Exploring authentic local cuisines while travelling

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Travelling to different countries and experiencing different cultures and ways of life first-hand is a wonderful way of broadening the mind. The problem is that if you travel to popular tourist destinations, you'll often find yourself surrounded not by the authentic culture of that country, but by hundreds and hundreds of other tourists.

Obviously, a big part of any culture is how people prepare and eat traditional dishes, so eating local food while travelling will give you a unique insight into those people and their lives. Therefore, you can't get much insight into what makes Romania (or Australia, or Ghana, etc.) so special if you just look for the nearest McDonalds!

Big food chains are the same the world over. They give travellers very little, if any, insight into what makes that country special. That's why it can be a good idea to avoid the most popular tourist destinations if you want to experience authentic local cuisine.

Instead, look for smaller, more discreet establishments that appear to blend into their surroundings rather than jumping out at you. Ask the locals - your taxi driver, hotel staff, or a random person walking down the street - where they like to eat.

When you discover small, family-owned eateries, there is a chance that they have been serving the same food, in the same way, for several generations. They will give you a better taste of really authentic local cuisine and the traditions surrounding it.

Part of the point of going on a trip is stepping out of your comfort zone. If you don't want to have new experiences - meet new people, see new places, eat new food - you could just stay at home.

Engaging with local cuisine while travelling heightens the sense of adventure by adding novelty. Even when you try a local dish, and it's a disaster - you find the taste disgusting - it's still an adventure! Probably even more of an adventure than when nothing goes wrong.

It's quite satisfying to know that, when you eat locally, you will be directly benefiting the business owner you see in front of you rather than some faceless global corporation. If lots of travellers all chose to support local businesses when they ate, that could provide a nice, sustainable income for those communities.

If you're interested in experiencing local cultures, interacting with the owners and workers at small businesses is a good way for you to do this. Nothing could be easier than striking up a casual conversation with the owner or the employees as you choose, eat, and pay for your meal.

When you eat indigenous foods in a foreign country, you'll most probably be exposed to some stuff you've never come across before. Many fruits and vegetables can only be found in quite specific geographical areas and may not be exported much.

If you don't take the chance to try a dragon fruit, for example, you may never know what a treat you missed out on!

When you set out to explore different cuisines, the last thing you want is an upset tummy. However, unfortunately, when you're trying novel cuisines, an upset tummy is something you might get.

In the first place, when you travel, you'll be exposed to all sorts of foreign germs, and you likely won't have immunity against most of those bugs. Secondly, when your routines - like your sleeping patterns, dietary and exercise patterns - have been disrupted, your immune system becomes weaker and more likely to let in germs.

Thirdly, when you're eating foods you're not used to, your digestion system may react by producing symptoms like nausea and vomiting, constipation, cramps, or diarrhoea. In such scenarios chia seeds could be just what you need to get your system running smoothly again. These seeds are currently a trendy way of boosting your fibre intake. Many people get their fix of chia seeds at breakfast by adding them to cereal, porridge, yoghurt, or smoothies, but they can also be used to make delicious chia seed puddings.

Chia seeds are rich in fibre, antioxidants, protein, Omega 3 fatty acids, magnesium, and potassium.

You need fibre for good digestive health. One good source of fibre is whole grains. However, many people believe that the high carbohydrate content of whole grains is bad for your health. Positively though, the carbohydrate content of chia seeds is very low.

Antioxidants help our bodies protect themselves against ultraviolet rays from the sun, environmental toxins, diseases, and even some cancers. Chia seeds are packed with antioxidants.

Our bodies all need protein, which can be derived from animal or plant sources. However, only plant-based proteins, like those found in chia seeds, are compatible with vegetarian or vegan diets, which are increasingly popular.

Omega-3 fatty acids are important for the health of our hearts, brains, and nervous system. They may also help regulate blood sugar levels and insulin in the body.

Finally, chia seeds are rich in magnesium and potassium, which are essential nutrients.

This makes chia seeds the ideal travel buddy: just slip a small pack of them into your luggage (or even a pocket) and whip them out whenever you want to sprinkle them on your meal.

When you buy your fruit and veg at large supermarket chains, you normally find that you can get the same essential produce most of the year round. However, fruit and veg are seasonal and don't grow all year round. So if you can find fruit and veg at a supermarket even in the wrong season, this can mean that the produce has been in cold storage for quite a while.

On the other hand, if you eat locally or buy local produce, you're much more likely to get the freshest and best-quality produce. What's more, you're likely to find local specialities you don't normally see in supermarkets. If you eat a wider variety of fruit and veg, you will get a wider range of nutrients in your diet - plus you are likely to discover at least some new foods you love, that you might otherwise never have come across.

But there are also some potential pitfalls that could trip up unwary travellers.

Generally speaking, less developed countries can be expected to have lower standards of food hygiene than more developed countries. But even if there is nothing wrong with the hygiene, you may accidentally eat something you shouldn't. This could be the result of not being familiar with the food or the language.

For example, you might not realise that you are eating something you are allergic to. In the first place, you might not know what ingredients are in the foreign dish. Secondly, you might not have the ability to ask or read about it on the menu. That's why it's always a good idea to research the ingredients and methods of preparation of the foods on the menu before you even get to the restaurant.

This is another instance where doing some research before you travel could be a good thing. Something that varies enormously in different locations is the requirements for politeness. If you don't know about the culture you're visiting, something innocent you say or do could be considered disgusting or insulting.

For example, some cultures consider it to be very rude, or even disgusting, to use the 'unclean' left hand for eating, while others consider it to be sloppy or informal to eat with the right hand only. When you're somewhere where you don't speak the language, it can be tempting to try and communicate with hand gestures, but gestures can also easily be misinterpreted. The 'thumbs up' sign, for example, is recognised in many places as a sign of agreement or approval. However there are places where it means the opposite and is quite offensive.

Eating out is especially hazardous for anyone who is worried about making a mistake in etiquette because food and eating produce lots of etiquette rules that can be extremely difficult for outsiders to figure out.

Another excellent way to experience different cultures and their cuisines is to go on food tours. The best food tours around the world are led by knowledgeable guides who can show you all the best places to eat, what to eat, and how to eat it. But for those with a more adventurous spirit, nothing is as satisfying as discovering the best authentic local cuisines for yourself.

Bon voyage, et bon appétit!