Let’s know about unique and various cuisines around the world – Take an interesting food tour around the world to know more about specific geography and their living. Apart from visiting a place through its touristic attractions, taking a food tour of that place is also having great significance in exploring the world. Food is an amalgamation of authentic culture, traditions, geography, local agriculture, the climate of a region and also it shows the influence of different cultures on that region too. So to explore the world, food tours are greatly recommended by foodie travelers like me. Let’s take a glimpse of the world through a culinary tour or food tour around the world with many secret recipes.
Cuisines around the world – Take an interesting food tour around the world
Let’s read about some of my favorite Cuisine around the world – Take an interesting food tour around the world and also learn how to cook them when you back at home. I love to cook specific regional food of a place when I return from my travel to revive my travel memories. Though I cannot replicate 100% the true taste, to some extent, I enjoy cooking various local food from different regions of the world. Cooking different cuisines is a great way to know the world and its living. Not only I am taking you the tour of cuisines around the world but will share my secret recipes of it which I learnt during my food tours around the world and also from many vegan documentaries.
Being vegetarian, I am listing vegetarian customization or vegetarian cuisines around the world.
SAMOSA – INDIAN CUISINE
Indian Cuisine is very diverse with many ingredients, spices, local agricultural products, regional stuff. India is a diverse land with many cultures living together and so is its food. Every region of India has specific food or dietary habits and also they have very different from each other. There are so many unique tastes and food that depends on living, climate or local produce of that region. Also, Indian cuisine is influenced by many invasions and foreigners for ages. Many products like potatoes, tomatoes, chilies, peanuts, and guava were brought by colonials, invaders, and traders to India. I love the Vegetarian Thali of India which has an assortment of all veggies, legumes, carbohydrates and deserts all on one big plate. Not only Indian cuisine has too many varieties but the food is served with lots of love and warmth.
Let’s talk about Samosa, which is a medieval Indian cuisine. Samosa is the confluence of many cultures and it is an Indian Mughlai dish. Now, this samosa is the most popular Indian dish and is available in the whole world. A very popular Indian dish which you can almost find in all Indian restaurants. It is generally served as entrée or starters but Indian people can eat it any time. Many people like Samosa as breakfast or in-between snacks. There are many variations in the stuffing of samosas too nowadays.
But the actual ones are the pastry sheets filled with mashed potatoes, Indian spices, peas and folded triangular are deep-fried which is then served hot with coriander-mint dips. Samosas are crispy and golden brown from outside and have spicy soft filling inside.
Recipe of Samosa
Samosa making is divided into two parts – making stuffing and a crispy outer crust.
For stuffing – Boil Potatoes and then crumble them. In a pan take 1 to 2 tbsp oil and crackle it with cumin seeds. Add crumbled potato, Indian spices like chili powder, salt, black salt, Indian Garam masala, Indian chaat masala, chopped green chili, coriander leaves, and boiled peas. Saute this mixture till all are mixed well and you get a nice aroma from it. Let it remain cool and keep it on the side.
For the crust – Take all-purpose flour and mix it with Ajwain seeds (optional), salt to taste and 4 tbsp oil. Rub well and so that oil and flour gels well. Then with little water make the dough which is not very hard and not very soft. The dough should be stiff. Then keep aside the dough for 20 minutes by covering it with a damp cotton cloth.
Now make small balls of dough and roll out. Make a cone shape from that rolled dough and fill the stuffing with a spoon and then seal it. Deep fry these cones and before putting them in oil check that it is very hot. Now lower the flame to medium heat and fry till crispy golden brown. Now samosas are ready to serve with coriander & mint dip.
PAELLA – SPANISH CUISINE
Paella is the most popular rice dish in Spain and for the whole world, it is the national cuisine of Spain. But for Spain, Paella is the staple dish of the Valencia region. In Valencia language, Paella means frying pan and therefore the whole concept of cooking this rice dish is on an iron skillet. Paella is cooked in a broad iron skillet with major ingredients like round rice, olives, olive oil, sundried tomatoes, grilled artichokes, varieties of beans, saffron strands, roasted peppers, and smoked hot paprika. You can see the influence of Moors on this dish and it is believed that this dish originated during the Moors ruling in Spain in the 15th century. Also, this dish contains the local agricultural produce in Spain. If you want to order vegetarian Paella, then let the waiter know it or check for Verdure Paella in the restaurant menu, mostly this dish is non-vegetarian, but it can be customized and now many restaurants keep the veggie version of it. With Paella, you can all have Spanish Stuffed Eggplant as an accompaniment. So Paella is the most popular Spanish dish.
Recipe of Paella
GEMISTA STUFFED PEPPERS & TOMATOES – GREEK CUISINE
Gemista which is pronounced as yee-meh-stah is a summer vegetarian dish and the meaning of this word means stuffed vegetables. Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine that has a historical presence for thousands of years. Originated from ancient Greece to the Byzantine period and existing till today. Greek cuisine is influenced by Middle Eastern, Ottomans, Italian cuisines too. Gemista is made by stuffing hollowed vegetables like big bell peppers, tomatoes or other veggies by half-cooked rice and herbs. Then these stuffed vegetables are baked till perfection. Vegetarians love Greece due to many unique veggie options here.
Recipe of Gemista
LOBIYO & LOBIYANI – GEORGIAN CUISINE
Georgian cuisine /dishes are vegan or vegetarian-friendly as Georgian soil is very fertile and cultivates many varieties of fruits and vegetables. Also, orthodox Christianity is prominent here and therefore people fast on most of the days and they eat vegetarian dishes. The main ingredients in their cuisine are eggplant, mushroom, cheese, flour, spinach, beans, fresh fruits, etc.
Lobiyani – The word “Lobiani” is derived from the Georgian word “Lobio” which means kidney beans and in many parts of India, a type of beans is also known as Lobia. This traditional and delicious dish is a bean-filled bread just like Khachapuri.
Lobiyo – A very popular vegetarian Georgian dish served hot in an earthen clay pot. Lobio, as you know, means kidney beans and so this spicy dish is a curry of kidney beans and it resembles like Rajma Masala (another very popular North Indian dish). It is served with pickled vegetables, flattened bread, and Mchadi.
Recipe of Lobiani and Lobio
For making Lobiani, you can either use red or white kidney beans. Boiled kidney beans are mashed and then mixed with herbs, spices, chopped onions and then stuffed into flattened wheat flour dough. Then it is cooked into the oven or shallow fried on the pan. Indians can relate this similar to Kulcha or stuffed Indian bread – Aloo Parantha – a very popular Indian bread.
How to make Lobio ?
This hot, spicy dish is made by soaking red kidney beans (Rajma in Indian language) overnight, then boiling it in clay pot and then seasoned with spices, garlic, chopped onions, herbs, coriander, and walnut. Lobio and Lobiani are generally eaten together and can be also ordered separately.
CHICAGO STYLED DEEP CRUST PIZZA –AMERICAN CUISINE
No trip to Chicago is complete if you are not going for any of the famous food tours in this vibrant city. Chicago – The Windy City is also known as the Foodie city and has invented or innovated five famous dishes in the world. This city loves to eat and drink and therefore you would love its vibrant culinary scene too. Go for world-famous Chicago style deep dish pizza to satisfy your taste buds and unveil some of the secrets of age-old family recipes. When I was invited for Chicago food tours, I learnt many innovative dishes and age old family recipes.
The making of deep crust Pizza combines the technique of pie with ingredients of pizza and therefore you get crispy and crusty pizza.
Recipe of Chicago styled Deep-Dish pizza
BAKLAVA – TURKISH CUISINE
BAKLAVA – I tried “Fistikli Balklava” (Pistachio Baklava) with a burst of sweetness packed into crunchy and nutty flavors. The flaky filo pastry, stuffed with pistachio nuts and topped with thickened sugary syrup melts into your mouth within few minutes and you will always crave one more. One Baklava will never satisfy your taste-buds and you will always ask for more.
Trip to Turkey is incomplete without having a bite of famous Turkish desserts. Many foodies visualize Baklava when they hear Turkey. Discover the richness of Turkish desserts with many unique flavors when you visit Istanbul. There are numerous varieties of Turkish sweets made up of milk, cheese, flaky pastry sheets, sugary syrups, honey, and dry fruits. In Istanbul, dessert is not only eaten at the end of the meal but it can be consumed at any time of the day to satisfy the in-between hunger.
Recipe for Baklava
FALAFEL – MIDDLE EASTERN/ARABIC CUISINE
Falafel is the most popular Middle Eastern cuisine and now found all around the world. Falafel is deep-fried balls made from grounded chickpeas or fava beans mixed with essentials herbs. Served hot in pita (Arabic bread form) pockets and pickled vegetable salad. Many historians believe that Falafel originated from Egypt 1000 years ago and also a link to Pharaonic Egypt and being Alexandria a big port city in ancient times, Falafel traveled to the Middle East. Other theories say that Falafel originated in the Arabic peninsula in Yemen. Whatever its origin is, this popular Middle East cuisine would surely satisfy your taste buds.
