Let me begin with the fact that I have travelled to A LOT of countries in my life! Along with my family, we share a passion for food and cuisine, and for a while now I have been wanting to share this experience with my family and friends, and basically anyone who has a desire for food like me! I hope you're ready for a tour around the world, discovering some of my favourite international cuisines!
Italy
WARNING!! Stop reading right now if you are hungry!
Obviously the capital of food, Italy holds the world's most exotic and diverse cuisine. From pasta to pizza to ratatouille, there is absolutely no dish that the Italians have created that has not made our mouths water! I visited Italy for the first time last year predominantly because of my family's obsession with Italian food, and I have to say- I am definitely impressed. Initially I thought that maybe I might be disappointed or that they won't have enough vegetarian food, but Italy consists of food for EVERYONE! I undertook an Italian culinary experience workshop in Rome, where we created pasta, and it turned out fantastic! The flavours were bursting in my mouth and I fell in LOVE with pasta all over again! The scenery was beautiful and we definitely got a perfect precise glimpse of authentic Italian food! After Rome, we travelled over to Florence- one of the most beautiful scenic locations I've been to! I have to admit, the food was not much compared to Rome, but the ice-cream was to DIE FOR! I have never had that much pistachio ice-cream in my entire life! If you're an ice-cream lover like me, Florence is a must! They have so many cute ice-cream shops and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.
Check out my video for a Pizza Recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfnGh46zHPQ&t=256s
India
Ok, I know what you must be thinking- "Indian food- Jasp you're so biased." I know. But you're wrong. Indian food is actually delicious. Take it from Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay if you don't believe me. I haven't visited India as much since I've moved to Australia, but Indian food has definitely not left my blood. The last time I went to India about two years ago, practically the entire trip, I was just eating. In fact, I gained A LOT OF WEIGHT (haha not really but you get the idea). Indian food is just a part of who I am. From tangy and spicy samosas to sweet and soft gulab jamun, Indian food always surprises me! At my house, we eat Indian food A LOT, but we never seem to get tired of it. I think the best part of it, is that you can make it however you like, and it'll still taste Indian! I know right- that's crazy- but it's true! Just take my recipes for example. I have created so many innovative recipes that don't even sound Indian, but definitely taste Indian. What can I say: I like Indian-I love Indian- India's is in my blood *Akshay Kumar reference*.
If you love Indian food like me, check out my YouTube Channel for several recipes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCls5XRtx5bGdOTIQfze0AcA
Switzerland
I'm heavily going to focus on chocolate for this experience, because Switzerland is world renowned for this delicacy. Swiss chocolate is seriously delicious. Living in Australia, we get a LOT of chocolate from all over the world, but eating chocolate in Switzerland is nothing like eating chocolate anywhere else in the world! Even Lindt, which you can eat globally, for some crazy reason tastes SO MUCH BETTER in Switzerland. When my family visited last year, it was snowing insanely, but chocolate was the one thing that definitely kept us sane. Despite the cold conditions, the chocolate was some how magically still able to immediately melt in my mouth! It wasn't just the flavour of the chocolate that was so pleasing, but the appearance was so exotic! We travelled upon this mountain and they had an entire shop devoted completely to chocolate. I found some of the cutest, most adorable chocolate souvenirs ever! They had mini antique milk cans with chocolate blocks and there was even a shop where chocolate was literally dribbling down the walls.
Even if you don't eat chocolate, like a certain member of my family, you have to travel to Switzerland just to SEE the chocolate! Or you could just watch a twist on a Swiss recipe here on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZiBbAzacso&t=18s
Australia
My home country, the love of my life, call it anything adorable, but Australia is the toughest country to beat when it comes to food! Lamingtons, avo on toast, Pavlova (shared with our neighbour New Zealand), Vegemite; Australia has the most diverse food in the whole world- literally. Since majority of Australia actually consists of individuals from countries globally, its history and cuisine is one of the most varied. Australia captures food from countries like Italy, France, Russia, and many more to create exotic recipes that everyone can devour! Iconic foods like Tim-Tams (my family's personal fav), Anzac biscuits, and milo are just some of the foods that you must try if you're planning on visiting Australia! Even if you're non-vegetarian, Australia has definitely got your back. We've got Fish 'N' Chips, kangaroo, and prawns, which I've heard are all impressive.
Watch our Avo on Toast recipe to learn how to make one of the most delicious recipes you can find all over Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETu7FVzBCW8
Germany
German food was some of the most saltiest, but delicious foods I had in Europe. I have to admit, most of the food was actually non-vegetarian, which wasn't very ideal for me and my family since we're all vegetarian however, the food that was vegetarian was amazing! We had pretzels on several occasions, and one of the most notable recipes we had was yogurt. I'm actually not certain whether this recipe was definitely a traditional German recipe, but they served it to us at one of the restaurants, and it was so delicious! Another recipe that we tried when we travelled to Germany was Black Forest gateau. This is one of the classic German deserts based on a traditional one called 'Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte'. My family absolutely adored this recipe and caused German food to be evident on this short list of my culinary experience.
Ending Note
Well, that concludes my culinary experience around the world, and I really hope that you did enjoy reading my encounters of cuisines globally. The list was in no particular order, and obviously different individuals have different choices when it comes to food, but this was a glimpse into some of the countries that I've visited that have the most delicious cuisines! Stay tuned for more of my blogs. I know that I haven't been uploading much, but it has been super busy, especially since I'm trying to upload more frequently on my YouTube Channel. On that note, check it out or follow me on my social media platforms (all links are on this website or see any videos on my channel).
Hope you adored travelling the world with me!
Keep cooking and eating,
Jasp Mittal