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5 best foodie destinations worth planning a trip around
These five countries have food that's a real reason to go. In each one, food is more than something you eat between sightseeing stops. It's part of the culture, the daily rhythm, and sometimes the reason you choose the destination in the first place. Here's what to look for on your plate, and when to go.
Bowl of pão de queijo, Brazilian cheese bread
🇧🇷 Brazil

Feijoada, a slow-cooked black bean and pork stew, is about as close to a national dish as Brazil gets. It's especially associated with Saturday meals in places like Rio de Janeiro. But don't stop there. Try pão de queijo, the chewy little cheese breads you'll find at breakfast and throughout the day, then head to a churrascaria for grilled meat served by weight. And when you're ready for a drink, order a caipirinha made with cachaça, lime and sugar.

Food changes dramatically from one region to another. Bahia, for example, has a very different culinary identity from Rio or São Paulo, with dishes that make generous use of dendê palm oil, coconut milk, seafood and peppers.
June-July, especially if you want to experience São João. The Festas Juninas bring food stalls, sweets, corn-based dishes and regional specialities into streets and squares across the country.
Hawker food stall at night with the Singapore skyline in the background
🇸🇬 Singapore

Singapore is one of those places where you can eat extremely well without sitting down at a fancy restaurant. The reason is the hawker centre. These casual food halls are packed with stalls serving everything from chicken rice to laksa, often for just a few Singapore dollars. Some stalls specialise in one or two dishes and have been doing it for years. For coffee, skip the usual order and try kopi instead. Ask for kopi-o or kopi-c depending on how you like it.

The most popular hawker stalls can have surprisingly long queues at lunchtime. That's often part of the experience, not a reason to leave.
Year-round. Singapore is hot and humid throughout the year, so food is not tied to a particular season. If you want to turn the trip into a proper food event, keep an eye out for the next edition of the Singapore Food Festival (the 2026 edition is to be announced).
A Turkish meze spread on a table with tea, olives, hummus and flatbread
🇹🇷 Turkey

Istanbul is the kind of city where you can spend the whole day eating without ever having the same kind of meal twice. Grab a simit from a street vendor in the morning, stop for a köfte sandwich later, then sit down for a long selection of meze in the evening. Finish with baklava and a glass of çay, the black tea that is deeply woven into everyday Turkish life.

Meze is usually ordered as a selection of small dishes to share, so dinner is more of a slow, social affair than a single main course.
September-November, when Istanbul's summer heat gives way to cooler evenings that are ideal for sitting outside and taking your time over a meal. Istanbul also hosts gastronomy and food festivals throughout the year, while other parts of Turkey have their own food events and harvest festivals.
Hands sharing a Moroccan tagine with dried fruit and nuts at the table
🇲🇦 Morocco

A tagine, slow-cooked meat or vegetables prepared in a distinctive cone-shaped clay pot, is probably the dish most associated with Morocco. But the real fun starts when you leave the restaurant. Wander through the medinas, follow the smell of spices, pick up fresh bread from a communal oven and try msemen, a flaky, pan-fried flatbread often eaten for breakfast. And wherever you stop for tea, order mint tea. The dramatic pour from a height is part of the tradition, not just a photo opportunity.

In souks, prices for some goods and informal stalls can be negotiable. If you're buying something or ordering from a stall without a fixed price, agree on the price first.
October-November, when temperatures are more comfortable for exploring medinas and food markets and for combining the cities with a trip into the desert.
Korean barbecue meat grilling on a tabletop grill
🇰🇷 South Korea

Korean food is at its best when it's shared. At a Korean BBQ restaurant, you'll cook galbi or samgyeopsal right at the table, surrounded by small side dishes called banchan, with kimchi almost always somewhere in the mix. Many restaurants offer additional portions of banchan at no extra charge. Add a bottle of soju, one of Korea's most popular alcoholic drinks, and you've got one of the country's most recognisable social dining experiences.

Some BBQ restaurants have minimum orders of two servings, so check the menu before sitting down if you're travelling solo.
October, especially if you want to add the Sunchang Jangryu Festival to the trip. Held in Sunchang, the home of gochujang, the festival celebrates Korea's fermented-food culture with tastings, cooking activities and dishes built around the region's famous red pepper paste. The 2026 festival is scheduled for October 15-18.
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