Shaping Gastronomy
The most significant factors shaping a country’s cuisine are geography and climate. These forces determine which plants and animal thrive, and what preservation methods were traditionally used, which in turn affect food’s flavors and textures. The important human influences are the culinary traditions brought by invading and immigrant populations. Traditional cuisine tells the story of the past wonderfully, and its evolution in the present is fascinating - and delicious - to witness as well!

So many ways to enjoy gastronomy
Home cooking at a B&B, sophisticated, refined, Michelin-starred cuisine, a picnic of treats purchased at a farmer’s market, “street food” snacks, traditional holiday dishes – these are just a few of the ways you can sample the culinary life of a country. 

There are many ways to search for restaurants. The Michelin guides employ professional reviewers, while the Zagat Survey features customers’ reviews. National tourist offices and websites are excellent sources of information and offer extensive restaurant listings.

The Slow Food movement promotes eco-gastronomy; its member restaurants serve local, seasonal, sustainable cuisine, and hold food festivals and events throughout Europe. The Culinary Heritage Europe Network encourages the production of regional food as a way to develop small scale business and lists restaurants and farm shops in member countries.

Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe is an organization of accomplished young chefs in Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia.  Find out what’s on the cutting edge of gastronomy!

Use the classic methods of discovery, too: check out that alluring café down the little side street, ask for recommendations at your hotel, chat up the locals, and look for a crowd!

European Gastronomy – a Whirlwind Tour
As you travel through Europe, you’ll find regional gastronomic tendencies and close similarities in adjacent countries. However, whether you’re comparing fruit pastries, dried sausages, cheeses, or potato dishes, you’ll find that each of the European countries has its own unique gastronomic signature. Many countries straddle more than one region, so the fare can differ enormously within the borders as well. Let’s take a look and see what’s on the table!

Eastern Mediterranean Gastronomy
Do you immediately imagine the taste of fresh, grilled fish eaten on a shaded terrace overlooking the sea? Of dishes laced with olive oil, lemon, and garlic, followed by honeyed desserts?

Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus are all known for their version of mezé (spellings will vary), a wide assortment of small savory dishes to whet the appetite. Meat lovers will revel in the many delicious preparations of lamb, beef, and seafood. Thanks to the extensive use of eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (courgette), olives, tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, pulses, cheeses, sesame seeds, pistachios, and walnuts, this cuisine is a pleasure for vegetarians as well.

Black Sea Gastronomy
On the western Black Sea coast, the cooking of Romania and Bulgaria have been influenced by both Russian and central European cuisine, while Georgia and eastern Turkey share the imprint of Russian and Middle Eastern traditions. The nearly landlocked Black Sea’s endangered eco-system is unfortunately yielding less and less fish, however programs are underway to reverse this trend.

Balkan Peninsula Gastronomy
Once again, you’ll find the menu choices change as you move from the Adriatic coast inland.
In Croatia, partake of oysters, shrimp and both salt and freshwater fish, and sample kulen, a traditional dried pork sausage that is the root of much rivalry between its makers!
Did you know that both Croatia and Slovenia are lucky enough to grow black and white truffles in abundance? Both countries’ kitchens have benefited over the centuries from their proximity to Italy. In Slovenia, try one of more than seventy varieties of štruklji, filled savory pastries. In Serbia and Montenegro you’ll see plentiful use of pork, especially in the form of delicious cured hams.

Central European Gastronomy
Fish from the Danube, hearty soups, stuffed peppers and cabbage leaves, uncountable versions of dumplings to choose from, pastries filled with poppy seeds or cheese – these are some of the pleasures waiting for you in Poland and Slovakia.  Poland’s cuisine is a mélange of Italian, French, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Armenian, Tartar, and Jewish heritage. You’ll find ample use of meat and flour-based foods to keep you going.

Hungary is renowned for its goulash and paprika-based dishes, but there are dozens of other specialties to try.

If you’re in the Czech Republic at Christmas time, use Square Meal to find your spot for the traditional Christmas repast of carp and potato salad!

The foods of Lithuania vary among regions, depending on local products, but you’ll find its tasty black rye bread on every table. Be sure to try the smoked meat and fish specialties!

Baltic Gastronomy
The harsh climate of the Baltic States has long made food production a challenge, but in Latvia and Estonia you’ll enjoy plentiful vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products, and excellent bread, the backbone of the diet. The German culinary inheritance is quite pronounced in these countries.

