Judge me all you want if you feel the need to, but the following text is for my gourmand friends that will agree with me when I say: only by tasting one nation’s cuisine can you claim that you’ve got the taste of their culture. My work involves a lot of traveling, so although I am exhausted most of the time running around airports, I do get the chance to dine out all around the globe. In fact, I had a pleasant meal on almost every continent so far, in many countries, and I even keep a diary to remember where and what to eat. Now when I have some free time I’m sharing some of my crunchy, yummy secrets with you, but beware! You will get hungry very soon.

  • Pizza in Italy

I know this is considered to be a cliché, and that is why I’m opening my list with this particular meal. I have to mention that I’ve had pizza and pasta in Venice, Florence, Verona and Milano, and I’ve dined by the most beautiful beaches on the coast of Italy, ate the creamiest tiramisu in Naples, but never have I had a chance to taste a pizza that is as good as pizza from a small place called Pizzarium in Rome. To be honest the joint doesn’t look so good from the outside, and I had to wait 15 minutes in line, but after I’ve tasted their famous dough and fresh tomatoes, the rucola cheese and the prosciutto which melted in my mouth, now the local pizza place in my hometown is dead to me.

  • Chops in the Czech Republic

Prague offers a European cultural experience on a whole new level. Although I am proud to say that I am an adventurer, and I really do love finding new and exciting places to eat, I have to say that the best food I had in Prague was in one of their finest restaurants. “The roasted chops of Irish lamb” is a whole new world of taste, and Bellevue in the Old Town of Prague lived up to its reputation and had me coming for seconds during my stay.

  • Ham and cheese in Spain

I’ve been to Madrid, Barcelona and Majorca, and I did not have a bad meal in Spain! Spanish people are very proud of their cuisine, and it was hard for me to choose the best place with so many 5-star restaurants in my diary, but the best experience I had was actually on the beach in a place called El Masnou, not so far from Barcelona. Although I arrived at Les Caves too late for dinner, they’ve made a dish for me, with their locally produced ham and their famous hard cheese. An unforgettable experience.

  • Sweets in China

Well, we left Europe, and if I had trouble deciding what place to choose from Spain, imagine how much China can be difficult for me. Macau wins, I have to say, but to be quite honest, I didn’t get the chance to eat at really exclusive places, where the waiting lists were unbelievable. But nevertheless, the creamy chocolate desert at a place called The Tasting Room really satisfied my need for sweets. Not so much of a Chinese restaurant, this is an international place and not as fancy as one might think, but that particular dessert is still on my tongue, calling me back.

  • Seafood in New Zealand

Of course, when you live at walking distance from coast to coast, you are bound to have really good seafood. The best seafood in the world that is! I had fish and chips in Auckland, right on the street, and some delicious oysters with champagne in a lovely restaurant called Fish.

I am running out of time, but as there are so many more beautiful places and mouth-watering dishes that I would love to share with you, simply all the time of this world wouldn’t be enough. I didn’t have a chance to travel to Asia more, so I’m organizing my next vacation and my next adventure cooking trips to Thailand and Vietnam. After all, all the great cooks claim that their food is world famous for a reason. I can’t wait to take a bite out of that one. Bon appétit!