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How will you ever find the best food in the world by country without actually traveling and eating the local food? When traveling, it’s easy to get scared of the local cuisine and not try all the best food you should. For example, anticucho (cow’s heart) in Peru, or black pudding (blood pudding) in Scotland. Honestly, the best part of traveling is really diving into the local cuisine. Enjoying traditional food around the world not only opens up your taste buds to things you’ve never thought possible, but it also gives you better insight into the culture!
Eating hasn’t always been something that you do when you’re bored, sad, or depressed. It traditionally is a way to gather with loved ones, have great conversations, and take time to slow down and enjoy life a bit. The best food in the world differs by country, as each country produces food from what their environment gives.
When traveling and ordering food from this list, resist the urge to change the order to something you think you’ll like better. Like taking something off a burger in the United States, or not getting baked beans with your Scottish breakfast. Have it straight as it is on the menu for the most authentic taste!
Heading to a particular part of the world? Jump to that area below!
- Best Food in the United Kingdom
- Must-Try Foods in Europe
- Traditional Food in South America
- Best Food in North America
- Authentic Food in Asia
- Must-Have Food in Africa
Must Try Foods in the United Kingdom
Haggis in Scotland
No better way to start off this eating around the world list than with haggis, neeps, and tatties from Scotland. Haggis is a traditional dish in Scotland made from the leftovers of butchered meat that typically just get thrown out. Pairing the haggis with neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes) and topping it with some gravy is just amazing. We like to enjoy our haggis with a Guinness on the side, but you may want to pair it with some whisky!
Afternoon Tea in England
An absolute treat in England (and Scotland too), afternoon tea is a perfect pick-me-up in the afternoon. Sandwiches cut into bite-size pieces, baked goods, and a whole pot of tea, afternoon tea in England is an experience not to be missed. On Groupon, you can often find deals for afternoon teas at some of the bigger hotels or restaurants.
Dinner Special from Pub in the United Kingdom
This was our favorite date night while living in the United Kingdom. Small, local pubs will have dinner specials all throughout the week. You can choose from two to three-course meals, including your choice of an appetizer or dessert and a drink all from a set menu. Dinner specials like this typically come in at under £10, making them a great cheap date night! They also almost always serve some kind of local dish — a great way to eat as the locals do in the UK.
Scottish Breakfast in Scotland
Our all-time favorite Scottish breakfast is from a bus on the side of A94 in Aberdeenshire, but any Scottish breakfast will do. Scottish breakfasts are eggs, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, bangers (sausage), black pudding, and a potato scone or toast. Make sure that your Scottish breakfast comes with black pudding — as this may just be the best part!
Fish and Chips in Scotland
Oh my lanta, my mouth is watering and I may just have a tear rolling down my cheek thinking of fish and chips in Scotland. There truly is nothing like it anywhere else! In fact, we have yet to find fish and chips that even come close to how good they are in Scotland. Do not order fish and chips from a pub, but instead go to a chippy and get them there.
Scones and Clotted Cream in England
Do yourself a favor, head to the countryside, find a farm shop, and get yourself a scone and clotted cream. Our two favorite scones with clotted cream were from Dover and a small farm shop just outside of London. Some afternoon teas will come with scones and clotted cream, so you could double up on that dish. Otherwise, be sure your scone comes with proper clotted cream, and preferably jam as well, as this is the icing on the cake!
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Must Try Foods in Europe
Shepherd’s Pie in Ireland
We just had this for dinner the other night, and boy, it made me miss Ireland! While it technically originated in England, it’s a cheap meal to get all across Britain and in Ireland too. Shepherd’s pie is made of either minced (ground) lamb or diced lamb, with some veg and other goodies and then topped with mashed potatoes. It’s fantastically paired with a fresh Guinness on tap!
