Local gastronomy, also known as gastronomic or culinary tourism, is a topic that is gaining increasing prominence and importance for travel lovers. It is a way of understanding the culture of a region and its specificities more deeply, acquiring greater knowledge and experience about different foods, and being a delicious activity. Here, it is worth noting that gastronomic tourism goes far beyond just trying a drink in personalized cups or typical dishes from a place.
The action ranges from visits to traditional farms and restaurants to a small street food experimentation tour, as will become clear throughout this article. Therefore, if you want to know more about local gastronomy, its benefits, and the best countries to enjoy this activity, keep reading. After all, what is local cuisine?
Basically, gastronomic tourism, Portugal Food and Wine Tours for example can be defined as activities that provide food and beverage appreciation experiences, uplifting the local history, culture, time, and environment. Therefore, it is a way of encompassing the idea of experiencing the cuisine of a place during a trip and leisure time since concepts of valuing a specific region based on its gastronomy were included.
It is time to include tourist and entertainment activities related to gastronomy as an essential point of regional identity and cultural heritage, emphasizing the junction between food and society. Therefore, it is also about leaving the everyday corporate table and enjoying different places, pleasing both the eyes and the palate, serving as a great opportunity to get out of the routine.
Therefore, this activity expands knowledge and approach to food, as it allows learning directly from the producers. Consequently, economic development expands by ensuring more personal and authentic experiences for those who are more aware of this topic. In this context, it is essential to understand that this activity does not refer to a simple list of restaurants, nor is it only carried out with high-cost foods and very refined taste and agritourism.
In the simplest form, local gastronomy with The International Kitchen for example refers to all activities that have food as a point of union between people, places, and time, which we can highlight:
- Tasting of food and drinks from the region
- Tours at fairs and regional product routes
- Participation in gastronomy events and festivals
- Participation in gastronomic expedition
- Cover knowledge about the production of certain foods
- Conducting cooking classes
- Visits to exhibitions on the culinary history of the region
Therefore, a wide variety of actions enter the concept of gastronomic tourism, in addition to having a very creative and diverse market that pleases any taste and suits the different interests of tourists.
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