Eat Like a Local: The Ultimate Guide to Immersive Culinary Travel

“In every dish, there is a story, and in every story, a shared experience.” — Anthony Bourdain

I started travelling and exploring places some 15 years back. When I mention the word ‘travel’, it is never about visiting the tourist spots of a place, and coming back! It was about staying at a place for at least 2 weeks, soaking in the place's vibe and culture, and Eating Like A Local!

So now you can pretty much imagine me with a backpack and eating either on the street side or at a local restaurant with the curiosity of the unknown — what will they serve? I celebrate my appetite and food journey by trying diverse cuisines — a culinary exploration that soon became a cherished part of my travel philosophy.

Culinary Secrets: Beyond the Tourist Trail

I haven’t touched a foreign soil, yet! And I have a reason for this! Travel India from North to South — and there is a big cultural gap — in terms of food, lifestyle, language and the way people dress up. So while travel for everyone is about checking places off a list; for me, it was about learning about a place as much and fitting in to adapt the best from people. And the best conversations happen over Food! So food became my Mecca for Conversations! Navigating beyond the tourist trail became an art, an opportunity to unearth the culinary secrets that locals held dear. Each meal was a chapter, each bite a revelation, and each alleyway an undiscovered page in the culinary history of a city.

Connect with the Culinary Artisans: Faces Behind the Food

And those should not be the restaurant chefs, always!!

If you have been to any part of India, you would have an idea about the bustling markets and vibrant streets with food stalls. That’s the place where you not only connect with the food but also with the culinary artisans who dedicate their lives to perfecting local delicacies.

It is here, at the local food joints, where I found stories of chefs that became the seasoning that enhanced every dish. From the street vendor crafting savoury kebabs to the family-run establishment passing down generations of culinary wisdom. You find the best recipes hidden here!

Street Food Safari: A Symphony of Flavors

Because safaris are beyond the Forest Safaries!

It was on the vibrant (and a bit chaotic) streets of Mumbai, that I first understood the true symphony of flavours street food could offer. And to this date, I haven't tasted the restaurant food, half as good in taste as what you get at Marine Drive, Mumbai. And this was just the beginning! So began my street food safari — a journey where the coarsely crushed chutneys, slow-cooked chulha food and the scent of spices guided me through the cultural heartbeats of each city.

Home-Cooked Hospitality: A Seat at the Local Table

Here’s another of my Travel Tips: If you are going anyplace in the world, book a homestay over a hotel.

It wasn’t only about the markets and street-side stalls.

A lot of my local food experiences are by the warmth of local hospitality. They revealed most profoundly at the dining tables of welcoming homes. Sharing a meal with a local family became a passport to understanding their traditions, breaking bread and sharing laughter across cultural boundaries.

Festivals and Food Fairs: Where Flavor Takes Center Stage

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” — James Beard

My travels soon aligned with the dates of local food festivals and fairs — vibrant events where the essence of a city’s culinary identity took centre stage. And they have it all! Local dance performances, and lively chatter of fellow food enthusiasts, these festivals were a feast for the senses.

Mindful Eating: A Feast for the Senses

It wasn’t just about eating it all, but Mindful eating!

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” — Virginia Woolf

I completely understand if at this point you are wondering about ‘How to eat it all and digest it without compromising your gut health and in the worst case, developing food poisoning!

Here are my hacks for it —

• Read about the local food on the Internet beforehand/Talk to your Homestay owner/Ask a friend.
• Eat Mindfully and control the portion size.
• Balance your meals with the intake of Fruits and Water and Fiber intake in a day
• Allow every dish to be a celebration of the senses and don’t overthink the calorie intake.
• Walk/run/Hit the hotel gym to burn the calories.

And as I returned from each adventure, my backpack would carry more than just memories. It held the aromatic spices, the treasured recipes, and the flavours of a thousand shared meals. My kitchen transformed into a canvas where the tastes of my travels continued to dance on my taste buds.

Embarking on this gastronomic odyssey allowed me to understand that to truly know a place, one must eat like a local. It’s not just about sustenance; it’s about absorbing the culture, history, and stories that are embedded in every dish.

Transform your trips into journies that go beyond the plate and into the heart of each destination. For more travel recommendations, write to me at parul715@gmail.com or reach out to me on Instagram. Bon appétit!