How to explore new cultures through food
WHILE it is great to be proud and happy with your home-cooked meals, prepared just the way your family has been eating them, you have no idea what exciting food adventures await you if you have not already tried the varied cuisines from around the world.
Apart from simply satisfying your taste buds, exploring new cuisines can be an enriching experience. It not only broadens your culinary horizons but also opens a door for you to learn about the different cultures they belong to.
Here are six ways to expand your palate by exploring foods from other cultures.
Travel
The best way to learn about a culture and its customs is to be there! Catch a flight and immerse yourself in new people, food, and scenery.
Mingle with locals to get their insight on the best authentic go-to restaurants, or sign up for a culinary-themed tour. Make a list of recommended food spots and introduce your taste buds to bold flavours, unique spices, and intricate food preservation styles.
Share meals
Share meals with friends who hail from other countries and cultures. People who grew up eating a certain cuisine may be the best judges of which dishes are best for beginners to try first.
They may also know which establishments serve the tastiest food, or they may even know how to prepare distinct delights from that cuisine themselves. Do you have friends who hail from another country or culture whose food you want to try?
If so, make time to eat out together or invite them over for a potluck in your home. Inform them ahead of time about what you can and can’t eat, and partake of the dishes they choose for you.
If you find yourself liking a dish, be sure to thank your friends for introducing it to you.
You can also ask them to tell you more about the dish’s history, about any interesting variations on how it’s prepared, or whether they have a fond childhood memory of it.
Doing so will transform the simple meal into a priceless opportunity to bond with your friends and get to know their cultures.
Visit the food markets
One of the top activities for food enthusiasts is exploring local food markets. They can easily be found in almost every destination, often with weekly markets held in the streets, adding an exciting vibe to the city.
These markets offer the perfect opportunity to interact with locals, glimpse their daily lives, and discover new products and ingredients native to the area.
Cook your own
This may not be right up your alley, but trying a new cuisine through cooking will help you appreciate not only the dish itself but also the process of preparation that comes with it.
Cooking foreign dishes should not be that difficult to do now, especially since there are recipe videos and a few cooking hacks that make the endeavour easy. Enjoying a whole new world of flavours is not always an easy endeavour.
But you have to start somewhere. Being open-minded about food at this point is akin to being open-minded about another person’s culture and heritage.
Things may not go your way at first, but keep in mind that you do not always have to force yourself. The right time may come eventually.
Look for online content on how to prepare new dishes
The digital world has made it easy to learn about other cuisines in great detail, even if they are from far away, in places you have never seen.
For those who love to cook as well as eat, it will be a fun exercise to look for online content on how to prepare foreign dishes. Save the recipes you like and set aside time to cook them in your kitchen.
You might end up surprising yourself in a good way and find new staples for your weekly menu of home-cooked food.
Explore your city
Tired of takeout or choosing between the same food options when you go out to eat? Become the ultimate foodie in your hometown.
Research the top ethnic food trucks and restaurants in your area, make a list, and commit to trying a new place at least once a month.
Document your food journey by sharing your experience through photos, blogging, leaving reviews, and recommending your favourite spots to your social media followers.
Stay up-to-date on non-traditional emerging food ventures and save the date for Restaurant Week voyages in your city.