Recipe for Falafel
ARRABBIATA PASTA – ITALIAN CUISINE
Italian cuisine is generally made up of less ingredients and can be cooked as a one-pot dish. Italian cuisine has a high influence of foreign foods like tomatoes and other stuff. Tomatoes got introduced to Italy in the 16th century and now you can see tomato has become a vital ingredient in Italian dishes. Also, Pasta which is a popular Italian dish worldwide is said to be introduced by China to Italy. When there was trading going on from China to Europe through Silk Road, Marco Polo a famous traveler and trader introduces noodles like thing – Pasta to Italy. During the Middle Ages, due to lots of Mediterranean trading between China and Italy, Italian cuisine has got a new dish – Pasta which has the confluence of both countries and now is the main food of Italian cuisine.
The pasta sauteed in Arrabbiata sauce and this spicy sauce is made up of tomato puree, garlic, dried red chili peppers which all are cooked in olive oil. The “Arrabbiata” means angry in Italian and as this sauce is very hot and spicy, so is the name of the sauce. This vegetarian dish in Italy is famous all over the world and also with the spice lovers too.
Recipe for Arrabbiata Pasta
THAI GREEN VEGETARIAN CURRY – THAI CUISINE
Thai Food/cuisine has a perfect harmony of five flavors – sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy, thus tantalizing your taste buds. Thai cuisine is full of aromatic and spicy flavors with many medicinal properties.
Thai Green Curry is named on its light green color due to green chilies with many other spices. Made in coconut based gravy, this gravy is a little sweeter but with very spicy and pungent side. Generally, this curry is eaten with jasmine rice of Thailand or boiled noodles.
Recipe of Thai Green Curry
Take one cup of Basil leaves, one cup coriander leaves, green chilly as per your endurance, Chinese garlic – 4 cloves and Galangal – big piece and then grind them to a fine paste. Heat oil in pan and crackle the 4 pieces of star anise and 6 to 8 Kaffir Lime leaves. After crackling, add the green paste and cook it for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add coconut cream to thicken it.
Meanwhile, on another saucepan, stir fry the veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, baby corn, snow peas, carrots, colorful peppers, onion, green onion, Tofu or Paneer(cottage cheese), Thai eggplant, Pakchoy, and mushrooms till soft. Lemongrass and bamboo shoots can also be added to give a more authentic taste
Mix this veggie and green paste at the time of serving only or else veggies will soak all curry. It can be eaten with boiled rice or noodles. If you do not get Galangal then ginger can be used as its proxy.
CHECK MY BAKLAVA MAKING WITH SOME HISTORICAL FACTS ON YOUTUBE
I hope you loved reading Cuisines around the world – Take an interesting food tour around the world and would try cooking some of them at your home. Let me know your favorite cuisine from this list and did you tried cooking them in the comments below.
RELATED READS
- Vegetarian Turkish Food Tour.
- Chicago Food tours.
- Vegetarian food in Georgia.
- Explore Spain in 12 Days.
- Explore Greece in 12 Days.
- Incredible India.
- Thai Food in Dubai.
- Explore Italy.
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I have to say that this is a terrific post and oh, yes, I enjoyed reading Cuisines around the world – taking an interesting food tour of the world. Thank you. I love experimenting with food at home. I like to learn something new. You inspired me!
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Well, yeah! Those all are really tasty. Looks like I tried most of them. And my favorite of the list is stuffed paprikas. Greek cuisine is my favorite. We have them in Russia as well and I miss them a lot.
Yay, I’ve had these all! I love to eat and travel through my stomach so this post was just perfect for me!
Okay! So now I’m feeling hungry and craving for all the dishes you’ve mentioned…jokes apart 🙂
What a wonderful compilation of cuisines across the world. I learnt about so many dishes and I also had no idea that Samosa is Indian Mughlai dish!
Samosa is Mughlai inspired dish and a fusion of Indian and Mughlai food
Ooh Thank you so much for some of my favorite recipes. I always wanted to make Baklava but it seemed quite a task. This one makes it seem a little simpler than what I have read. Arrabiatta has always been a favorite and I make it at least once a month. My daughter totally loves it. Am a fan of red Thai curry but I guess I should try this green one too!
I just had my dinner but this post made me hungry again. To begin with samosa was like a delicious bait.
During these days, though we cannot visit our restaurants, we can always try making different dishes from different countries. I plan to make Paella and Thai green curry.
After reading this post, I am craving for these foods! The samosa in particular is something that I really enjoyed. Another is the Thai Green Vegetarian Curry, I tasted the best one during my last visit in Bangkok, prepared by this local Auntie in her small restaurant, and one paid $2.00 for the whole sumptuous meal.
