Top 10 Countries with the Best Food
If you're a foodie, then you know that travel and food go hand in hand. One of the best ways to experience a country's culture is through its cuisine, and some countries have a reputation for offering some of the best food in the world. From street food to fine dining, these countries are home to some of the most delicious and diverse cuisines on the planet.Some of the most diverse and tasty food. It's really no surprise that this is in first place, considering how poor school lunch meals look by comparison.
As time goes on, I keep learning about new and unique, tasty Italian dishes. The cuisine offers an incredible diversity of very delicious dishes. It ranges from light and fresh to rich and hearty, and everything in between.
I have figured out why Italian food is so good: it is not spicy. What you taste are the fresh ingredients, not an overpowering blend of spices. A few spices only serve to accentuate the food. They do not dominate it. Rather, the food itself speaks to you through its texture, freshness, and quality of ingredients.
It seems that most Italian food not only taps into our basic human cravings but also offers a comforting "lunch at grandma's on a Sunday afternoon" feeling. This enhances and reflects the warmth of the Italian culture.
Mexican food has everything, from very spicy to sour, sweet, all kinds of edible meat, and a variety of seafood. The desserts are also tasty. The food can be enjoyed in a very fancy restaurant or at a food stall on the street, and it tastes just awesome.
The ingredients are very common now and can be found anywhere on the planet. They can still taste just as they do when eaten in Mexico, obviously if well-prepared. In some countries, you need to explore the streets to truly find the real flavor of the local food. If you eat it outside the country, it's very difficult to capture the same flavor as the original.
Among the best pastries in the world, France also offers the best sauces, sweets, meats, and fish (from the Atlantic and Mediterranean for the mainland, and many more when including islands).
France also boasts a variety of different regional cuisines. There are diverse flavors coming from other territories, including the Caribbean, Polynesia, French Guiana, and Reunion, among others.
In addition, France offers a great diversity of tastes and flavors in its cuisine. You will also find cuisines from more than 85 other countries, making France the first European country with so many choices. Not to mention, it's the birthplace of modern cuisine, which is now present in countries around the world. The only problem with French food is that it's not as well-known as it should be. People commonly know only about snails, frogs, and mussels, but the French rarely eat these foods and certainly not in the way they are known abroad.
In conclusion, France must be in the top 3. Thanks.
Japanese food is 100 times better than Mexican food! I am half Japanese, and even the cheapest foods you can get in Japan are better than the "Asian" food they have in America!
If you don't like Japanese food, you have:
1. Never gone to a good Asian restaurant - fake places where they tend to mix Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc., are bad.
2. Never had a Japanese friend from whom you stole snacks because they were AMAZING (and expensive due to shipping rates).
3. Never gone to Japan to try out the food for yourself.
4. All of the above.
Japan is really good at mixing up and creating new foods out of traditional dishes from other countries. For me, Japanese curry is better than traditional Indian curry, and Japanese gyoza and ramen are better than their Chinese counterparts.
Chinese food is a general way to summarize how Chinese people cook and eat. But people in different regions prefer different ways to cook or eat. For instance, people in North China prefer noodles or other wheat-based foods like Peking sauced noodles. They cook food with more salty or spicy sauces. People in Southeast China prefer rice and food paired with non-spicy and sweet dishes like braised pork in brown sauce and sweet-and-sour pork ribs. Meanwhile, people in central and southwest China love spicy cuisine like Sichuan and Hunan cuisines.
Concerning religious taboos, people in West China mostly eat beef, chicken, and lamb rather than pork. A recommended dish is Xinjiang spicy chicken nuggets served with cherry and local sauce.
When it comes to traditional festivals, food is also a way to reflect local culture. A running joke goes that people in North China eat dumplings for all kinds of festivals, while people in the South don't. So when a host in the Spring Gala TV show said, "My fellow countrymen, I assume you are eating the delicious dumplings as a reunion dinner with your family while watching this show..." "Nah, we are not," many people in South China grumbled.
In short, food means so much in China.
Spicy, sweet, tasty - all varieties are available only in India. Pav Bhaji, Punjabi, Dosa, Pani Puri, Idli, Rasgulla... the best vegetarian food is available only in India.
