Gastronomic travel is a very popular tourist destination that has appeared relatively recently. Someone thinks that gastronomic tourism is suitable only for great gourmets and aesthetes, others, on the contrary, regard this type of recreation as a very serious occupation. But just imagine for a moment how, instead of standing in line to view paintings or sculptures in museums in Paris, New York, you are at a table in a Tbilisi restaurant, tasting elite Georgian wines. Or you master the rules of cooking rostila in one of the villages of Serbia. Agree, it sounds tempting and appetizing?
In fact, gastronomic relaxation reveals the spirit of the peoples whose national cuisines you decide to taste and explore. It was the gourmets-maximalists who were the founders of this type of recreation. Initially, gastronomic tours were practiced only to Europe and Asia. But now culinary routes are organized to the countries of the Near Abroad. On such trips, the main bias goes to visiting restaurants, culinary master classes, where taste experiences are the basis. Many people want to learn how to cook deliciously, so gourmet travelers are already planning a gastronomic tour for 2019.
Gastronomic tours from Moscow
You can go on a culinary journey from Moscow all year round. This is another uniqueness of gastronomic tours to get to know different countries through the kitchen. Each point of the trip is thought out in the programs, and the price for a gastronomic tour is more affordable when compared with a beach holiday. Culinary trips from "Horizons" will allow you to meet talented chefs, see private wineries, and learn how to create exactly the same taste of national dishes that are not in cookbooks.
Excursion and gastronomic tour conditionally can be of two categories: urban or rural. In the case of urban, travelers are invited to visit restaurants to sample national delicacies from virtuoso chefs. Going on rural gastronomic tours from Moscow will be interesting for those who want to see how berries are harvested, homemade cheese is made, and poultry is grown. And of course, to participate independently in all these processes.
However, one can study national cuisines not only analytically, but also geographically. For example, you can choose one specific product - cheese or wine and taste it in all countries. The analytical method is suitable for those who want to get to know a certain country, getting to know it thoroughly through dishes - from tasting desserts and snacks, ending with savoring meat dishes, with vegetables, fruits. Gastronomic tours the tour operator "Horizons" allows you to choose exactly what you like best. So where can you go when you don't want to go far, but there is a great desire to feel the real taste of delicacies without spending a huge budget?
Gastronomic tour to Georgia
One of the oldest cuisines in the world. Very often, entering Georgian restaurants, one can hear the phrase “delicious, like at home”. But this is the true truth. Products are always used in preparation fresh. No semi-finished products and freezes. Do-it-yourself cooking complements the culinary process. The famous khinkali, churchkhela and khachapuri with cheese melting in their mouths are just a small part of what most gourmets love Georgian cuisine for.
The Georgian diet consists of numerous foods:
· Meat - mtsvadi (national shish kebab from beef tenderloin);
· Pastries - achma (cheese pie), shoti (traditional flatbread baked in the oven);
· First courses - chikhirtma (thick soup);
· Vegetable snacks and side dishes - pkhali, lobio;
· A variety of sauces, with tkemali in the lead.
Culinary will reveal to many who wish the secrets of creating a unique taste national cuisine, will teach you how to cook local cheeses that cannot be bought in stores. And Georgian wines will perfectly complement a dinner prepared with your own hands.
Gastronomic tour to Armenia
The traditions and dishes of Armenian cuisine are no less famous. The centuries-old basis of food is made up of numerous dairy products, cheeses, meat dishes, cereals and legumes, as well as a large number of greens and herbs. Is it not a miracle to learn how to cook khashlama or the famous Matsoni cheese? And you can taste delicious whitefish fish, which is found in the famous Lake Sevan, both fried and on coals. Spending time with benefit and mastering will allow tourists to get good experience in preparing traditional dishes and enjoying the true flavors of this country.
