Starting a Foodie Adventure

Does deep fried bread topped with rice, deep fried poached egg and curried lamb sound like your thing? How about minced pigeon baked into a thin pie with a crepe-like pie crust? Or maybe you'd prefer lava beans blended into a thick paste and topped with olive oil, garlic and lemon juice? These three dishes aren't the result of a chef's imagination gone wild; they are actual foods eaten in the Mediterranean, namely, Fatta (Egyptian), Pastilla (Moroccan) and Ful Medanes (Egyptian). Like most local favorites, these dishes too have a long history and heritage. If you want to travel abroad like a pro, you have to be willing to experiment with such local fare.

It's More Than Just Food

Any foodie worth his salt (or bacon) will tell you that food is more than, well, food. Food is culture and heritage. It is tradition, passed down from grandmothers to granddaughters. Take the Moroccan Pastilla, for example. Its crepe-like crust is borrowed from French colonists, spices borrowed from the Silk Route traders who plied its markets in the middle ages, and ingredients such as dates and olives grown locally. When you bite into a slice of Pastilla, you don't just eat something delicious; you taste a country's history and culture.

This is why you can't get the full experience of a country until you dig into its local fare. Whether you're traveling through China or touring through the Mediterranean on your first choice holiday, you need to eat the local cuisine to really understand the country and its culture.

Learning to be Adventurous with Food

Unfortunately, not every palate is capable of handling exotic fare. When you're used to bland pot roasts and stews, suddenly digging into a bowl of piping hot lamb tagine or chili oil spiced Italian salads can be a bit too much to handle.

Fortunately, it is also very easy to mold your palate to accommodate more exotic fare. In fact, you can start right at home. It's neither expensive, nor difficult, and it'll make your travels abroad way more enjoyable. Best of all, it'll make your food taste all the more delicious!

Some great ways to get used to exotic fare are:

Experiment with spices

Your spice rack should have the following at the very least: cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, dry red chilies, mace, brown cardamom, nutmeg, and green cardamom.

Try adding bolder chilies to your food

Instead of paprika, try cayenne. If you get used to cayenne, try hot red chili peppers. A lot of exotic fare tends to be spicy. This will get you used to handling hotter food.

Eat out at local fusion restaurants

A Chinese fusion restaurant, for instance, brings together distinct flavors from Chinese cuisine with local flavors. This can be a great way to introduce your palate to exotic flavors without getting overwhelmed.

Experiment with different cooking methods

For instance, a lot of Indian cooking utilizes the "tandoor". This gives food a very different flavor. Try it out at local restaurants and your own home to learn how to handle exotic fare when you travel.

The most fun part about building up your palate to handle exotic food? It's all so very delicious!

This post was contributed by Firstchoice.co.uk 

Photo Source: Sarah Wu Creative Commons on Flickr

Starting a Foodie Adventure
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