Ham in Spain
Not your traditional ham, jamón in Spain is freshly sliced ham from a pork leg that’s been cured for at least 12 months. This ham is sold around ever nook and corner in Madrid, though is best from the small hole-in-the-wall shops instead of the bigger chain stores. Follow your nose on this one, and walk into a jamón shop, and grab a ham sandwich for the road! You won’t be disappointed.
Fry Shop in Belgium
Legit anything that you get from a fry shop in Belgium will be amazing.. but you must try the bicky burger and of course fries! Get the bicky burger with everything on it, and order your fries with mayonnaise and the curry ketchup. Even if you don’t like mayonnaise, get it anyway, it tastes completely different than any other country.. and the curry ketchup, while technically not even Belgian, it’s a must with Belgian fries!
Waffles in Belgium
While we’re talking about Belgium.. it’s a no-brainer to get some Belgian waffles. While you can get them all fancied up with loads of different sweets and goodies on them, we think the best way to experience a Belgian waffle is just plain! Nearly any and all places that sell Belgian waffles will be true, authentic waffles with the sugar cubes, however, some are better than others. Sit and watch the line for a bit, if you’re getting a freshly made Belgian waffle, it’s worth the wait as they’re amazing warm!
Hot Dog in Norway
Dried fish and fresh pastries are what come to mind when I think about Norwegian food, but shoot — I’d be lying if I said hot dogs don’t! When traveling in Norway and you’re on a budget, hot dogs are the way to go! Every gas station and food stand in the middle of drives will have them — and that’s for a reason, they’re good! Grab a hot dog, and don’t forget to top it with some fried onions! It’s just one of those things you have to do when road tripping in Norway!
Fondue in Switzerland
Eating out in Switzerland is expensive, and that reigns true whether you’re in a touristy spot or not. While getting fondue at a restaurant in Switzerland is surely a great experience, it really didn’t fit our budget in the month we were in Switzerland. We weren’t going to let that stop us from having fondue in Switzerland though. Do yourself a favor, and head down to the local Lidl (a discount grocer), and grab some Swiss fondue cheese from the refrigerated section, a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery, and head to your accomodation and cook up your own fondue!
Berliner in Germany
Jay’s absolute favorite in Germany, Berliners are German pastries filled with jam and rolled in powdered sugar. While you can find Berliners at bakeries and really any store, Jay’s favorites were from the bakery section at the Lidl’s in Germany. Lidl is a discount grocer all across Europe and the UK, and they offer great Berliners for around 50 cents each! Great price for a delicious must-have German treat!
Dutch Pancakes in the Netherlands
Oh, my land… our love for dutch pancakes began well before we had even traveled to The Netherlands when we got stuck in Villa O’Higgins for six days. Eating Dutch pancakes on the daily and never getting sick of them back in South America, we knew we were in for a real treat in The Netherlands. However, what we didn’t know was how dang good they would be! You really can’t go wrong with Dutch pancakes, but our favorite is a Dutch pancake with bacon, and if you’re lucky, cheese and onion too! They’re served absolutely huge, so head into a pancake shop with a hungry belly!
Crepes in France
Just like Dutch Pancakes, the options for crepes are endless! When in France, try to head to some of the not-so-touristy places to get a good crepe. And don’t be afraid to try both the sweet kind and the savory ones too. We’ve yet to have a bad crepe! Heather’s favorite is a crepe with goat cheese, apples, arugula, pecans, and maple syrup! Such a random mix of stuffing, but so good!
Fresh Fish in Croatia
No must-try foods list would be complete without having freshly caught fish in Croatia on the list! Honestly, it doesn’t even matter if you don’t like fish, you’ve got to try Croatian fish. Specifically fish dishes from Hotel Skalinada on Hvar. We were amazed at how fresh everything was — literally only on the menu if it came in on the morning catch. And we even had octopus, which I would easily order time and time again with how tasty it was! Who knew an octopus could be so good!?