Gastronomic tour to Serbia
Delicious and absolutely inexpensive food that you should definitely try and learn how to cook. It is an interesting combination of Mediterranean, Austro-Hungarian and Turkish cuisines. Serbia gives preference to meat dishes, fruits and vegetables are not very popular here, with the exception of the famous “Shopska salad”. Therefore, meat lovers will love this culinary tour. They will teach you how to cook such national dishes as lamb under coals (which takes 4 hours to cook), pleskavitsa, kapama, juvech. And you should definitely try the insanely delicious Serbian honey.
Gastronomic tours in Russia
Russian cuisine occupies one of the leading positions in the world. The program of a gastronomic tour in Russia may include acquaintance with ancient Russian dishes and also, the opportunity to learn foreign cuisines without leaving the country. How is this possible? Everything is simple enough. Let's start with Russian dishes, of course. The nationality of Old Russian food has about 1000 dishes, in the centuries-old history of which lies the preparation that requires certain skills.
Of the main products starting with ancient Russia, the food was prepared from:
· Cabbage, mushrooms, radishes, turnips, potatoes;
· Berries and fruits;
· Meat, fish;
· Cereals: millet, rye, oats, buckwheat, lentils, wheat.
· Milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt.
Cabbage soup, pies, cheesecakes, pancakes, kvass, jelly, sbiten - the assortment of Old Russian dishes is extensive. You can also go on gastronomic tours around the Moscow region on weekends. In just a couple of days, you can get a lot of benefits, learn the history through cooked dishes, and most importantly, learn how to create your own traditional dumplings, giblet stew or porridge in pumpkin.
You can also taste real European dishes in Russia. Gourmet travelers have the opportunity to go on a gastronomic tour with the Horizons tour operator to get acquainted with real European, Old Russian cuisines and take away the best souvenir - the ability to cook traditional, national dishes. Private agricultural farms, wineries of foreign farmers and cheese makers have been established in many Russian cities.
Buy a gastronomic tour from the tour operator "Horizons": prices and programs
Travel Company "Horizons" offers the best gastronomic tours in Russia and the Near Abroad. You will discover the history of different cultures, where for many centuries and generations, the recipe has absorbed the traditions and characteristics of the dishes of the creating peoples. Getting to know countries will turn out to be truly warm and special if you buy a gastronomic tour in order to discover the world through culinary travel. The program does not forget the sights of the countries where the trip will be planned. This will serve perfect combination rest, knowledge and experience.
Gastronomic weekend tours in 2020 from Moscow are one of the most popular ways to organize leisure. Gastro Mania travel agency specializes in organizing such short and tasty tours. We can please even a seasoned gourmet and offer to spend the weekend in such a way that they bring maximum pleasure and remain in memory for a long time.
Organize a weekend getaway with GastroMania!
The prices set by us for gastronomic tours to Europe for the weekend are low and allow you to have a great time at reasonable costs. Choose your country and we can arrange a gourmet culinary journey in no time. If you already know where you want to visit, we will definitely make your wish come true. If you haven’t decided, we will tell you where delicious and delicious food is served, focusing on your preferences. Book a Gastronomy Weekend Tour with Gastro Mania on favorable terms... For many years we have been organizing weekend gastronomic tours from Moscow and have considerable experience that allows us to fully fulfill all the wishes of the client. Weekend culinary tours will help you get acquainted with the traditions of the cuisine of different countries, learn a lot of new and interesting things. Travel with Gastro Mania if you are interested in organizing tours in a professional manner!
Gastronomic tours in Russia and abroad: wine tours to France, tasting tours to Italy, gastronomic tours to Portugal and other countries.
