Traveling around the world might not be an option at the moment, but being able to eat your way around the world is available for any occasion, for any meal and for any budget. Right now, most travel is being put on hold. It’s anyone’s guess as to when international travel will resume. For many of us, with a travel bug embedded deep in our DNA, the thought of not traveling and enjoying the flavors of exotic foods and experiencing new cultures is almost suffocating. Yet, the pandemic is real and there isn’t much we can do about it at this time.
Regardless if you’re a world traveler or if you’ve never crossed a state or country border, you can take your taste buds on an endless journey full of flavor and discovery. Have fun in those grocery aisles, on Amazon, in the foods section of HomeGoods or even at your local restaurants.
With so many recipes a click away, access isn’t necessarily the problem, digging through the mass selection is the part that gets me. I’ve broken it down into smaller groups to make the experience a bit more user friendly. There is a whole world of food to explore, so let’s get started.
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New Orleans
I’m a girl from the North, but I love the food notoriously made in the deep South. New Orleans has been on my Bucket List for SO many years. One of these days I’ll get there, but for now, my home cooking will have to do. My family LOVES fried green tomatoes and sweet tea. Grits, not so much. The gumbo I made was from a box mix and it wasn’t too bad, considering. If you want a delicious, homemade recipe, you can find it here by Wonky Wonderful.
Mexico
Continuing further south to eat our way around the world, we come to Mexico. Oh, the possibilities! These taco shells might not be authentic to Mexico, but they are tasty and fun. They are a corn and flour blend. I’ve tried the hard shell version and wasn’t that impressed because they broke all apart. These were nice because they could hold a lot and stayed together.
Enchiladas, taco salad, empanadas, burritos, refried beans, tostados are all top choices. As usual, they can be as easy or as elaborate as you want to make them. My Latina Table offers a great tostados recipe that makes my mouth water.
Being so close to the Mexican border, Texas serves up quite a bit of Mexican food that is authentic and every bit as delicious. You can read about our trip to Dallas and some of the great restaurants we enjoyed.
Thailand
Heading west to eat our way around the world, we land in Thailand. I could do absolutely no travel research on this country, and I would still go purely based on the foods I’d get to eat. I love the noodles, the spices and the stir-fries that Thai cooks create.
I have found the Pad Thai sauce at Kroger and their noodles are quick, easy and scrumptious. My advice is to add the noodles to water that has come to a boil. I added them to just warm water and they never softened. An even cheaper version is this homemade recipe from The Salty Marshmallow using Ramen noodles. I’ve made it several times over the past few months.
Greece
The more I look at pictures of Greece, the more I want to go there: white sandy beaches, ancient ruins, turquoise water. Along with the sights, Greek food is so good for you. The country’s diet is getting a lot of positive publicity. The oils in the olives, plus the greens and the feta cheese benefit the body and your taste buds. Putting together these salads is quick and easy.
Have you ever eyed the olive bar at your local grocery and wondered what the difference was between all those big and little olives? Me too! Creating a platter with various olives, tomatoes, bread and cheese is an easy summer dish to set before your family or friends. Food by Maria created a Plant Based Greek Platter that looks absolutely devine. I can’t wait to try it out!
As we continue to eat our way around the world, we land in one of my favorite countries. Between pizza and pasta, I really don’t need to leave.
Italy
Now, I can’t say my Italian dish is authentic by any means, but it was quick, easy, nutritious and delicious. Boil some stuffed ravioli, add an assortment of veggies and toast some garlic bread to round out the meal. While Italy offers an array of food, they are mostly known for their pasta, pizza, wine and bread.
When we traveled to Italy, one of our favorite meals to order was Bolognese. Different regions of Italy are notorious for their own variation. Ferrara is known for their pumpkin Bolognese, regardless of the season. You can follow this recipe from Sip and Feast for an authentic Bolognese dish.
If your mouth isn’t watering yet, check out this article by Roz on Traditional Food of the Emilia-Romagna region. These are all the foods we came to love while living in Ferrara for five weeks.
Well, like I said, I could probably stay in Italy and be just fine, but reality sinks in and here we are back in the USA. It’s all good because mashed potatoes and corn on the cob are calling my name. How about you? What are your favorite international foods?
Wait! A meal isn’t complete without dessert. I found these cookies on the shelf at Kroger. Each bag is a geography lesson, a Bucket list item and a mouthful of deliciousness. Enjoy!
Be sure to Pin this article so the next time you make out your grocery list you’ll have all these delicious recipes handy. Bon appitete!
