The top five cuisines to travel for now
Which are the world’s trendiest food cultures right now? We asked TASTE’s head of content and strategy, Kate Wilson, to share her insider knowledge on which food destinations you should be planning a trip – real or virtual! – to explore the planet’s top five cuisines of the moment.
Late last year TASTE’s head of content and strategy, Kate Wilson, was fortunate to attend not just one, but two, international foodie trend gatherings. Gastronomika in San Sebastian, Spain, is the annual blockbuster conference and expo at which a range of the world’s top chefs showcase their latest techniques and dishes. She also attended a virtual summit with trend analysts The Food People, who have spent the past 19 years tracking and predicting what’s next in food and drinks.
This means that Kate is well informed about what is coming soon to a kitchen near you… including the key focus cuisines of the moment. If – like the TASTE team – you enjoy planning your international travel around food experiences, these are the five fab food destinations to which you should be heading soon.
1. Great Britain & Ireland
Gran’s classic cottage pie recipe
In line with the wider trend of our homes being sanctuaries in which we enjoy nothing more than cooking up a nostalgia-fuelled feast, gourmet takes on British classics are where it’s at. Think tradition and comfort but taken up a notch in the manner of London’s iconic St John restaurant.
From Sunday roasts – and, of course, we’d also include the various South African versions of this here – to staple comfort foods such as cottage pie, this trend reflects the fact that in tumultuous times, we’re craving dishes that are cheap and cheerful and lean into humble ingredients.
Bring this trend home with:
Hannah Lewry’s brilliant one-pot roasts, which, as a bonus, also create loads of leftovers you can repurpose during the week.
No time to hassle with the prep yourself?
No worries, Woolies has you sorted with its pop-in-the-oven stuffed beef rump roast and ready-to-roast veg.
Travelling to the UK?
Along with the aforementioned St John, we suggest you eat at Rules , J. Sheekey Fish and Seafood Restaurant and Kerridge’s Bar & Grill. Oh, and have at least one Sunday lunch at a pub like The Parakeet , of course.
2. India
Fuelled by an increasing recognition of the sheer diversity of Indian cuisine and the Indian and Pakistani diaspora, India as a food destination now is all about highly regional and very frequently plant-based recipes. We’re well beyond the curry here and into fusion territory, with dishes such as lamb barbacoa biryani and Mexican flavours making us drool over our phones as they pop up on social media.
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Also hotter than hot is fast-casual Indian: think butter chicken burgers, Keralan popcorn chicken, and chaat-laden hotdogs. It’s all about pushing the boundaries in a cuisine people already know and love.
Bring this trend home with:
Sweet and delicious desserts that are easy to make and irresistible to all: falooda and rasmalai.
Need help with the prep and ingredients?
Start with snacks: Woolies’ ready-to-air-fry pani puri discs, filled with your favourite mix of chutneys, sambals and fresh coriander.
Travelling to India?
Of course you need to sample the street food but when it comes to fine dining, when in Mumbai, head to Masque and in Delhi, book at Indian Accent – both establishments made the World’s 50 Best list this year.
3. China
Hoisin mushroom stir-fry recipe
Chinese cuisine is, understandably, another massively diverse culinary landscape that goes far beyond the Cantonese and Szechuan cuisines that are already relatively well-known in the West to Xinjiang, Shandong and Hunan cookery – all of which are just starting to make their mark for the rest of us.
Once again here, fusion is king, and delicious dishes run the gamut from classic or reinvented street foods to fine dining to “Mod-Chinese”, which blends the flavours of those aforementioned local cuisines with modern cooking techniques and twists.
Bring this trend home with:
A flavoursome, texture-forward – and very easy to make – stir-fry such as Abi Donnelly’s hoisin mushroom stir-fry or her super-simple, absolutely moreish, carb-conscious chilli-ginger hake. Looking for something meat-free? We suggest you try Abi’s miso cabbage stir-fry.
Looking for cookbooks in which to immerse yourself? Try the recently published Chinese Enough: Homestyle Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Stir-Fries, and More by first-gen American Kristina Cho, which showcases a blend of “the flavours of traditional Cantonese cooking with California ingredients and a midwestern sensibility”. Or pick up a copy of Betty Liu’s multiple award-winning The Chinese Way,which aims to help you master eight adaptable Chinese cooking techniques.
No time to hassle with the prep yourself?
When we’re craving Asian flavours without the hassle of slaving over hot woks and slow-cooking pots, we gravitate to Woolies’ Heat-and-Eat Asian-style beef shortribs, accompanied by egg noodles and lots of fresh and quick-pickled garnishes.
4. Thailand
Bold flavours, regionality and an increase in Thai-fusion dishes also characterise the current trend towards all things Thai. From Chinese-Thai mash-ups that come to us courtesy of Bangkok’s Yaowarat district to Thai cuisine blended with American, British or Italian classics, it’s all about respectful creativity here. Anyone for a Chiang Mai sausage roll or a spicy laab burger? Yep, we’re all in, too.
Bring this trend home with:
Classic Thai staples such as a home-made pork pad Thai that anyone can whip up on a weeknight, which can also be made with chicken mince if you don’t enjoy the flavour of pork. We’re also fans of this super-easy recipe for air-fryer Thai sticky chicken thighs and Hannah Lewry’s lip-smacking mussels in Thai green curry broth.
Air-fryer Thai sticky chicken thighs recipe
Mussels in Thai green curry broth recipe
No time to hassle with the prep yourself?
Fortunately, Woolworths has you covered here too, with a wide selection of Thai essentials including black rice, noodles, spice pastes and ready-made dishes including soups and curries.
Travelling to Thailand (or the USA)?
The street food in Thailand is extraordinary and should always be sampled extensively – if in doubt about how to choose, book a food tour with a local expert. In Bangkok, aim to get a table at Gaggan, which has two Michelin stars. And in Los Angeles – for the last few years a true witches’ cauldron in which brilliant new restaurants have been emerging on what feels like a monthly basis – head to Holy Basil.
5. Mexico
Authentic, regional Mexican cuisine continues to grow in importance and prominence the world over, with the cooking done at fonda – family-run, homely eating establishments – coming to the fore at the moment. But then we’re also seeing the rise of “nouveau Tex-Mex” and the recognition that Tex-Mex has an authentic history of its own that can be embraced and celebrated. And why not, when the results include gourmet takes on dishes including loaded nachos, chilli con carne and huevos rancheros?
Bring this trend home with:
Abi Donnelly’s easy, crowd-pleasing, Mexican-inspired weeknight dishes.
No time to hassle with the prep yourself?
Shop for everything you need for a Tex-Mex blowout with Woolies’ brilliant selection of Mexican staples.
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