Just imagine a tempting picture: while crowds of tourists who consider themselves to be admirers of painting, sculpture and architecture languish in kilometer-long queues to the Vatican Museums, Louvre or Versailles, in a cool restaurant hall, accompanied by unobtrusive music, you taste dishes from Piedmont truffles, washed down with fragrant Barolo. Or you can enjoy transparent slices of jamon "with a tear" wrapped around a golden-orange slice of juicy melon, the color of which is so reminiscent of the Sagrada Familia glowing in the rays of the sunset, just a little further away. Or you delve into the rules for the preparation of national Korean sauces and snacks, but not just anywhere, but in royal palace Gyeongbokgung. Or you can taste "edam" and "gouda" - and it is in Edam or Gouda. In a word, you already understood that we are talking about a recently appeared, but already quite popular destination tourism - gastronomic.
Food can tell about the spirit of the people much more than other works of architecture and painting. The fine arts are individualized, but the national cuisine, as the French say, is a "case of a pinch" of numerous and unnamed authors.
What are food tours
Someone will say that gastronomic tourism is the lot of natures with a fine mental organization, others argue that all this is whim, hedonism and money down the drain. They say that in the modern globalized world, almost any terroir product - even from Spain, even from Mauritius, can be found in a good supermarket. You won't surprise a Russian with oysters and frog legs for a long time, as well as wines from Valley X, Slope Y. Undoubtedly, the times of gastronomic shortage have happily passed into the past, and today it is worth trying international delicacies without leaving the capital. However, as the satirist noted, "there is everything ... and a small deficit" - Parma ham in Moscow is a little different than in blessed Parma, sushi in the Land of the Rising Sun is definitely different from Yakitor's companions, and real pasta in a village by the sea in Puglia cannot be compared with the assortment of the capital "vero" -Italian establishments.
It is thanks to the maximalist gourmets who live (or rather, eat) according to the principle of "all or nothing", and such a tourism industry as gastronomic tours appeared. In short, gastronomic tours are trips abroad (for the time being, foreign ones, although all the prerequisites for a gourmet run through Mother Russia are obvious), which focus on taste impressions. Visiting restaurants on such trips is not a side effect, so as not to die of hunger, but the very essence of the trip. Of course, you can't do without sights - it's stupid to go to Paris and not even look towards the Champs Elysees, but the visual impressions are more likely to go in addition to the gustatory ones, set off the "impression", so to speak.
How they cook in Rome
The local recipe for centuries, if not millennia (remember the oldest of the world cuisines - Armenian), absorbed the customs and traditions of the people who created it. So Arabian spicy dishes are both a tribute to the hot climate, in which you need to sweat thoroughly to cool down, and a remedy that helps you not to get sick “in unsanitary conditions,” and a portrait of the average Egyptian or Moroccan: emotional, hot-tempered and spontaneous.
Separately, it should be mentioned that the purpose of the gastronomic tour is not to try a couple of certain exotic dishes (say, the same frog legs, fried worms or durians), but to form your own global idea of the country through taste buds. And, of course, learn more about the "near-kitchen" traditions: how vegetables are grown or poultry are raised, what time they eat and how the dishes are served.
What are the gastronomic tours
Conventionally, gastronomic trips can be divided into two large groups: rural and urban. During the first, tourists are offered to enjoy natural products "from the ground" - to participate in the collection of berries, nuts and mushrooms (especially truffles), to taste fruits from the tree and vegetables from the garden, of course, 100% organic, cook jam or bake a cake under the supervision of a chef ... This also includes a tasteful acquaintance with the so-called "products of the earth" - those gastronomic delights (and not ready-made dishes!) That this area is famous for: Parma ham, Spanish ham, Dutch cheese, Brussels praline, Swedish bleak caviar, Japanese puffer fish, etc. .d.
City gastronomic tours involve visiting restaurants of national cuisine, where the guest is invited to taste local delicacies, as a rule, "from the pen" of eminent chefs. The establishments themselves, of course, are also marked with at least one Michelin star. In such trips, the emphasis is more on the virtuoso combination of numerous components, rather than on enjoying the simple taste of "peasant" food. In other words, if you like escape from civilization - welcome to the vastness of Alsace or Tuscany, and for those who want rare dishes on porcelain and boiling white starched napkins - a direct road to Parisian or Milanese haute cuisine restaurants.
