For food lovers, enjoying local cuisine while travelling goes beyond stopping in at a café in France for a croissant or in Italy for a cappuccino while sightseeing. In fact, foodies may plan their entire itinerary around international food festivals celebrating everything from a single ingredient to gourmet feasts. Combining a love of food while travelling can also serve as a tasty way to discover new places and cultures.
Following is a list of international food festivals that can help indulge in culinary travel. Whatever your taste, travel insurance can help ensure every experience is both satisfying and safe.
Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth Chinese lunar month by enjoying dragon boat races and a wide variety of rice dumplings. Make sure to try out the tradition zongzi dumplings, a sticky rice made with different fillings wrapped in bamboo, lotus or banana leaves.
Where: Hong, Kong
When: June 22, 2023
When you think chocolate, places like France and Switzerland might immediately come to mind. However, Ecuador produces some of the world’s finest chocolate, making this an ideal destination for food lovers who enjoy indulging in this irresistible confection.
Where: Quito, Ecuador
When: Annually in June
It is said that La Tomatina started in August 1945 during a parade on People’s Square, after youngsters made one of the participants fall. As a result, the crowd became angry and started throwing tomatoes. Around 22,000 people attend the biggest food fight in the world annually in the town of Buñol, Spain. Six trucks are used to throw 160 tons of tomatoes onto the streets during the entirety of the festival. Swimming goggles are not a must, however can be useful in keeping the acidity of tomatoes out of your eyes.
Where: Buñol, Spain
When: August 30, 2023
When planning a culinary adventure, remember that beyond the culinary experience, many food and wine festivals offer a variety of activities to help work up an appetite or burn off some calories.
At the outset of any culinary adventure, consider purchasing travel insurance in the form of emergency medical coverage or medical and trip cancellation & interruption coverage, which can come in handy if your unfamiliar food experiences unexpectedly take you from the chef’s table to the local medical clinic. Just in case you have one serving too many of your favourite dish, cut yourself during a knife skills workshop or your wine tour gets rained out, travel insurance can be the essential ingredient you’ll be glad to have at your destination – whether or not you’re just there for the food.
Important note: Before planning your food travel itinerary, always consult the Canadian Government website for further advisory on the destination you are planning to travel.
Travel insurance is underwritten by CUMIS General Insurance Company, a member of The Co-operators Group of Companies, administered by Allianz Global Assistance, which is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc.