Culinary Tourism or food tour is the exploration of food in its purest form as the sole purpose of tour. It has become a vital aspect of the modern tourist’s experience. Dining out once is common amongst tourists and “eating well is considered to be an integral part of the tourist experience.” The same survey also indicates that the number of people consuming food outside their homes have increased by 30% over the past 5 years. Hence, food tour has emerged as a preferred option for tourists in order to enjoy a memorable experience while enjoying food.
Food tours are available in two forms which are namely Corporate/Corporate and Neighborhood. In Corporate tours, companies and other organisations as per their requirements tour around the world to different countries and cook there in order to understand the culture and culinary habits of the local people. In most cases, such gastronomic tours arrange for groups of people. In other words, you can book for a corporate food tour on a package which would include the cost of hotel or restaurant accommodation, meals and also sightseeing.
On the other hand, in neighborhood food tours one needs to select the place from where one wants to go. This can be anywhere within the city or even outside it. A good number of authentic tours offer a one-to-one session with a chef. Depending on the place selected, one would be provided with the best local delicacies cooked by a particular chef. Thus, with this one thing is assured to feel like he is dining in his own home.
Food tours are a great opportunity to indulge yourself in gastronomic delights at the same time saving on money. In fact, if you do some research you will find out that booking for one of these tours is not at all difficult. It is not at all a big deal and can be easily organized either by your company or even if you want to organize it by yourself.
One of the biggest advantages of a culinary tour is that you get to eat traditional dishes cooked by people who have mastered the art of cooking in this specific cuisine. This will help you understand the difference between local and international dishes. When you opt for food tours, there is no fixed pattern to follow. You can plan it according to the time you have available. In most case, it is arranged so that groups are able to get together to learn how food is prepared in a particular neighbourhood or region.
Food tours are organized in such a manner so that people living in that particular neighbourhood get to taste the different dishes. It helps them to recognize the restaurants where their favourite dishes are prepared. You can also find out why they are preparing those dishes. Most of these tours begin in an area where dishes are prepared at the homes of ordinary people.
It will then move on to a place where street-food is prepared. On this tour, they will be served an authentic street-food from small kiosks which are usually very affordable. The good part is that you will not have to eat any foods from these kiosks which are prepared outside. Street-food is prepared in these places as much as possible so as to make it as authentic as possible. If you wish to have authentic Chinese food on a walking tour, you can go to the Chinatown area.
Chinatown is one of the best examples of authentic Chinese food. It also happens to be one of the most expensive. If you wish to taste Chinese food to its highest quality, you need to go to China Town. China Town is situated in the central part of China, close to the city of Hangzhou. The city has many popular Chinese restaurants where you can learn Chinese cooking class from the cooks themselves.