Among other things, you can study the gastronomic map of the world, so to speak, synthetically or analytically. In the first case, we take one product (for example, cheese) and study it in all countries of production - we visit cheese factories in France, cheese mills in Holland, private farms in Belgium, we try mozzarella in Italy and suluguni in Georgia. With an analytical approach, we choose a country and “taste” it to its taste - vegetables and fruits, snacks and sauces, cold and hot dishes, desserts and compotes.
And of course, you can't do without wine on such tours! Although there are special wine routes(which is worth only one trip to Champagne or Chianti), in one way or another, strong drinks are necessarily present in the programs of gastronomic trips, because it has long been known that the taste of even the most exquisite dish without wine will lose half of its uniqueness.
Gastronomic India
Where and what to try
Generally speaking, any country that has decided to develop gastronomic tourism has every chance of success - there are no tasteless cuisines, there are only more massive or more "highly specialized" areas. In other words, Bavarian sausages are great for any tourist, but fried larvae and pickled chameleons are a pleasure for everyone.
Gastronomic Europe is, first of all, pasta, pizza, hams and wines of Italy, foie gras, snails, oysters and other seafood, cheeses, as well as numerous wines and champagne of France, dry-cured delicacies, fish dishes and again wines of Spain, pastries, sweets and chocolate from Austria, Switzerland and Belgium, cheeses and herring from Holland, sausages, meatballs and beer from Germany and many other products with a national flavor.
People go to exotic countries mainly for global impressions of local gastronomy: Jewish hummus, falafel and unchanged stuffed fish are only a small part of Israel's multicultural cuisine, as well as the national gastronomic traditions of India - a mixture of dozens of local dishes, spices and seasonings from different states.
Gastronomy fair in Peru
Programs, duration, cost
Depending on the chosen "bias", food tours are offered lasting from a weekend (city programs, say, oysters in Paris) to a full two weeks of immersion in the ocean of taste (rural routes, for example, along the roads and restaurants in Puglia).
In most cases, tourists choose combined gastronomic tours - after all, from morning to evening, trying, tasting, evaluating and describing can be interesting only for a glutton-graphomaniac. In such combined programs, visiting restaurants is harmoniously combined with excursions or beach vacation... Fortunately, the most remarkable gastronomic countries, as for selection, have excellent opportunities for recreation - whether it is sightseeing Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic and Hungary or "sunny-sea" Italy, France, Spain and Portugal.
For example, one of the most popular gastronomic tours in Italy based on accommodation in Parma, in addition to exploring local ham, includes a trip to memorable places associated with the name of Giuseppe Verdi, a visit to an opera performance, a tour of the castles of Parma outlets.
Gastronomic tours, like any exclusive, are not cheap pleasure. To a certain extent, this is due to the individual approach to the client: it is impossible to recruit a large group for gastronomic tours, therefore the program is most often calculated for one or two people. The cost depends on many factors - direction, duration, season, etc. Trips to significant gastronomic events- for example, at the gourmet festival in St. Moritz, will cost more. In general, when going on a trip on popular programs (to Italy, Spain, France), you should count on the amount of 1500-1800 EUR for a weekly tour. The cost of exclusive routes, such as eating snails in Madagascar, can go up to 5,000 EUR.
Yes, and finally, a few proprietary valuable advice from "Subtleties". First, it is worth knowing when to stop: do not overload all the dishes on offer. After all, you have come not for indigestion (you can get it at home), but for a pleasant experience. It is better to try a little bit of everything, rather than gorge yourself on snacks and gaze longingly at soups, hot dishes and desserts. Secondly, thoughts of unwanted waist measurements must be left at home - or not at all on a culinary tour - otherwise the joy of taste will be overshadowed by annoyance at the kilograms purchased for the vacation. And finally, grab a package of medicines like "indispensable for the stomach" - you will have to absorb the delicacies in considerable quantities.
