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Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe [Hardcover]

National Geographic
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 20, 2009
For pure pleasure, few experiences are as satisfying as a chance to explore the world’s great culinary traditions and landmarks—and here, in the latest title of our popular series of illustrated travel gift books, you’ll find a fabulous itinerary of foods, dishes, markets, and restaurants worth traveling far and wide to savor.

On the menu is the best of the best from all over the globe: Tokyo’s freshest sushi; the spiciest Creole favorites in New Orleans; the finest vintages of the great French wineries; the juiciest cuts of beef in Argentina; and much, much more. You’ll sample the sophisticated dishes of fabled chefs and five-star restaurants, of course, but you’ll also discover the simpler pleasures of the side-street cafés that cater to local people and the classic specialties that give each region a distinctive flavor.

Every cuisine tells a unique story about its countryside, climate, and culture, and in these pages you’ll meet the men and women who transform nature’s bounty into a thousand gustatory delights. Hundreds of appetizing full-color illustrations evoke an extraordinary range of tastes and cooking techniques; a wide selection of recipes invites you to create as well as consume; sidebars give a wealth of entertaining information about additional sites to visit as well as the cultural importance of the featured food; while lively top ten lists cover topics from chocolate factories to champagne bars, from historic food markets to wedding feasts, harvest celebrations, and festive occasions of every kind. In addition, detailed practical travel information provides all the ingredients you’ll need to cook up a truly delicious experience for even the most demanding of traveling gourmets.

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Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe + Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips + Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips
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Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Top Ten New Year's Celebratory Feasts Around the World


Forget-the-Year Parties, Japan

Bonenkai, or forget-the-year, parties are occasions for workmates or groups of friends to celebrate the previous year’s successes and drown its failures. They usually take place in izakaya, taverns serving smallish Japanese dishes alongside drinks, or restaurants. Rigid protocol applies, at least until everyone is drunk; empty glasses are taboo.

Planning: Bonenkai parties take place throughout December; many people attend several. www.jnto.go.jp


New Year, or Spring Festival, China

On the eve of this 4,000-year-old lunar festival, families gather for a lavish reunion dinner. Common components are a chicken, symbolizing wholeness; black moss, indicating wealth; sticky cake, boding a sweet new year; and “longevity” noodles, eaten uncut. Dinner usually ends with a whole steamed fish, which is left unfinished to augur a new year of plenty.

Planning: Chinese New Year falls on varying dates in January and February. Wear red: it’s a lucky color. www.chinaodysseytours.com


Feast of the First Morning, Vietnam

An ancestor-worship festival, Tet Nguyen Dan (Feast of the First Morning) is also an occasion to entertain friends and family—and start the year auspiciously. Since even cooks relax for Tet, dishes are prepared ahead and include kho (a tangy stew flavored with caramel and fish sauce), banh chung (sticky pork and mung-bean rice cakes), and cu kieu (pickled spring onions).

Planning: Tet usually corresponds with Chinese New Year. Shops and markets close for up to three weeks. www.footprintsvietnam.com


White Month, Mongolia

Mongolia’s three-day lunar New Year festival, Tsagaan Sar (White Month), is celebrated at the junction of winter and spring. Bituuleg (New Year’s Eve dinner) stars a cooked sheep’s rump, accompanied by steamed meat dumplings, lamb patties, and flat biscuits, washed down with fermented mare’s milk and milk vodka.

Planning: The date varies from year to year. Mongolians prepare enough food for all-comers. Guests should bring presents. Packaged tours are available. www.mongoliatourism.gov.mn


New Year’s Eve, Russia

Feasting lavishly is at the core of Russia’s biggest festival as many Russians believe the new year will continue as it started. The evening proceeds with a succession of toasts made with vodka or Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (Soviet champagne). Typical dishes include caviar, smoked salmon, goose, and suckling pig. Many Russians also celebrate the Julian Old New Year on January 13-14.

Planning: Many restaurants arrange package tours. www.russia-travel.com


New Day, Iran

The 3,000-year-old Noruz (New Day) is a Zoroastrian, pre- Islamic festival that remains Iranians’ top holiday. Core to the rituals is the haft sin (seven s’s) spread—usually chosen from sabze (green shoots), samanu (wheat pudding), sib (apples), sohan (honey-and-nut brittle), senjed (jujube), sangak (flatbread), siyahdane (sesame seeds), sir (garlic), somaq (sumac), and serke (vinegar). But it is all display. On the eve itself, Iranians usually eat sabzi polo mahi, steamed rice with green herbs and fish.

Planning: Noruz corresponds with the vernal equinox (usually March 21).www.itto.org


New Year’s Eve, Piedmont, Italy

A large dinner (cenone) is common throughout northern Italy for New Year’s Eve, but few places take it to the same extremes as Piedmont, birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Expect a dozen antipasti, boiled homemade sausages with lentils, at least three other main courses, and several desserts, including panettone and hazelnut cake.

