Where to go on a cooking & food vacation

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Where to go on a
cooking & food vacation

There are enticing global options year round for where to go on a cooking and food vacation. And such diverse settings! Choose from rustic Italian farms or Spanish hills, colourful Mexican towns or Sri Lankan coasts, Cambodian stilt villages or Provençal hideaways. Within countries there are wonderful contrasts too, dishes changing with the vistas – madcap Mexico City vs. colonial Puebla in Mexico, coastal Krabi v bustling Bangkok in Thailand, colonial Delhi v jewel-like Jaipur in India. You meet an eclectic bunch of locals too: Thai market traders, Cambodian fishermen, Mexican chefs, Italian farmers. And all share your foodie passion.

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1. Cambodia
2. Finland
3. France
4. India
5. Italy
6. Mexico
7. Peru
8. Spain
9. Sri Lanka
10. Thailand
11. Vietnam

Cambodia

1. Cambodia

Best known for the staggering 12th century ruins of Angkor Wat, Cambodia also boasts an ancient food culture where pepper replaces chilli for heat, and novel herbs and condiments jazz up freshwater fish and French-influenced dishes. Chow riverside in vibrant Phnom Penn, find French-Khmer fusion in colonial Battambang, then prepare traditional dishes with a fishing family staying in a house on stilts.

Cambodia

Finland

2. Finland

The Finns are passionate about their food and yet it’s little known outside the country. That’s a shame because it’s comforting, delicious and based around the freshest of flavours. You could find yourself foraging for mushrooms and berries in deep, dark forests, sampling warm cinnamon pastries from an organic bakery, or sampling reindeer at one of Helsinki’s many swish dining spots.

France

3. France

Just behind the Cote d'Azur, discover rustic Provence on a homestay fed by fresh-picked organic produce. Or liven up winter truffling in Perigord, sampling unforgettable truffle dishes daily, washed down with unique local 'black wine'. In SW France, discover distinctive Basque ways with trout and chestnut-fed ham. Or devour Dordogne delights (river fish, lavender and saffron sauces) staying at an 18th century chateau.

France

India

4. India

From old colonial Delhi to beach-fringed Goa via the ethereal beauty of Jaipur and fascinating cultural mix of Kerala, India is an unforgettable kaleidoscope of culinary experiences: fabulous street food in pulsating Mumbai and old-school Delhi; 1200-year-old traditional Rajasthan cuisine; rainbow-hued markets everywhere. Along the way, you'll learn how subtle and diverse Indian cuisine can be.

Italy

5. Italy

Italy serves up dreamy settings with dreamy food. Try fresh pesto in its gorgeous Genoa birthplace, pizza amid Naples' breathless beauty, or sniff white truffles in Piedmont. Delve cucina povera (peasant cooking) in backstreet Rome. Discover Sicily's Arab-influenced dishes and nose-to-tail street food in multicultural Palermo, or Sardinia's novel seafood by breathtaking beaches: sea urchin, botarga (dried roe) and tart scabecciu fish.

Italy

Mexico

6. Mexico

Mexican cuisine goes way beyond the fast foody bland tacos and refried beans of Tex Mex. Try proper taco like the succulent el pastor (slow-roasted marinated pork) in Mexico City, then learn about classic mole sauces in colonial Puebla. Marvel at culture and buildings as colourful as the food in Oaxaca, or make Mexican-style raw fish ceviche on the beach.

Peru

7. Peru

Geography underpins Peru's newly hip cuisine – superb seafood, Andean produce, rainforest fruits. Add Spanish and Inca influences. In Lima, try street foods like anticuchos (beef skewers) or masamorra (purple corn). Visit a Pisco distillery and do a fish market cooking class in charming Cuzco. Compare traditional and contemporary NovoAndina mountain meals amid Inca ruins, then enjoy a pachamanca feast, slow-roasted in underground ovens.

Peru

Spain

8. Spain

Complement Spain's fertile plains, hills, coasts and ancient towns with Moorish and Iberian cuisine at a traditional cortijo farmhouse, joining in local harvests from olives to asparagus – or cook rabbit with almond plus quail stuffed with figs in Andalucia. Explore Extremadura flavours brought back by Conquistadores (peppers, chocolate), or discover Riojan gourmet secrets like tapas paradise town Logrono and medieval wine-making mecca Laguardia.

Sri Lanka

9. Sri Lanka

Seductively different to India, Sri Lanka and its food revels in the influences of Portuguese, Arabs and Dutch settlers it once enchanted. Tangy sambal curries sing with flavour, while coastal fish markets provide abundant seafood to savour by palm-fringed beaches – including intriguing jadi fermented fish. Spicy Tamil dishes flavoured with coconut milk dominate heart-stopping highlands dotted with tea plantations.