The food you have listed here are all excellent choices. I have never tried LOBIYO & LOBIYANI but now I am curious to go to Georgia and try it out!
Till the time you go to Georgia for Lobiyo & Lobiyani, you can also make it at your home and it is very easy to make also. I have put the recipe in this post too.
OMG, this post makes me hungry 🙂 I love to taste different cuisine while traveling, especially for try something different and associate the country or the city visited with a particular taste. This association could evocate different memories after the trip. You talked about Italian pasta but not about pizza, this is also authentic! I love Felafel and Paella, too!
Thanks for liking this post and yes I picked one of my favorite cuisine from every region and may be some of them are missing.
I love all types of thai curries. I must admit that the red curry is my favourite .. but when we visited Thailand a couple of years ago it seemed like the green and yellow curry was the most popular in the restaurants we ate in
I love Thai curries as they have so many spices and I love spicy food.
Lovely research and compilation of every detail. I am yet to explore Spanish and Turkish cuisines in details but these items sound like nice starters.
WOW! I wish I could try each of these dishes through my screen… they all look delectable! One of my favorite ways to learn about the culture of a destination is through their cuisine. I hadn’t heard of many of these so will keep this list handy!
I’m all over that samosas recipe! It looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks for taking me on a virtual tour of cuisines around the world – the post certainly made me crave for some of the familiar dishes and also left me intrigued about the ones I haven’t yet tasted. I tried Paella in Borough Market in London and it was so flavorful – I’d love to try it in Valencia for a more authentic experience. Few of my family members are vegetarians and so it’s good to know that there are a variety of options available for them in Georgia – will be interesting to sample some Lobiyo and see how the taste resembles that of Rajma from India.
Good to know you had tried Paella earlier and I am sure, you would love its authentic version too. Yes Lobiyo resembles with Rajma masala.
Wow, these look amazing – some I have tried others I need to try!
Okay but why am I reading this while hungry… gah! I’ve totally grown to love paella over recent years and surprisingly had some of the best ones in Bali last spring. Baklava looks amazing with that flakey pastry. Love that you included recipes too because I’m totally gonna give some of these a try!
Loved the way you added recipes to each post. I am most curious to try Lobiani and Lobio which I had never heard of before! Never realized Georgian food is veggie friendly either.
Georgia has nice agriculture and so you would find many local vegetarian dishes here.
You are quite true. After reading this article, I am craving for a Samosa. Unfortunately all the shops in locality are closed. So perhaps I have to do the honours of making them. Anyways, the list is amazing and thanks for sharing the recipes as well. Now I am thinking of preparing them at home.
I am not too familiar with Indian food, but samosa is the one that sticks to my mind. My English friend introduced me the goodness of samosa which I love a lot. Pasta is too common for nowadays, everywhere you see restaurants serving pasta. However, it would be special if I will try pasta served by the local grandma when I visit Italy soon.
Good to know you got introduced to samosa before.
I love trying out different cuisines when I am travelling and I particularly like Italian. It’s my go to if I don’t get Indian food. But I am one of those Indians who won’t mind getting India food outside.
Yes and to taste something local food is a nice way to know a place.
You are right. Don’t read this while hungry. I made the mistake. I like that you included the recipes. Yummy.
There is nothing on this list that I wouldn’t eat. Except maybe the Chicago Deep Dish pizza 😉
This is an amazing food blog! I’m missing a lot of these dishes, so it gives me inspiration to cook some at home, especially the green curry from Thailand. 🙂
This list is awesome. I should have listened to your initial disclaimer and not read this post when feeling hungry. I think I’m going to order some Thai green curry for dinner tonight.
All these recipes are making me so hungry! I’ve really been getting into internatiional dishes at the moment so I will definitely be trying these out.
You would love cooking them
I love how there are so many different styles of pizza. Pizza is one of my favorite foods, and Detroit style is the best! I’ve had Chicago style and it’s good, but try the Detroit!!
Oh I never tried Detroit one, now I have to. Never knew that US too had so many pizza styles.
I’m all about the Thai food but I always go back and forth between whether I prefer Thai or Indian godd best. The samosas look really good too. I just love food, especially when traveling
Yes Emma, food is always associated with traveling as it helps us to know a place more. Also after returning, we can cook special authentic dishes and revive our travel moments.
I have just had my dinner but this made me really hungry. I have tried all except 2.
This is a well written blog post. I love world cuisine. It’s been a while since I had samosa thanks to Lockdown. Baklava is also one of my absolute favorites.
Being a veggie too, I love this post! With this current lock-down situation, its perfect to try out some new recipes.
