On many of my travels, I love getting into the kitchens whether it be in a restaurant, cafe or someones home. This is where the heart of the country lies. Even if you don’t speak the local language very well, you will find that people are accommodating as they too, love to share and inspire. You may even indulge in a cooking class, these are normally very organised, structured and well thought out for even the most basic of cooks and a whole lot of fun can be had.
5 Great Culinary Souvenirs
- A local cookbook ( particularly if there is new favourite recipe)
- Local specialty ( Cambodian pepper? Himalayan salt?)
- Wooden spoon- On the island of Miyajima in Japan they have a special wooden spoon used to serve rice. The Miyajimastyle wooden spoon was invented by a Buddhist monk in 1800. The local people started selling the rice scoops as souvenirs to the pilgrims. ‘Meshi Toru’, the Japanese term for serving rice, has the same sounds as victory. So it is a good-luck charm.
- Plate- I often come across beautiful plates that I would love to have the whole set of , but this is not always possible, so I buy 1 and put it up in my kitchen and it reminds me of where I have been.
- Chocolate- this is something goes down well with nearly everyone, and you will find that each destination puts its own spin on it eg chocolate covered macadamia nuts (Australia) Maple flavoured chocolate ( Canada)