Tuna Steak in Bosnia
Stopping in Bosnia for food on our way through the country to get to the northern bit of Croatia, was one of the best decisions we made during our whole trip. When we knew we would only be driving through a small sliver of Bosnia, for not even twenty minutes, we had to find a reason to stop and enjoy the country a bit. Neum, Bosnia offered the perfect stop! Tuna Steak in Bosnia was as fresh as fish in Croatia, but was super cheap! Definitely, a must-stop and eat!!
Pierogi in Poland
Pierogi are a national dish in Poland. It’s a dumpling that’s stuffed with all sorts of different things depending on where you get them from, then boiled and topped with more goodness! They range from sweet to savory stuffings, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of them!
Chimney Cake at a Christmas Market
We had our chimney cake when we visited Poland in December, however, you can find a chimney cake at any and all Christmas markets throughout Europe. You’ll also be able to find them in Hungary as they are a national dessert there. Chimney cakes are a pastry traditionally served with sugar and crushed walnuts, though now you can find them will all sorts of exterior coatings.
Goulash in Hungary
Goulash is a Hungarian stew that’s made of super tender beef chunks, veggies like onions, potatoes, and carrots, and paprika with other seasonings. Considering the fact that goulash is a national dish in Hungary, it’s one not to miss. We had amazing goulash in Budapest at the For Sale Pub. The servings were huge and the food was amazing!
Mititei in Romania
Mititei is a spicy, garlicky sausage that’s true authentic meat to have in Romania. Like other Eastern European countries, meat is a huge part of the cuisine, and you can see in the pictures below, you just eat the meat straight, typically with some sort of mustard.
Margarita Pizza in Italy
I feel like I don’t even need words to explain this one. Margarita pizza in Italy is the only way to go. It’s tempting to try all sorts of Italian pizzas, but honestly, any time we got a different type of pizza, we always wished we had gotten a margarita instead, as they truly never fail. Oftentimes, the pizzas are huge, so grabbing one pizza for two people and a glass of wine each can be done for under 10 USD! That’s a major score!
Even if you typically don’t eat dairy, or are gluten-free.. get a margarita pizza. The ingredients are so fresh and good that even people that typically would not eat food like that can eat it without a problem! In fact, that goes for all Italian food! You’ll never believe how fresh the tomato sauce and even cheese and pasta are!
{Traveler’s Tip…Olive oil is always on the table with pizza. As odd as it may sound, it’s actually pretty good on a true Italian pizza. Typically the olive oil is from the region you’re in.. be sure to give it a try on a small bite!}
Gyro in Greece
Traditionally served as a lamb gyro, and sometimes pork or beef, you can now get gyros made from chicken too — but trust us here, always go for the lamb. As we said at the beginning of the post, always get everything that’s offered on a gyro. Especially including the garlic sauce! My mouth is legitimately watering right now just thinking about a proper gyro!
Bread in Denmark
I’ll never forget stopping at a Danish cafe to get bread and coffee. Not only were the bread and coffee both delicious and unforgettable, and, the Danish cheese, oh my goodness. But, there were multiple infants left in their prims outdoors while the parents were inside. Come to find out this is a custom in places all throughout Europe and actually quite good for the children… but still just bizarre to us, and truly something I don’t think we’ll forget! Anywho, bread in Denmark — always a good bet.. even better with some Danish cheese sliced on top!
Sausage in the Czech Republic
Meat is a big part of the cuisine in many Eastern European countries. In fact, we could probably put down a sausage in many places like Poland, Czech, Romania, and Hungary. But we’ll save it just for here. Sausage like this is served from street carts, and it is super good and obviously really filling.
{Traveler’s Tip… be careful to not get scammed when ordering sausage specifically in Prague. The workers way overcharged us and then didn’t even give us our drinks that they charged us for when we got these bad boys. The best thing to do is just point to a picture, get everything on the sausage that’s in the picture and nothing more, and then pay just what the picture shows. Even doing so, you may be overcharged if you don’t give them exact change.}
Escargot in France
I, Heather was super hesitant to try escargot, but hey, when in Paris! haha.. After ordering the pesto escargot, I wasn’t sure I’d eat pesto again. However, once trying it, I was pleasantly surprised by how good escargot really is!
