I love to travel primarily for the chance to experience different cultures and to try new things. Being adventurous when it comes to trying local delicacies can be scary but fun at the same time! During our trip to Peru, my husband and I tried Cui (guinea pig) and Alpaca (similar to a llama), which are some of the local delicacies. The latter was delicious but the Cui wasn’t really to our liking. Regardless, we are happy we experienced it, as were the locals that appreciated the fact that we were willing to try.
In Egypt we tried pigeon and found it quite delicious so while visiting Morocco we decided to have some more in a pastilla, a traditional Moroccan dish. It’s a pigeon pie with eggs, almonds and raisins topped with powdered sugar, cinnamon, lemon and saffron. The mixtures of flavors were a delight for the palate, a combination we would never have thought of trying on our own. Note, It’s also possible to order it with chicken instead of pigeon but it’s not as authentic. Tagine is another interesting dish that’s served everywhere in Morocco. It’s slowly cooked in a flat dish with a conical shaped lid called a tagine and it’s a mixture of vegetables with various meats similar to a stew.
In China we just had to try some Peking duck, which is a famous dish from Beijing. They served us one of the ducks that was hanging in the window. We chanced it and we weren’t disappointed. It was delicious! We do have limits however and as cat lovers we could not bring ourselves to try a dish called “Tiger fighting three dragons”. When we read the fine print below on the menu we discovered it was in reality cat meat with 3 types of snake.
In Hawaii we attended a Luau where an entire pig is cooked underground for hours; there’s a similar version in Tahiti where Mahi Mahi (fish) is cooked in that fashion. Both were excellent! We sampled poi, a Polynesian staple, made from the taro plant and found it pretty bland even if the purple color led us to believe otherwise.
While visiting an alligator park in the Everglades we tried some alligator and found that it was very similar to fried chicken. If offered on a menu I wouldn’t hesitate to order it again.
Sadly some travelers deprive themselves of these experiences by sticking to foods they’re familiar with. To each their own, but I can’t imagine wasting a meal in a far away place at one of the transplanted hamburger or pizza chains. We even know of some folks that bring peanut butter or Kraft cheese singles in their suitcases to make sure they get their fix. I’m sure you can survive a week without these staples!
So go ahead, even if it looks weird or unusual, give it a try and if nothing else you can say you tried it. There is a good chance you won’t be back and you may always be left wondering. Discovering and experiencing new things! Isn’t that why we all enjoy travel!
Have a look at some of our travel adventures
If you have tried an interesting dish I would love to hear about it.