Bon appetit and wonderful gastronomic experience!
Gastronomic tourism is a fairly young and only developing direction. However, today there are a large number of people who want to go to another country, so as not just to lie on the beach and go shopping, but to learn the culinary habits and traditions of a particular society.
The program of any gastronomic tour, as a rule, includes a tasting of various dishes of local cuisine. There are two types of such tours - rural ("green") and urban. The former are focused on environmentally friendly products and involve, for example, the collection of vegetables and fruits on farms or grapes in vineyards. The second, in turn, include a visit to a factory or workshop that produces food products, with a tasting of the manufactured goods.
KitchenMag has selected five interesting food tours that will appeal to even the most sophisticated stomach.
Tuscany
Italy
Tuscany is one of the most visited regions in Italy. This is where the Italian Renaissance originated. However, the secret of Tuscany's popularity is not only in its delightful landscapes and cozy atmosphere. Local cuisine is a paradise for real gourmets and simply lovers of delicious food. Tuscan cuisine is rooted in ancient traditions. Most of all, they value fish dishes, sausages and flour products, and a variety of vegetable dishes. However, they should be simple and healthy.
In this region, according to the recipe of distant ancestors, the meat of young gobies is perfectly cooked. It is used to make a Florentine steak from slices of tenderloin marinated in aromatic olive oil. By the way, olive oil in Tuscany has a golden-greenish tint and an unusual smell, making it one of the best in all of Italy. It is also an essential ingredient in almost all local cuisine.
Tuscany is the favorite region of the popular TV presenter Yulia Vysotskaya. The mastermind behind the Eat at Home culinary talk show even organized an exclusive tour to Tuscany with accommodation at the Konchalovsky villa, an Italian-style breakfast, visits to local markets and, of course, master classes from chefs and Vysotskaya herself.
Provence
France
The cuisine of Provence is rightly called "the kitchen of the sun". Indeed, filled with the aromas of the south, the smell of herbs, fresh fish, an abundance of vegetables, fruits and juicy olives, it reminds of a warm summer. Provence cuisine differs from "classic" French in its relative simplicity and closeness to home cooking. Vegetables are especially tasty in the southern region of France. They are found in both cold and hot dishes. The legendary Provence signature dish, ratatouille, immediately comes to mind. And without wine, Provence is, in principle, impossible to imagine.
Olives, olives and olive oil are the undisputed favorites in Provence. They are used in the preparation of most dishes and give them a unique flavor. Thus, olive oil gives a noble taste to a traditional sandwich with lettuce, tomato slices, anchovies, eggs and capers.
The main methods of cooking meat in Provence are braising and baking. At the same time, the attitude to meat dishes is rather restrained. Light variations are preferred: lamb, rabbit and chicken. Famous Provencal herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil and tarragon are a great addition to any meal. Intertwining, they create a unique and unforgettable bouquet.
Nika Belotserkovskaya, a popular blogger and author of many culinary bestsellers, has dedicated an entire book to this region of France called “About food. About wine. Provence ". The girl was so fascinated by the local cuisine that she even launched 5- and 7-day tours to Provence, during which everyone can learn the intricacies of this cuisine together with the chefs of Michelin restaurants.
Piedmont
Italy
Another region of Italy that attracts tourists not only with its mesmerizing Italian landscapes, but also with culinary traditions and delights. Piedmont has presented Italy with many specialties, which is largely due to the favorable natural and climatic conditions.
Speaking of Piedmont, it is impossible not to mention truffles - the most unusual and exquisite mushrooms in the world. The most valuable edible varieties are black and white. However, the way they are prepared is different. Black ones can be heated and even fried, but white ones, in turn, cannot, as they lose their unmatched aroma, reminiscent of the smell of garlic and ripened cheese. White truffles are eaten raw: they are cut into slices and sprinkled on the dish. Such mushrooms give a unique taste and aroma to risotto, scrambled eggs, pasta.