Gelato in Italy
I don’t think I need to explain how amazing gelato in Italy is! Just get some, every dang chance you get! Even if you doing eat dairy — try it. It’s super fresh and doesn’t upset people as much as other dairy products.
Tapas in Spain
When visiting Spain, you’ll quickly notice a large part of the culture is eating small snacks on the streets while enjoying Sangria and beer. These little snacks are called tapas, and enjoying tapas is the perfect way to connect with the culture in Spain. Unless you’re in a touristy spot, you should receive tapas whenever you order drinks. As you keep ordering more rounds of drinks, the tapas get better and better!
Must-Try Foods in South America
Steak in Argentina
Red wine and steak as a typical dinner in Argentina.. yes, please! Argentine steak is something that’s readily available all no matter what part of the country you’re in. Enjoy a nice perfectly cooked piece of steak with a tall glass or red wine on the streets in Argentina and you’ll be ready to move in!
Ceviche in Peru
When we heard what ceviche was, I knew I wouldn’t like it. Raw fish? I was just getting used to fish, how was I supposed to enjoy raw fish. But, as we’ve said before and we’ll say again, when you’re traveling you have to try the local food — even if you “just know you’re not going to like it.” To my surprise, I loved ceviche!! It’s raw fish, dowsed with lemon or lime juice, and then mixed with things like onion, red peppers, and cilantro. And it’s amazing! Take my advice, even if you think you’re not going to like it, try it! You’ll surely regret it if you don’t!
King Crab in Argentina
While you can get king crab in other places around the world, you can’t say you’ve gotten it from the end of the world, unless you’ve eaten it in Ushauia.
Patagonian Lamb in Chile
Having Patagonian lamb in Chile at a proper asado or barbeque is the best way to enjoy the lamb. It’s slow-cooked for hours over an open flame, manually rotated at just the perfect times to ensure an even cook, with a crisp outside and juicy meat. Make friends and get invited to an asado as we did after an ice field tour, or find a local asado and book a dinner there! Either way, be sure you get some proper Patagonian lamb when in Chile!
Salteña in Bolivia
Bolivia’s version of an empanada, and something we legit dream about still five years later. Salteñas are savory Bolivian pastries that are filled with meat, olives, potatoes, and sometimes whole boiled eggs. They’re great from street carts and just as good at restaurants too. We ate more salteñas than we can count. And, are always on the hunt for them when we go to markets or food truck places!
Menu del Dia in South America
While not technically a food, menu del dia is a can’t miss when in South America. It translates to “menu of the day”, and is a very traditional way to eat in South America. Restaurants will have set menus of the day that include a drink, soup or salad (always opt for the soup), and main (typically meat served with rice) for unbelievably cheap prices. We always loved getting a menu del dia, and each getting the different options and then sharing them between us.
Be careful here, as you really probably should avoid salad in South America.. lots of people get sick from it. Always go with the soup instead!
Sausage Sandwich in Bolivia
Easily a favorite in Bolivia is the street sausage sandwiches. They’re simple, cheap, and delicious. Perfect for grabbing on the go while walking around a new town or waiting at a bus station! Street food in Bolivia is some of the best street food in the world!
Must-Try Foods in North America
Shave Ice in Hawaii, USA
Shave Ice in Hawaii is unlike any other shave ice we’ve had. It’s not just flavored ice.. it’s finely shaved ice, similar to that of snow… and is even sometimes served with ice cream below the shave ice. In many other places in the states, you can get snow cones.. but nothing is like true shave ice in Hawaii.
Street Tacos in Mexico
No food tour list would be complete without Mexican food. If you think you’ve had tacos and haven’t had street tacos, think again. Street tacos in Mexico are unlike anything else. Often served from just a taco cart, street tacos are just divine! Top your tacos with onion and cilantro for the authentic street taco experience.
