You can’t truly call yourself a foodie if Europe hasn’t, in some way, seduced your taste buds. It’s an impossibility; European cuisine has shaped global cuisine for its richness, vibrancy, depth and breadth. Continental Europe is, if you’ll forgive the pun, a veritable melting-pot of cooking and agricultural influences, from the incredible spices of the Iberian Peninsula to the phenomenal vine-plants of Italy and beyond. Europe tastes like colour.
But what, specifically, would a European summer taste like? Perhaps sun-dried tomatoes glazed lazily with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; maybe the fresh salinity of a seaside grill; the gamey tang of a cultured cheese. As a food lover in search of a good getaway, you’ll find your culinary kicks in the following places.
Portugal
Spain gets all the attention when it comes to culinary escapism, thanks to its already-popular cities and beaches, and its incredible traditional dishes. Portugal, though, nestled as it is to the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula, is a culinary world of all its own. So many villas in Portugal are a stone’s throw from phenomenal food, and some may even have their own ocean-view kitchens from which to prepare your own with its incomparable produce. Grilled sardines, anyone?
France
France is a quintessential foodie’s destination, being the home of haute cuisine and many modern gastronomical instincts. Its brasseries were the template for Michelin-starred restaurants, plenty of which you’ll find stippled across the country. If you’re willing to get a little more rustic, though, you’ll be rewarded heartily; provincial stews, cottage pies, all things braised and beautiful await in the rolling hills of the French heartlands. And so, too, do unbelievably inexpensive bottles of the best wine you’ve ever had.
Italy
If you say the words ‘food’ and ‘Europe’ in the same sentence, Italy is easily the first country to come to mind. This is the land of pizza and pasta, of tomatoes and olives, of basil and chilli. It gave us mozzarella. You owe it a visit. Of course, Neapolitan pizzas here are the most Neapolitan they’ll ever be; likewise with localised pasta recipes and honest bolognese. But on the coast is where the magic happens; Amalfi seafood is like nothing else. And we haven’t even spoken of Sicily. Go to Sicily. Promise.
Greece
Last but not least, we come to Greece. A huge swathe of islands and mainland, in which you’ll find culinary multitudes. The best olives you’ll ever eat. The freshest feta. Meals by sunset, comprising vibrant salads, rich grilled meats, tzatziki and hummus. If you’re coming to Greece, you’re eating at least one gyros – a pitta wrap containing rotisserie meats, fried and fresh vegetables and drizzled in stunning sauces.