Learning about a country through its gastronomic heritage is one of travel’s principle pleasures. Food is a tangible reflection of geography, history, and cultural background; there are few more pleasurable ways to become well-acquainted with a country than through its 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 flavours 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!
There are many ways to search for restaurants. 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!
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 flavours 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 neighbours, 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.
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.