What food-lovers can expect on a round the world adventure.

Part of the joy of travelling around the world is trying something new, and that most certainly applies to food. Many key hotspots on round-the-world routes are glorious places in which to pig out, tasting some of the best dishes and ingredients imaginable. So, if you like you eating, here’s where you can indulge...

Thailand

Welcome to street food heaven. There are some great restaurants in Thailand (particularly in Bangkok), but you’ve hardly got cause to venture across the threshold. Food carts line the street, serving everything from skewered meats to fried rice dishes. Pad thai is the one that everyone knows – fried noodles with chilli pepper, tamarind juice, fish sauce and whatever else the cook fancies throwing in – but the street vendors can turn out surprisingly sophisticated dishes from their simple mobile kitchens. For the uninitiated, the curries tend to veer on the hot, rather than the sweet side. If you’re going for taste rather than power, then a massaman curry is an introduction that rarely fails to hit the spot.

Vietnam

Vietnamese dishes tend to be less fiery that those in Thailand, but there’s a massive focus on the balance of tastes within a meal (and often more of a sweet tooth). A few things are fairly ubiquitous, however. Most meals involve rice, you’ll do well to escape nuoc mam (fish sauce) and if the Vietnamese can grow it or catch it, then they’ll wrap it up in a rice-paper roll. But the one you’d really better get used to is pho, the rice-noodle soup that is almost impossible to avoid.

Dubai

There’s no shortage of flashy restaurants attached to Dubai’s five star hotels. But if your budget doesn’t stretch that far, then it pays to head for the slightly shabbier-looking joints in Bur Dubai and Deira for a feast that’s not fancy, but will leave you waddling away with a great taste in your mouth. The huge numbers of guest workers from the Indian subcontinent means that Dubai is a cracking place for a curry, but the real star attractions are the numerous Lebanese restaurants. The mezze dip-style starters and gigantic mixed grills (usually supplied with a salad that’s a meal in itself) are great if you pick the right neighbourhood joint. The secret, as ever, is to go with a place that’s relatively full of locals.

Singapore

Few places love food as much as Singapore. There’s a hawker-style food court on just about every corner, and they’ll serve up cheap, tasty dishes all day long. Variety is the key here as well - Singapore’s population is part-Malay, part-Chinese, part-Indian, and the influences shine through. If you have to pick just one dish, however, it has to be the Singapore Chilli Crab. You’ll never eat anything messier in your life (unless you’re a particular fan of scooping up custard with your bare hands), but it’s darned good.

Australia

Australia’s cuisine has moved a long way from meat and two veg or a meat pie. Immigration over the years has meant that you can get great Italian, Vietnamese and Thai – often for absurdly reasonable prices. Some of the best restaurants are the ones that marry the traditional and the exotic for Asian fusion dishes.

However, if you’re wanting to try something uniquely Australian, then track down some kangaroo. It has to be cooked right (lightly seared, still largely pink), but it’s a tremendously tasty, healthy meat. And if you’re wanting to go the fusion route, it works wonderfully with a satay sauce.

And then there’s barramundi – caught in the rivers of northern Australia, it is one of the world’s greatest eating fish.

New Zealand

Top quality ingredients are the key to eating in New Zealand (even if what the chefs do with them often isn’t quite as inspirational as it should be). The Asian fusion thing has taken off here as it has done in Australia, although Kiwi cuisine is often best when it’s kept simple. If you want a superb cut of lamb, or fresh oysters and mussels, you’ll struggle to find anywhere better.

South Africa

Meat is king in South Africa. Dip into a specialist restaurant and you can try everything from warthog medallions to grilled kudu. Meat is most traditionally devoured around a braai – the South African take on a barbecue – however. But outside influences play a big part too – the sizable Malay population in Cape Town ensures that excellent south-east Asian dishes are regular features of restaurant menus, while Durban has an enormous Indian population. Its most infamous gift to the world is bunny chow – essentially half a loaf of bread hollowed out with curry poured inside.

If seafood is your thing, keep an eye out for Mozambican fish restaurants and cafés – and expect your kingklip to come with a part African, part Portuguese twist.

Argentina

One word: steak. Make that steak of superb quality, in gigantic portions and at an unbelievably cheap price.

Brazil

There no real uniform style of Brazilian food – there are a lot of regional variations that you’ll encounter across the country. Stick to the most-travelled south-eastern corner around Rio De Janeiro, however, and you’ll see a few things regularly rearing their heads. First up are black beans, which are common to many dishes, but especially feijoada. With this menu staple, salted pork and jerked beef are added to the beans and cooked up in a stew. Unless done appallingly, it tastes darned good. Rice and beans, cassava and grilled meats are also extremely common, while other dishes worth trying include vatapá – seafood in a thick cassava, coconut and dendê palm oil sauce.

Mexico

What most of us regard as Mexican cuisine is really Tex-Mex, an Americanised interpretation of the real thing. Due to the influence of American tourism, you’ll still be able to get your nachos, fajitas and burritos in most places, but there tends to be less emphasis on the chilli – especially in the Yutacán. The local tacos are often at their best when containing fish, but there are many unfamiliar dishes that are worth trying. A mole involves numerous ingredients being cooked separately, ground and thinned into a sauce that is then served with meat (it’s all about the sauce, though). If on the Yutacán try sopa de lima (lime soup, and a lot nicer than it sounds) or papadzules, which are a little like enchiladas and a little like soft tacos, but not quite either.

By David Whitley