DESTINATIONS FOOD & DRINK | ESCORTED TOURS
hether it’s sampling tasty
treats at a bustling street food market or enjoying a
traditional home-cooked meal with the locals, a country’s cuisine is one of the best ways to experience a destination – so it’s little wonder that food-themed tours are on the rise. Intrepid Travel reported a 55%
increase in bookings for its culinary range compared with 2022, while several operators have expanded their food and drink offerings this year too. Explore has introduced six food-themed packages for 2023, spanning Peru, Japan, India, Jordan, Italy and Georgia. Programme manager James Adkin says: “I think one of the best things about travel is the food – it allows you to fully engage all your senses and gives you a deeper understanding of the culture. “And locals love it when visitors are enthusiastic about their food. Even if there’s a language barrier, you can still appreciate great food.” Although such tours cater primarily to those with an interest in food and drink, operators are keen to stress that they can
offer much more. “It’s never 100% food; you get all the other highlights that you would expect on a regular tour,” says Adkin. “We want to make sure there’s at least one food experience each day, but we also want to showcase the people, history and culture of the places we visit.”
BEST FOR: CHEESE LOVERS A Taste of Georgia: Tbilisi to the Caucasus Mountains – Explore Shared borders with Turkey and Armenia ensure some real treats for gastronomes and wine lovers alike in the cradle of wine. And it all comes together in this Explore tour, a highlight of which is a khachapuri masterclass in Tbilisi, where they’ll be taught about the regional varieties of this warm cheese-filled bread, considered Georgia’s national dish. But there’s plenty more to Georgia’s cuisine besides cheesy bread. “When I visited, I hadn’t appreciated how much of a foodie destination it is. There’s so much for visitors to try that they might not have been aware of,” says Adkin. In the country’s wine region of Kakheti, guests can taste wines made in large ²
travelweekly.co.uk
18 MAY 2023
39
urcuriosity
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