Heart-melting, brain-storming, mouth-watering, totally fulfilling - Indian food is the best in the world.
Being an Indian, commenting in favor of Indian cuisine might sound a little biased. But truly, it isn't when someone really gets a chance to explore Indian food and the diversity in taste, color, and spices it has to offer. India truly is the land of spice, and that doesn't necessarily mean it's hot. Different regions/states in India have so much diversity in cuisine that it is really worth praising. For a true food connoisseur, India should be the heaven to explore and appreciate. Besides Indian food, I truly enjoy and appreciate both Italian and Mexican food as well. So, without going into setting the order among them, my vote goes for all these three countries: India, Italy, and Mexico when it comes to food.
The United States not only has original fan favorites like burgers, hot dogs, and chips, but it also has all our other favorite foods: pizza, chocolate, steak, chicken, ice cream, tacos, ribs, bacon, sushi, fruit, and macaroni and cheese.
I can't believe we're getting overshadowed by English cuisine. The only good things they have are fish and chips, roast dinner, custard, and key lime pie. Everything else is lackluster, from haggis to shepherd's pie.
As for Mexican food, I love you so much. You deserve the number 1 spot. You may not be the best, but you're a country with amazing food.
Simply one of the best in the world, Thai cuisine makes great use of fresh ingredients and spices, offering something for everyone. However, it's very difficult to find a truly good, authentic Thai restaurant outside the country. Australia does it best with their abundance of fresh ingredients. Sadly, England is the worst due to cold-stored ingredients and the Poms' dislike for any food with flavor.
Thai cuisine in Thailand is by far the best cuisine on Earth, let alone the rest of Asia. If you're outside of Thailand or Southeast Asia and want to make authentic Thai dishes, you can forget about it. Outside of the region, you simply cannot get the same, correct, fresh ingredients that are essential for making authentic Thai cuisine.
Unfortunately, most people's experience with Thai cooking is at their local, so-called Thai restaurant outside of Thailand. These establishments use substitute ingredients and make other modifications to traditional dishes. This is either because the authentic recipe is impossible to execute in the country they are in or because they're afraid the local culture won't be able to handle the real thing.
Even the street vendor food - specifically, the kind they cook to order, not the pre-cooked kind sitting in vats - is better than anything I've had in all of Europe and Asia. With the exception of the Somboon restaurants, steer clear of the tourist traps with fancy decor and attractively, well-dressed wait staff. The best places are the ones where the locals frequent. These have no decor or well-dressed wait staff, and the prices are incredibly low.
If you want to enjoy the freshest, tastiest, most distinct, interesting, and diverse array of flavors and aromas your senses will ever experience, then please do yourself a favor and visit the Land of Smiles.
Out of the top 10 restaurants in the world, 3 are in Spain. It's the only country with more than one top 10 restaurant! Come on! Also, Spain is full of different tastes - from Andalusia to Barcelona to the Basque Country. Spain has many different faces, all with different cultures and flavors.
Tapas, anyone? Spain has some of the most renowned cheeses, wines, fast foods (like tapas), and gourmet cuisine. And it has some of the best people! The flavors range from sweet to sour to spicy, and they're healthy. From many wine connoisseurs, I have heard that Spanish wine is equal, if not better than, many French wines. If any country deserves the number one spot, it is definitely Spain. Better than English food, at least.
I was stationed there while in the Army. I never had a bad meal in any gasthaus and always started with the goulash soup. These great meals, washed down with a good German beer, are as good as it gets.
Forget it if you are a calorie counter. The food tastes great because anything fried is cooked in lard and/or cream. No diet soda, no lite beer, no low-calorie crap. These folks know how to eat! I loved being there and always looked forward to eating in their restaurants. And if you go there, Augsburg has the best bakery I have ever shopped at. It's located on the Rathaus Plaza. Thanks, Germany, for a lot of great dining experiences!
One thing that makes me sad is that people insult English food because, after World War II, we had limited things to cook with, and the food was quite bad at that time. However, nowadays, the food is great.