Planning: For an authentic rural experience, enjoy home-cooked food in a family atmosphere at a farmhouse. www.piedmont.worldweb.com


New Year’s Eve, Spain

Spaniards devour a grape with each midnight chime. Most people celebrate at home, but large public festivities in Barcelona’s Plaza Catalunya see people assemble with grapes and cava (sparkling white wine) before a night’s clubbing.

Planning: Peeled, unseeded grapes are easier to swallow rapidly. www.barcelonaturisme.com


New Year’s Eve, the Netherlands

Although restrained in their consumption of pastries for most of the year, Netherlanders abandon all prudence on New Year’s Eve, when dinner ends with deep-fried appelflappen (apple turnovers), appelbeignets (battered apple rings), and oliebollen (doughnuts). They usually toast the new year with champagne.

Planning: Some restaurants and hotels organize special dinners as part of a package, often including accomodation. www.holland.com


Hogmanay, Scotland

On New Year’s Eve, called Hogmanay in Scotland, most rituals, such as first-footing (visiting) friends and neighbors after midnight, are home-based. Key among the food traditions is a Scottish steak pie, often ordered in advance from butchers, alongside black bun and clootie dumpling—both rich fruitcakes—and shortbread.

Planning: In Edinburgh, the Hogmanay Food Fair or upscale butchers, such as John Saunderson, are good places to stock up on goodies. www.edinburgh.org, www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: National Geographic (October 20, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1426205074
  • ISBN-13: 978-1426205071
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 1.2 x 12.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katie Parla holds a BA in the History of Art from Yale University, a Master's Degree in Italian Gastronomic Culture from the Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", and a sommelier certificate from the Federazione Italiana Sommelier Albergatori Ristoratori. She has written books for National Geographic Society, Time Out, Rough Guides, Dorling Kindersley, Fodor's, and Insight Guides, is a regular contributor to The New York Times, and is the author of the blog Parla Food and the app "Rome for Foodies".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! November 10, 2009
Format:Hardcover
This book is sooo cool! I have been to many of the places they write about, and find the book to be amazingly well researched. I plan to use it as a travel planner supplement for future trips because you can't get this kind of information out of a regular travel book. Plus, it a great daydreaming tool. One can flip the pages and imagine wonderful places to visit and eat. I especially appreciate the way they cover all types of dining experiences -- it's not just about expensive, 5-star restaurants. Each page contains loads of information that connects the food to the context of the place. These pieces were clearly written by insiders, people who know the area and can guide you to authentic, memorable experiences.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is my idea of a great travel book. November 11, 2009
Format:Hardcover
Who doesn't want to eat their way around the world? I love this book, it takes care of my holiday shopping list and is hugely entertaining. Food Journeys captures the essence of why I/most people travel -- they want to eat great food in gorgeous locales with interesting people. The photos are beautiful and the info is rich and very helpful. Hadn't thought of food festivals as a good travel destination. Also looking forward to hunting down the best baguette. Lots of fun ideas here. Am glad someone finally made a book like this.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Love the "lists of 10" November 12, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book represents my secret -- I don't eat when I am out travelinig, but I travel to eat.... And imagining what I am going to eat when I go to places is really almost as good as being there (not really, but it does help to build the anticipation.) I found myself lingering over the Lists of 10 things in many of the categories. It's the kind of compare and contrast thing that really gets you thinking. The cheese tours of France and the Literary Watering holes of the world particularly, particularly are begging to be implemented.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun
This book gives me a lot of idea where to travel next time.
I'm a food lover and these beautiful pictures show me delicious looking local food from all over the world!
Published 1 month ago by Tamaki Littlefield
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift for my parents
I got this as a gift for my parents for Christmas. They are huge foodies! And they love to try new things. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Megan Huchingson
4.0 out of 5 stars Great snippets about food around the world! Wish it was organized by...
If you are looking for an interesting coffee table book about food around the world, then this one is as good as any. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Brian McPhail
5.0 out of 5 stars Shipped fast and well packaged
I highly recommend this book. It is a great item for the coffee table. It is just as detailed and informative as the original Journeys of a Lifetime book that I've been using for... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kevin Kong
5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous book about extraordinary travels and exemplary foods
If you have the least bit of interest in learning about new cultures and foods, you'll take delight in this book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Andy Rosenblum
4.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary book
It's a very beaultiful book, not to left on the table, but to see amazing images and prepare the next trip.
Published on February 25, 2011 by G. Cezaroti
2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing
I was looking forward to this book as I am dedicated foodie and generally love this sort of thing. Sadly, though, I was not at all impressed. Read more
Published on February 16, 2011 by C. J. Thompson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
This book is a wonderful read for a food lover. I highly recommend as a treat for oneself, or as a gift for the foodie in your life. Read more
Published on January 12, 2011 by N. Grebe
4.0 out of 5 stars Foodie Fun!!
A richly produced National Geographic book. . . . I received this as a Christmas present and enjoy its quirkiness immensely. Read more
Published on December 26, 2010 by Steven A. Peterson
5.0 out of 5 stars travel for a lifetime
I read this book in a bookstore and it was really impressive for me. Then I bought it from Amazon. It triggers me the enthusiasm to travel for my whole life.
Published on September 28, 2010 by Feiyu
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