Right on the tip of my tongue- The GTG’s must try local delicacies

Given that eating is not really an optional engagement, and only so many meals can be had on the one trip, the GTG has this week come to the rescue and will help you make those meals count. Food is necessary, a foundation of cultural expression, and a fantastic way to both enrich and authenticate any travel experience.

Australia

• Burger with beetroot (Kangaroo meet also recommended in this form for the adventurous traveler)
• Lamingtons (Sponge cake squares with chocolate, Jam and cream)
• BBQ beef sausages
• Salads (especially with raw mushroom)
• Cherry ripes (Chocolate bars with cherry and coconut)
• Twisties (cheese flavoured snacks/chips/crisps
• Fresh fruit
• Vegemite -Australia’s favourite yeast extract, (not for those with shall we say a delicate palate)
• Meat pies (well not for your gourmet option but…)

Ireland

• Stew
• Soda Bread
• Dairy products of any kind
• Potato scones (Potato farells in some places)
• Potatoes
• Tayto crisps/chips
• Fry (Big breakfast)
• Soups
• Fried anything (Burgers, pudding sausages etc)
• Black/white pudding (Kind of sausage-like)
• Seafood

Japan

• Sushi (a range of snacks based around rice and seafood)
• Sashimi (raw meat)
• Shabu Shabu (a hot pot style meal where you dip your meat in the flavoured pot to cook it briefly)
• Okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury omlette/pancake blend)
• Seafood of any kind
• Tenpura  -lightly battered and fried seafood and/or vegetables, (don form optional)
• Noodles (Udon, Ramen, soba/Yakisoba
• Pickles
• Yaki Niku (small skewers of BBQ meat)
• Sukiyaki (Similar to shabu shabu but meet is cooked on a griddle first)
• Mapo dofu (Spicy tofu dish)
• Onigiri – Compact triangles of rice wrapped in seaweed with different fillings (for a quick snack)
• Deserts of any kind (anything from parfait to red beans)
• katsu (fried crumbed cutlets)

Scotland

• Haggis
  

  Scotland (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn)

• Pub meals
• Fry (big breakfast)
• Tatties and neeps (potatoes and turnips)
• scotch mist (Yummy dessert with whiskey cream, meringue and other yummy stuff)
• Potato scones
• Fried anything (burgers, pudding sausage)
• Scones
• Porridge
• Black/white pudding (Sausage like)
• toffee
• oatcakes
• scotch tablet (Scottish home-baked sweet)
• shortbread
• Stovies (a simple mix of carrot, potato, onion and meat)

Thailand

• Curry (Green, Red, Yellow, Penang, any kind)
• Pad Thai (noodle dish with typical simple Thai flavours and vegetables, maybe meat)
• Coconut
• Fresh tropical fruits
• kao Lam (sticky rice with coconut barbecued in a tube of bamboo)
• Spring roles
• Fried rice
• Basil chicken
• Thai Omlette
• Fried bugs

Cambodia

• Amok -Kind of Cambodian curry-like dish, (best with fish)
• Fresh spring roles
• Lak Lak (Casserole-like spicy dish using beef and tomato) 
• Green mango salad
• soups
• Seafood
• Fried bugs

Hungary

• Gulyas (traditional soup/stew)
• Strudel (Pastry with filling)
• Langos (Fried bread/dough base with various toppings)
• Paprika in many forms
• Salami (Spicy sausage)
• Schnitzel

Malaysia

• Nasi Kandar (Mixture of Indian/Malaysian fusion snacks, curries and sauces?
• Laksa-Spicy soup-like dish with vegetables, noodles and usually a seafood base (laksa assam or Penang Laksa is the most popular)
• Mee noodles
• Satay- Peanut like spicy sauce (best with chicken skewers)
• Fusion Indian food
• Fusion Chinese food 

Well boys and girls, I challenge you to go hungry with such a list. That being said, there are still many a delicacy to be discovered, even in the small selection of countries covered today. The GTG would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the large amount of fried foods recommended today, while amazing, should also be balanced with lighter, healthier, more nutritious options (at least if you wanna be able to run for that plane and carry your backpacks around). Bon appetite and until next week.