Another problem is that foods such as egg tarts are thought of as being Portuguese when, in fact, an Englishman named Lord Stow created them. A lot of English foods people think were created overseas. A lot of semi-English/Indian food was created with a mix of both, thanks to a British-born Indian woman. Some of those foods you won't even find in India. The list goes on, but I won't.
Amazing variety and different from one end of the country to the other. Boils down to fresh ingredients and a great combination of spices and cooking techniques. Surprisingly better than Japanese food on a whole, and far enough removed from the Chinese influences (unlike its people) to bring its own flavors to the world.
Korea has so many amazing foods. From spicy food to sweet pastries, Korea has it all. The ingredients put together are unlike any other Asian foods I have tried. There are many spicy foods that Korea has, but you can eat them in a more mild way, which tastes exactly as beautiful.
The pastries in Korea are really different. Their combinations are unique. I have also tasted other, simpler foods, such as Kimbap, which I highly recommend, along with naengmyeon, which is a cold noodle dish. Korean food, in the easiest way to express it, is wonderful to my taste buds.
Greek food is not only tasty but also of far better quality than that of any other European country. A few examples:
- Bread is not made from frozen dough.
- Honey is 100% natural and comes from bees that are never fed sugar during wintertime.
- Meat is always fresh and never frozen.
- Vegetables and fruits are almost organic because they come from farmers who never produce large amounts of vegetables, meaning they have no reason to use chemicals for faster growth.
This is the reason that anytime you visit a supermarket in Greece, it's impossible to find off-season vegetables and fruits.
Excellent use of subtle flavors in making such aromatic and delicious foods. Vietnam makes one of the best soups on the planet, and their BBQ, sandwiches, and salads rock too.
Vietnamese food is quite fresh as they use many herbs such as grassy coriander (cilantro), intense mint, and chili. The food always feels light yet filling. The fish sauce adds umami and rounds off the dish. The cuisine is healthy as it includes lots of vegetables and fewer fried foods.
Likely my favorite cuisine of them all. My favorite part of the cuisine is characterized by the use of delicious fresh basil, mint, and cilantro. Combine these with tangy, spicy Vietnamese seasoned fish sauce, and I'm in heaven. Pho has the most incredible-tasting broth of any soup in the world.
Our food is underrated. It's so good, like jeez! Maple syrup is a famous Canadian ingredient that we add to our recipes, like maple cookies or maple bacon. We also have good fast food, like A&W, which is a fast-food burger place mostly found in Canada.
We have tasty French-Canadian food like poutine - tasty fries covered in gravy and cheese! If you like seafood, Nova Scotia has amazing lobster, and Newfoundland has the best Atlantic cod ever. On the West Coast, there are millions of delicious seafood options. In Vancouver, you can eat salmon with maple syrup. On Vancouver Island, there is so much seafood like crab, salmon, prawns, and tuna, and it's all just so fresh! Canada is just so tasty - Alberta beef, West Coast salmon, East Coast lobster, and Quebec poutine!
I would have to agree. Most people haven't tried many different foods. I would love to say, and be able to vote on, food from every nationality. Each cuisine is so unique and tasty in its own way!
Switzerland has delicious local dishes such as fondue, rösti, raclette, and roast. Even risotto is Swiss. They are also inspired by their neighbors: France, Italy, and Germany. They have great wine as well. Simply delicious.
Swiss food is really better than Italian food. Italian food is just fast food.
Think of it this way: the Ottoman Empire controlled all these Mediterranean and Slavic countries and adopted their cuisine. Throughout the years, they improved upon all the food they gained. A small shop selling food in Turkey tastes just as good as any extremely expensive restaurant in countries like the United States or England.
Turkish food is healthy and delicious. Nothing can compare. If you want to go to a country for food, you can't go wrong with Turkey. They understand food better than anyone.
I'm a huge foodie! I've been to 24 countries, and after Morocco, it topped my list. Not only are the regional dishes themselves an incredible blend of spices, meats, veggies, and dried fruits, but the produce itself is exceptional. Even something like freshly squeezed orange juice or almonds and dried fruit blew me away with its taste and freshness. Morocco tops my list.
