukraine

It’s all about extremely fat and therefore enormously tasty foods. Various pastries, soups, meat dishes and unexpected mixture of tastes – you may find all these in Ukrainian cuisine.

• Borsch – a meat-beetroot soup, made with everything that was found in the fridge.
• Salo – salted pork fat. Sounds creepy, but it’s amazing.
• Gorilka – homemade Ukrainian vodka. Strong as hell.
• Vareniki – kind of raviolis with different fillings: potato, cabbage, cottage cheese or cherry.
• Zrazi – beef cutlets with different fillings.
• Must-Drink in Ukraine: Gorilka, Black Tea, Cranberry juice.

China

It is not a coincidence that you will find Chinese food pretty much everywhere. But remember, there are 2 types of Chinese cuisine – authentic and fake. How to identify the first type? Easy. If you are in China – it’s all over. If you are in your city’s Chinese restaurant – choose the place where customers are Chinese, not tourists.

• Soy puff – enormously tasteless piece of “bread”, which thought will help you not to suffer from all the spicy hot dishes.
• Tofu – another tasteless food, it is a soy cheese. But when it’s fried with spices – nothing`s better.
• Noodles – they could be made of pretty much anything. Be ready for this, and be curious – all these usually taste like heaven.
• Bird’s nest soup: it is the soup that has been prepared with the gelatinous product derived from the nests of cliff-dwelling birds. You can imagine, it has a very unusual taste. You should only try it if you have extra money to order something as a plan “B”.
• Chop suey – not only a song by System of A Down. It is also a stir-fried dish with meat or shrimps and vegetables (mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts). It is usually served on rice.
• Must-Drink in China: Tea or any Chinese beer
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India

As we remember, the cow is a sacred animal here and the majority of Indians are vegetarians. Traditional Indian food uses many different spices and is slathered with  flavourful sauce. They are also big fans of Indian homemade white cheese, called Panir. Every dish is traditionally accompanied by naan bread. Of course, rice is one of the basic products of Indian cuisine as well.

• Paneer Butter Masala – it’s the most popular dish in India, you may find it anywhere. It is made of tomato puree with cream and the traditional Indian herbs and spices.
• Aloo Gobi – a side dish, made of potato and cauliflower.
• Must-Drink in India: Masala Tea, Kingfisher beer, Old Monk rum.