Tastes Around the World

As a TCK, you're born into a culture of travel, and what comes with travel is the opportunity to immerse yourself into every aspect of unique cultures, which includes the exposure to traditional foods.That right there, is one of my favorite things about traveling. 

When people ask me what my favorite food is, I tell them I don't have one. With all the different types of foods that I've tried, I could never choose just one! But I've made a list of some of my favorite international foods that i've been lucky enough to eat.

INDIA

I've never actually been to India, but Oman has a large population of Indians which makes Indian cuisine extremely prevalent in the country. I love indian food, but my favorite dish is: 

1. Butter Chicken: This is chicken in a mild and buttery curry sauce that is usually served with a side of rice. Here's Tasty's recipe video of how to make butter chicken at home in case any of you want to try it out! 

GERMANY

I had the opportunity to spend christmas in Germany this past winter and really got to experience all the different German foods. I went to a christmas market over there and that's where I got to eat SO much good food. My top four favorite foods/ drinks (I couldn't just choose one or two), that I think everyone should try are:

1. "Bread.": One thing that Germans eat a lot is, as they call it, "bread," which is usually eaten during breakfast or lunch time. It consists of (obviously) bread bought fresh from a bakery and several different spreads, cheeses, salami, other pork cold cuts, and even liver pate (I was very hesitant to try it but it was actually not bad). We ate that almost every morning with a cup of coffee.
2. Brätwurst: This is the famous, gigantic, German Sausage served in a small bun. Check out the picture of me getting ready to eat my first Bratwurst! 
   
3. Glühwein: This is basically hot wine that is made with mulling spices and served at Christmas markets. It sounds really weird, but it's actually so nice on a cold snowy day in Germany!
   
4. Döner kebab: This is traditionally a Turkish sandwich but is very popular in Germany. It's similar to the Shawarma that I mentioned in my previous post, except it has a lot more vegetables in it.

If you're as lucky as me and get the opportunity to go to Germany, you have GOT to try every single one of these foods on the list. 

SWITZERLAND

CHOCOLATE. CHOCOLATE. CHOCOLATE. You do not leave Switzerland without a suitcase full of chocolate. I had so much great food in switzerland, but my favourite part about it all was going to their local grocery store and walking down the hundreds of isles full of different kinds of chocolates. They have EVERY kind of chocolate you could ever imagine from ones with nuts in them, to ones with dried fruits in them, or even chocolate filled with mousse, nougat, or alcohol- it's ALL there. It's not only the fact that they have so many different kinds, it's the fact that for some reason, Swiss chocolate really does taste better than any other chocolate i've ever had had. I knew they were famous for their chocolate, but I never really understood why until I got to try some. 

AMERICA

Okay, so America has millions of different restaurants that serve "authentic" foods from all over the world. There are Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Cuban, Mexican, American food (of course), and plenty of awesome fast food restaurants. But honestly my two favourite things about the food here is:

1. THE PIZZA: The best pizza comes from the small local restaurants that are so abundant here, NOT the fast food chains like Pizza Hut and Dominos. Back home, other than the popular chains, we didn't really have other options for pizza. I got exposed to a whole new world of pizza here in America, and I'm not complaining. My favourite places to get pizza in Tampa are Eataly Pizza & Grill, and New York, New York. Let me know what your favourite places to get pizza are in the comment section below! Maybe I can take a trip somewhere just to try some good pizza! 
2. Mexican Food: I love how many options for mexican food there is here. Growing up, I didn't eat much of it and before moving here I didn't really care for it. But getting exposed to Queso, Guac, Quesadillas, and Green Lemon's Fajita Bowl, has brought on a new love for this not-so-authentic food. 

OMAN
Being an Arab, and growing up in the middle east has allowed me to experience the wide array of traditional foods in each Middle-Eastern Country. There is so much good food over there that I could't sit here and try to decide the top foods in each country I've been to. That's why I decided to stick to two common foods that are eaten, but not necicarily originate, in Oman. 

1. Shawarma: I've mentioned this food in my previous "10 Top Arab Foods," and am mentioning it again because I think that if you had one thing to try anywhere in the Middle East, this would HAVE to be it. 
2. Biryani: This is a mixed rice dish that can include chicken, lamb, or even be vegetarian. It sounds boring, but the spices that are used make it so flavourful and so so tasty! Doesn't it look so appetising in the photo below?

Picture found from goo.gl/4rDXir