Sri Lanka

Thailand

10. Thailand

Thailand is a friendly culinary cornucopia. Cook in bustling Bangkok or pick herbs on an organic farm to enliven Thai veggie nosh. Learn to use banana leaves and cook over open fires. Sizzle seafood on a golden beach or visit a palm sugar factory. Compare atmospheric night markets with amazing floating ones – or a unique railway market held on working train tracks!

Vietnam

11. Vietnam

Vietnam’s food fragrantly meshes with dramatic bays, canals, emerald rice paddies and exotic history: pho and French colonialism in Hanoi; banh khoai and imperial citadels in Hue; banh xeo and lantern-lit streets in Hoi An; banh canh and pulsating markets in Ho Chi Minh City. Drink in cafes by madcap streets or sit at market stalls as aromatic noodle soups are made beside you.

Vietnam

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Cooking & food vacations advice

An Italian immersion

Marina Caldera from our Italy partner Agriturismo Podere le Olle highlights local Umbrian temptations in her cooking and food vacations advice: “Everything that surrounds us in Umbria is related to food, and each village has specialities of which they are proud. Our area is famous for extra virgin olive oil and Orvieto wine, plus norcineria - cured pork meats. We also grow all kind of beans that are cooked with spelt and barley to create delicious soups. And we have a very specific pasta, a sort of rough spaghetti called umbrichelli. A traditional recipe is umbrichelli all' aglione, a spicy tomato sauce with lots of our very tasty red garlic! Another speciality is wild boar, either stewed or cooked with tagliatelle. The village of Cita della Pieve is the place for saffron, while Fabro is famous for white truffle.”

Humble pleasures

Animesh Khandkar, a guide for our partner Intrepid on their Real Food Adventure India picks out two humble Indian items in his food vacations advice: “Chai is the most popular drink across the country, from pedestrians to the prime minister. The calls of chai vendors at stations are a good wakeup call if you're on a train or bus! The best is always available on a roadside stall - never in luxurious hotels. Vada pav - deep fried potato fritter in a bun with coconut, tamarind and garlic chutney- unites the two extremes of Mumbai. Bollywood celebs and people from Dharavi – Asia's largest slum – both enjoy this mouthwatering snack at the same roadside stalls. There are thousands of stalls but I think the best is one near Standard & Chartered Bank close to the Flora Fountain.”

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Marketplace marvels

Soontareeporn Hombuayai, a guide for our supplier Intrepid, on their Real Food Adventure Thailand picks out a unique local market in her food vacations advice: “I think the Mae Glong railway market is the most exciting in the world - people sell their produce on the actual train tracks! Everything is put on tables with wheels which will be easy to move when the train comes: live catfish, prawns and squid fresh from the sea, and dry seafood whose smell you will have to get used to! There is a warning about five minutes before a train, then everything is like chaos - the vendors move their stuff off the tracks quickly, and everyone must find the space on the trackside to stay safe. As soon as the train has passed everything is placed back to normal and the market starts again!”

Tips from our travelers

At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.

We have selected some of the most useful cooking & food vacation advice that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation - and the space inside your suitcase.

Ensure you leave the diet at the doorstep, the food and wine are beautiful in Umbria. Be prepared to relax - it is a quiet countryside location, with no TV and limited wifi.

- Joanne Wilkins

"The mix of activities we did worked really well, not just the cooking and walking but also everything else we managed to do including wine tasting, visiting the olive oil co-operative, evening visits to local historical town, and more." - Mike Smith, Cooking and walking vacations, Spanish Pyrenees

"We had a tour around the wine making area including a view of the beautiful french oak barrels. We were accompanied on the tour by the friendly dog that lived there. We then had lunch outside which included wines matched to each of the courses. The owner of the winery led the wine tasting. All this happened on a beautiful warm and sunny day. It was perfect." - Christine Aickin, Umbria Cooking Vacation, Italy

"We loved the evening boat trip to a tiny island west of Turku. There was live music on the boat and on the island we were served a feast outdoors with fresh salmon, potatoes, grilled vegetables and more." - Diane Banner, Helsinki City Break, winter sports and Gastronomy

"Bring some sweets from your country for the families you’ll visit: I wish I did. Pack medicines for stomach problems; most people on our trip needed them. Don’t bother with a backpack since your luggage will be carried by bell boys (who happily receive tips from the tipping kitty) Ask for spicy if you like this; the food cooked at the homes was adjusted to ’western’ taste and we realised this too late. Go for the real, hot, stuff!" - Juul Van Hoof, Sri Lanka small group tour, a food adventure