Gemista is very fascinating. I’m gonna that try that one day. Why did you remind me of Baklava??? I need Baklava now…. 🙁
Falafel is something I use very much normally at home, more often its Indian cousin – Paruppu vadai… 😉
We found a fabulous Indian restaurant in Ho Chi Mihn city, just before we were due to go on a night bus to the Cambodian border, so we bought a bag of samosas for the trip. We got very envious glances on the bus, when in the middle of the night, the bus stopped for snacks and drinks, and we broke out our aromatic samosas … best decision we made.
Good to know that we get samosas in Ho Chi Mihn and you enjoyed it during your night bus journey.
You have a good list there! My favorites are samosa, pasta and Thai curry. It is interesting that the Georgian Lobiyo made from Kidney beans has a similarity of name – Lobia in India!! 🙂
Yes Lobia is also a common name in India. May be during medieval trade time between Europe and India, this Lobio must be a cross-cultural produce.
A lovely way to travel around the world with different cuisine suggestions. I have tried most of the foods on your list but there a couple that were new to me and interesting to read about. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for reading
Great list of food and recipes to go with. A very useful guide and inspiration during this time of social distancing. I think I would try the Gemista 🙂
You would love Gemista.
Thai Green Curry was my go to meal when I lived in Thailand. Love the Baklava too, had a few of those on our recent trip to Jerusalem.
Yes both are very tempting.
Food and culture are two of the things that drive me to travel. I mean what is better than tasting the local cuisine and broadening your tastebud’s horizons! I love Paela, and I’ve always wanted to make samosas! And you can never go wrong with some Chicago style pizza!
I too believe food plays a big role in keep us moving or traveling.
What a wide variety of food you have here! Wow! Thanks for sharing the recipes as well. I think paella would probably be my favorite in your list.
Yes I too love Paella as it resembles like Biryani of India
Yukti, your post is making me drool. For the past two weeks, I have been trying to cook dishes from around the world. And your post comes just at the perfect time. I would love to make paella at home. And bring a bit of Spain here.
For me now bringing the world cuisine to my kitchen makes me feel like traveling.
So true. Same with me too.
It is a great culinary post. The cuisine is the essence of travel for me. I love exploring local flavors, trying traditional dishes. I love paella, samosa, Georgian cuisine, and Thai cuisine. Great that you provided recipes for these dishes. During the quarantine, we can travel to the kitchen and prepare a meal from a favorite country.
Yes Agnes, during this quarantine period, we can cook some great dishes around the world and bring the world to our dining table.
Very interesting food tour! It made me really hungry though, lol! I didn’t realize that the stuffed bell peppers were Greek. I was born and raised in Romania and we always had stuffed bell peppers. I thought that was a Romanian recipe. Now that I’m thinking, we also had many Greeks living on the territory of Romania, so probably we borrowed some of these food recipes.
Food cross culture is quite popular and even in India many dishes are influenced by some western countries. That is food tour gives us many historical aspects of that region. We in India too have stuffed capsicum but it is filled with mashed potatoes. It is great you loved this food tour.
I’m a big foodie and love trying cuisines from around the world. Indian and Thai are two of my favorite cuisines. I never get Indian without ordering some samosas. I agree that Indian food is often served with love and warmth. I have a friend from India and I love when she invites me over because I always feel so at home at her home. I love Thai food and Thai curries because of all the flavors too. I’m excited to try all your recipes!
It is always so great to enjoy the local foods when you travel. We are spice wimps so sometimes we need to work around some of the local favourites. But we have never gone hungry! Paella is always a treat for us seafood lovers. The more seafood the better. We love Italian thin crust pizza so were quite resistant to try Chicago deep dish pizza. But we sure found that a small piece was more than a meal. Hubby and I are different on how we like Baklava. He wants more nuts. And I want more phyllo and honey. It is interesting that you can get Baklava in different countries and it does vary. It is now time to find something to eat!
Yes Linda, there are so many dishes, and now we have time to eat and even cook too.
I am not a foodie but I like to try different types of dishes when I travel. It turned out though, that dishes based on rice are terrible for me and my body. Last year, I had severe problems in Thailand because of that. So what you have presented to us (except rice), especially paella and falafel are the b est choices for me. I haven’t had problems with these ones so far.
You would love Falafel and not only eating, try to cook it also. I love cooking and falafel is very easy to make also.
Oh food tours!
I have just started exploring food tours and cooking classes when I travel. I have found a great class on my up and comming trip to New Orleans, and there were some great once listed when we visited Sicily 🙂
Great post 😁
Yum! Such a great list. I love baklava so much. And funny that pizza is for America – I love pizza so much! I’m a huge fan of falafel, too. I first had it in Israel, and then I was hooked. So so yummy!