The Joys of Culinary Travel

I do not really love to cook. I love to bake, but then I have cakes, cookies and other tempting treats sitting around my house just begging to be eaten.....so I try to stay away from that as well. I guess that is why I find it so fascinating that culinary travel is on the rise. According to the International Culinary Tourism Association, culinary tourism is defined as "the development and promotion of prepared food/drink as an attraction for visitors." This definition seems to me the very reason why people go to Italy, but maybe that is simply because i don't have a desire to cook on vacation, but I do love to eat on vacation! Culinary travelers fall into two categories, those who go to cook and those who go to eat. I am definitely in category number 1.

Cultural understanding is intertwined with cooking, it provides insight into a region's community and history. There are a number of culinary tours out their to suit everyone's palate. French and Italian tours still remain the most popular, but pan-Asian, Middle Eastern and Central and South American cooking tours are gaining in popularity. One of the best ways is to find a tour which allows you to travel to a number of different cities, using local produce and cooking regional dishes. The key to a great trip is a great operator. Find tours with a cap on the amount of people allowed to attend, that way you will receive more one-on-one attention and guidance. Also, be sure to find out how intensive these programs are. Are you the type of traveller who wants to cook with time left over to visit other sites in the area? Or are you hard-core cooking master who wants to relish all the time they have with foreign chefs?

Whatever your preference, you will return with some great experiences and worthwhile cooking tips!