In addition, Piedmont is famous for its cheeses. For example, gorgonzola is one of the oldest Italian cheeses. Young gorgonzola has a more delicate taste, and ripe more piquancy. It is cut and served for dessert with bread and strong red wine or as an appetizer, added to risottos, sauces and fillings. Also, be sure to try local dishes in Piedmont: salted anchovies with green sauce, pickled peppers, potato dumplings with cheese sauce, fondue, cornmeal porridge.
It is impossible not to mention the wines: 45 of them, which are cultivated in Piedmont, have the status of old Italian wines. The most famous red wines in the region are Barolo and Barbaresco. The first, thanks to its velvety taste, even gained fame as "the king of wines and wine of kings." It is also home to the Martini and Cinzano vermouths.
Catalonia
Spain
Catalan cuisine is also called “sea and mountain cuisine”. She got this name for a reason. Indeed, Catalan cuisine combines the best culinary traditions of Spain. Since a significant part of the region is in the mountains, important place the local cuisine is dominated by meat dishes. Here they cook meatballs, sausage with beans, rabbit with snails, chicken with chocolate, frikando (veal with sauce and mushrooms), turkey stuffed with plums or pine nuts ... The list goes on.
Catalonia is wine region... In this regard, the culture of snacks is developed here. They are prepared from everything: seafood, vegetables, meat. Local salad is also popular, which includes tomatoes, lettuce, green onions and olives. It is dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Various sauces are of great importance in Catalonia. For example, picada is a sauce made from a mixture of garlic, parsley, roasted almonds, pine nuts and bread. In Catalonia, a variety of pastes, paellas and their various modifications are also very common.
The seaside situation obliges the local cuisine to have fish and seafood dishes. Culinary masterpieces of sea bass, merlan, anchovies, sardines, tuna are willingly prepared here. Traditional fish dishes are cod with pine nuts, salted Dorada, Ebro eels.
You should also pay attention to desserts. Sweet cheeses, donuts, candied almonds - this is just an incomplete list of Catalan treats.
Amsterdam
Holland
A gastronomic tour to the capital of the Lower Lands will open the country for you windmills, tulips and unlimited freedom from a completely new side. An important feature Dutch national cuisine is the principle of "Grown, caught, eaten"!
Tours to the Netherlands are often associated with beer. And this is not surprising at all. You should definitely visit breweries, both large ones, for example, Amstel, Heineken, Bavaria, and little-known ones, which are in no way inferior to their older brothers in terms of product quality. By the way, small breweries produce about 30 different types of beer, so you can fully appreciate and understand the whole taste and aroma of the foamy drink.
Wine is also worth trying in Holland. Despite the unfavorable climate, winemakers here successfully cultivate various grape varieties, and then produce wonderful wine. The seriousness of the Dutch intentions regarding wine is confirmed by the creation of the Winemakers' Guild.
As for the cheeses, there is also where to roam. In any restaurant you will be served a cheese platter with 3-5 different varieties. In addition to the famous Gouda, Maasdam, Old Dutch, Bemster, you should definitely try blue cheese and truffles, with young garlic and caraway seeds.
Tbilisi
Georgia
Georgian cuisine is perhaps the main attraction of this country. She absorbed the best culinary traditions of many peoples of the Transcaucasus, as well as Asia and the Black Sea region. Georgian cuisine is not only magically tasty, but also bright, original, distinctive, unforgettable. To prepare its delicious dishes, you need the freshest ingredients, the presence of sauces, seasonings, herbs and spices, fresh herbs.
The main feature of Georgian cuisine is the absence of restrictions in the choice of meat. Beef, lamb, pork and poultry are also used for cooking. Caucasian meat dishes have long ceased to be an element of only local cuisine. They are prepared with pleasure and pleasure all over the world. Shashlik, satsivi, tobacco chickens, chikhirtma and chakhokhbili - the list goes on.