The Benelux
Holland and Belgium share a passion for one of the ultimate treats in anybody’s book: fritjes (French fries or crisps, depending on your hometown), served with mayonnaise. In Holland the rijstafel, a gift from Indonesian colonial days, is a sumptuous array of exotic flavors you mustn’t miss. Try a warm, caramel-filled stroop waffle for good sightseeing fuel.  No visit to Belgium is complete without a pot of moules (mussels) and a sampling of its famous chocolate, but there are many more specialties to try. The Resto guide is a good place to do some restaurant research.
Nestled between Belgium, France, and Germany, Luxembourg offers its own delicious interpretation of several rich culinary traditions.

Germanic Gastronomy
Oh, the fondue and rosti of Switzerland and Austria, heavenly, satisfying marriages of cheese and potato - that’s just a start! Unparalleled sweet treats will temp you as well; after all, milk chocolate was invented in Switzerland and pastries in many countries are generically named viennoiserie, after the amazing confections of Austria’s capital city!
Germany immediately brings to mind the world of wurst, every kind of sausage imaginable; all manner of sturdy bread; dumplings of all sizes; and delicious fruit in soups, desserts, and liqueurs.

French and Italian Gastronomy
France and Italy are the two giants in European gastronomy; their importance to western gastronomy is almost incalculable. Italy has been settled for centuries, with the Greeks bringing their culinary acumen to what became the Roman Empire, which in turn spread all over Europe. Catherine de’Medici is famous for, among other things, bringing Italian gastronomic customs to the French court in the 16th century, many of which are part of today’s dining habits – such as the use of forks!
 
The beloved cuisine of Italy brings us pasta, in its limitless forms, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, risotto and polenta, pizza, one of the most famous dried hams, prosciutto, and let us not forget gelato, its famous ice cream! Regional cuisine varies as always, and reflects local history and traditions.

In France you’ll also find a tremendous variety in local cuisine, from dairy-rich Norman cooking to the garlic-infused, African-influenced Provencal dishes, and from the alpine region near the Swiss border and Germanic Alsace to the heat and dryness of the southwest. Famous for producing over 450 kinds of cheese, Dijon mustard, and countless other classics, gastronomy in France is one of its greatest cultural treasures.

Spanish and Portuguese Gastronomy
Spain has an exceptional climate for growing fruits and vegetables and benefits as well from a long coastline and access to plenty of seafood. It is perhaps best known for olives and olive oils, cheeses, and tapas, the tiny dishes of delight served with aperitifs. Paella is a seafood and rice stew that brings everyone to the table. The Restaurantia guide can help you decide where to dine. 
Portugal offers a luscious variety of foods, including its well-known bacalhau, dried and salted cod. Moorish, African, and Spanish influences have combined over the centuries into a wonderful mix of flavors.

Malta offers a blend of Mediterranean and African flavors, melding into its own specialties. Try patizzi, a vegetarian filled pastry, or the fish and vegetable pie, lampuki.

The UK and Ireland
Dining in Britain has changed tremendously over the years. The British are very active in sustainable food production and appreciating local culinary riches, such as their famous cheeses, inimitable puddings and sweets, and all sorts of game, fish, lamb, and beef dishes. Traditional pubs sit side by side with an increasing number of “gastro-pubs” in England. Wales holds many festivals and events to celebrate its True Taste. Rugged Scotland, known for beautiful fish, haggis, and oatcakes, is proud of its growing number of excellent restaurants, listed on Eat Scotland.

Ireland, like its British neighbors, produces wonderful cheeses and fish. The Irish climate is responsible for the famous Irish soda bread, as the wheat that grows well on the island is leavened best with bicarbonate rather than yeast.

Scandinavia
The ubiquitous sea and severe winters give the countries of Scandinavia similar gastronomic characteristics. Fish is consumed and preserved in an amazing variety of ways, and the bounty of summer fruits and vegetables is traditionally well preserved for the long winters as well. Cheese, ham, and sturdy bread are staples throughout Scandinavia, but Denmark, Sweden Finland, and Norway all have their own take on how to dine well in the far north! The New Nordic Food program seeks to support healthy and sustainable production of locally produced food.

Iceland is experiencing something of a food renaissance, and offers fabulous contemporary cuisine. Some traditional favorites are smoked lamb sandwiches, hardfiskur (dried fish strips), and the unique Icelandic combination of chocolate and licorice.