The 21 best trips for foodies around the world
Reuters/Rick Wilking
Food is undoubtedly a huge part of any trip.
But for some people, food is the only reason for the trip.
From a Puerto Rican highway famous for its pork to an Italian forest filled with white truffles, we've found some of the most epic foodie trails and destinations around the world.
Spain's jamón is the stuff of legend — it wasn't even available in the US until 2007. The iconic cured ham, the most expensive ham in the world, is cut from an Iberian pig's hind leg and also known as pata negra, black hoof. According to Spain's food laws, jamón ibérico must be made from black Iberian pigs, though pigs may be crossbred as long as they're at least half ibérico. The ham will then be labeled according to the percentage of the pigs' Iberian heritage. These special pigs live mostly in western and southwestern Spain, and some parts of Portugal, and are in many cases fed a pretty strict diet of acorns to ensure the best flavor. This jamón is the primary export of the Andalusian village of Jabugo (its main square is even called La plaza del Jamón), and is said to be be the world's best, making Jabugo the Holy Grail of ham.
Reuters/ Denis Doyle
La Ruta del Lechón in Puerto Rico is literally a highway lined with strip mall-like shacks. While not exactly scenic, it just might be hog heaven. Pork Highway, as it's known, is a stretch of road around 45 minutes from San Juan, packed with lechoneras selling the island's unofficial national dish: Lechón asado, crispy skinned, spit-roasted whole suckling pig. Nowhere does it better than Route 184 to Guavate, in the Sierra de Cayey mountains, where you can essentially pick the exact piece you want simply by pointing at the roasting pork. Eaten with other local dishes like arroz, pasteles, and morcilla, and to the tunes of local bands, eating here is as much a culinary experience as it is a cultural one.
Flickr/PROAngel Xavier Viera-Vargas
Tokyo's Tsukiji market just might be world's most famous fish market. It's certainly the world's busiest, as around 2,000 tons of fish change hands here daily. It's worth a trip simply to see enormous fish thrown around like footballs, as well as the famous 5am tuna trade. Afterwards, grab a bite to eat at the onsite market, which has hundreds of food stalls and restaurants. For a sushi-for-breakfast adventure, visit Sushi Dai, which is right near the market and thus serves some of the freshest rolls in town. Or, you could head to Sukiyabashi Jiro, the three Michelin-starred sushi joint of Jiro Dreams of Sushi fame, said to be one of the best sushi restaurants in the world.
Reuters/Thomas Peter
Bordeaux wine is world famous and encompasses all wines made in the Bordeaux region of France, which is the largest wine growing region in France. Bordeaux vineyards cover almost 300,000 acres and produce over 450 million bottles of wine each year, and along with around 7,500 châteaux (wineries) and 60 kinds of Bordeaux wine, a trip here will keep your taste buds busy.
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Some say that what Bordeaux is to wine, the Bregenzerwald Cheese Road in Austria is to cheese. Less road than an area comprising cheese experts spread across 22 scenic villages, the "road" features gorgeous Alpine hiking trails meandering through dozens of dairy farms and cheese cellars, crossing roving pastures and passing real-live milkmaids. The road encompasses 160 local farmers, dairymen and cheesemakers that produce 60 kinds of cheese — over 3,000 tons a year — as well milk, natural yogurt and locally-churned butter.
Courtesy of Ludwig Berchtold
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