I also love Japanese cuisine and flavors (no, it isn't just sushi), Gallego regional Spanish cuisine (the freshest seafood on earth), and Peruvian flavors, specifically from the Andes.
Belgium makes fries like I've never tasted before! Just, wow! They have a lot of similar restaurants like everywhere else in Europe, but the places are usually very clean and the people are friendly. This contrasts with some places I've been in France or the Netherlands.
And Belgian waffles! How can such a small country produce such a genius snack? I also love the chocolate and the "pralines." Think Swiss chocolate is the best? Guess again. It's Belgium!
The chocolate and waffles in Belgium are amazing! Belgium should be way higher on the list because of the French fries (actually, BELGIAN FRIES). It's food that everybody loves! Plus, Belgium has the most brands of beer in the world!
Given that it is primarily vegetarian-based with minimal usage of oil, and when needed, olive oil is used, Lebanese cuisine stands out. It also replaces strong spices with natural aromas like sumac, lemon, olives, rose water, nuts, and thyme. Additionally, its large variety keeps you frequenting a Lebanese restaurant more than any other. For these reasons, I would vote Lebanese cuisine to be #1.
Turkish cuisine would be my #2 choice. Why is it after Lebanese? The main reasons are: (1) it contains lots of fats in the meats and grills, (2) it is less rich in meze offerings, and (3) while Turkey has Raki, Lebanon not only has the original Arak but also a great choice of wines.
Great use of limited resources to make some of the freshest and tastiest food around. Adopts elements from Thai, Khmer, and Vietnamese cuisines to create a truly wonderful cuisine.
Som lor kor ko is a mix of veggies in soup that makes Khmer food taste very traditional and captures the essence of this country. My favorite is Ah muk Trey. It is hard to find anywhere besides this country. Thumbs up.
Toronto, Leakhena
Just really great food. Most dishes are made with healthy ingredients. They can make vegetables absolutely delicious.
Simple, fresh ingredients, good use of local produce. Not Americanized yet, so delicious.
Peruvian food is really matchless! I think Mexican food has been popular because their neighbors, the Americans, have little or nothing to choose from when it comes to eating. Thus, the most exotic and varied kind of food near them is not the Canadian one, but the Mexican one. This is why they have made it look good through their movies and cartoons, and accordingly, very popular. If they knew what Peruvian food is like, Mexican food would not be in this list, as it is not that good, really.
It's a 500-year fusion of not only Inca and Spanish culinary traditions but also Arab, West African, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, English (and probably more). Peru is a land with one of the world's largest varieties of ingredients. It has a long coast that goes from Ecuador to Chile, deserts, the Andes, the Amazon rainforest, the altiplano... Where you can grow pretty much everything you can think of and already has a lot to offer.
With the Chinese, Thai, Spanish, and French, it's in the TOP 5 FOOD IN THE WORLD.
Filipino cuisine is a mix of tastes and spices! The recipes are even adopted from different cuisines and mixed together, forming another great dish! Heck, even the street foods in the Philippines taste good. Also, not only meat and seafood, but the Philippines has awesome fruits, especially those juicy, sweet mangoes. Filipinos invent a lot of dishes that include vegetables and fruits as part of any type of meal! So it's like having the food pyramid in one dish, though it depends on the meal you're eating.
An amazing confluence of Japanese and Chinese cuisines, taking the best of both influences and creating their own style. Delicious foods are available no matter where you go, and for me, they have some of the best low-key cafes around.
Taiwan can compete for the title of the best food in the world. For me, it's second only to Italian (I'm Italian). I spent a month in Taiwan and tasted more than one hundred kinds of food that were new to me.
Taiwan has the best of Chinese tradition, mixed with some of the best from Japan (the island was a colony of Japan for 50 years) and combined with their unique local culture. You can try ten different dishes in a meal if you go to a night market. Dish number one for me is their dumplings, but they are also great in fish dishes, sushi, hot pot, and fried fish.
What's amazing is the variety of foods, especially street food and affordable dishes. If you travel in Taiwan, you don't need a lot of money to try their best dishes. The only dish I cannot stand is "stinky tofu" because it really stinks :-)