Poutine in Canada
A combination that honestly sounds so strange it has to be good. Fries, cheese curds, and gravy.. poutine is a classic hangover and late-night dish. While we sadly didn’t have poutine during our time in Canada, talking to our Canadian friends, it’s an absolute must when in Canada. We’ve had some “Canadian poutine” from a food truck here in Oregon, and while it was great, we can only imagine it’s better in Canada!
Burger in the United States
No, not your typical Mcdonald’s burger. A real true diner burger! A true American burger comes with a fat chunk of barbequed hamburger, topped with things like lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, bacon, and cheese. You’ll even find burgers with fried eggs, onion rings, bbq sauce… ahh.. the possibilities are endless! Head to a diner and grab yourself a classic American burger. If you’re really feeling it, pair it with an American milkshake to get the true United States experience. Just be prepared to be super full upon leaving!
American Pancakes in the United States
Not until we started traveling did we realize pancakes, true fluffy buttermilk pancakes, were a delicacy here in the United States. When we went to the shop in Scotland and saw premade pancakes on the bakery shelf and a pancake in a bottle mix, we about barfed! True fluffy pancakes are an American classic!
Must-Try Foods in Asia
Pad Thai in Thailand
Jay would eat pad thai for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could. Sold on the streets of Thailand for 1 USD a plate, and a couple more from restaurants in Thailand, pad thai is easy to come by. While pad thai is easily the most popular dish in Thailand, Thai cuisine is amazing, and you should try other foods too! We’ll be doing a separate post on that completely, but for now, know.. you should also try tom yum soup in Northern Thailand and green and red curry made with super fresh coconut milk!
Don’t be tricked into always getting the pad thai on the street. You can get much more food for less by finding a Thai food market where the locals go to eat!
{Traveler’s Tip…When ordering pad thai, keep in mind that thai hot is super hot!! If you like spicy food, try their mild or medium first — as it’s way, way hotter than normal!}
Must-Try Foods in Africa
Tajine in Morocco
My, oh my.. tajine in Morocco!! There’s nothing like a proper tajine served in the true tajine dish from Moroccan hosts at an AirBnB. Or a tajine served in the middle of the night on a camel trek through the Sahara. Tajine in Morocco is phenomenal — honestly, no matter what kind you get!
Injera in Ethiopia
Being 100% honest and transparent here, my first time having injera I was pretty grossed out and didn’t eat much of it. It wasn’t because of the flavor, but the way injera is traditionally eaten. I was on my way to a wedding and we stopped to have a meal with the family of the bride. Everyone eats injera from the same plate, licking their hands clean before dipping their hands in the food again. I wasn’t too keen on eating that injera, however, I knew I wanted to try it again.
After my first experience with injera, I knew I wanted to share it with Jay. So when he visited, we went to a restaurant serving injera and were blown away by the taste and culture surrounding it. As with my time before the wedding, eating injera is an experience to be had over multiple hours, and it’s a lovely way to truly step into the culture!
Shawarma in Tanzania
Shawarma was a nightly meal for me while living in Tanzania. Served at the local night market with a huge line always, shawarma is a tasty cheap food served in multiple places in the middle east, but Tanzania is where I came to love it. It’s served in a similar way as a gyro in Greece. Carved from a piece of meat on a rotisserie, then served in a breaded cone wrap with sauce and veg. Although full of sodium, the flavor of shawarma is great!
Chapati in Tanzania
Fried flakey bread, that’s just to die for.. I don’t think I can say anymore! It’s actually an Indian dish, however, I’m pretty sure the 10 pounds I gained when living in Africa is straight from having chapati every day!
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This is obviously not a complete list of all the food to have around the world. It’s instead a list of food that has stuck out to us in our travels. As we continue to travel, this list will continue to grow. We’ll also be putting together food lists like our 15 foods to try in Scotland for other countries that have more great food that didn’t make the cut for this post. Join the ArboursAbroad Family to be notified when those posts are live!
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