By Chef Bernhard F. Zorn, Culinary Director for Uniworld Boutique River Cruises 

Over the last year, cooking at home has become more popular than ever before. Online recipe sharing and food deliveries have taken off since the start of the pandemic began. As a chef myself, not much has changed, though I do miss cooking for others. One thing I am happy to see, however, is how much more people seem to pay attention to what they’re eating and care about ingredients.  

The culinary industry, in recent years, has seen a trend towards healthier eating. Plant-based food, vegetarianism, fresher ingredients, knowing where and how our produce is grown, have all increasingly become part of the definition of fine dining. I think we’re definitely going to see that movement pick up even more speed in a post-COVID world.  

The team of chefs I work with in the Uniworld kitchens bring together the freshest ingredients sourced from local farmers’ markets and other regional suppliers to best guarantee mouth-watering culinary journeys to accompany our guests’ travels.  

We collaborate deeply with our vendors, considering limits on delivery ratios and selecting the most seasonally and regionally appropriate ingredients. Transparency is always a top value, and the focus is always quality. We’re shifting away from “exotic foods,” which need to be transported from far distanced parts of the world, in favour of more home-grown options that taste fresher and are less wasteful.  

The result of this is a return to comfort food and the basics, classics with a modern twist that remind guests of a refined version of their mothers’ own kitchens.  

Favorites of guests from the Uniworld Kitchens:

• Wiener Schnitzel with Homemade Potato Salad (served in Austria and Bavaria) 
• Simmered beef brisket—Tafelspitz—with horseradish sauce, pumpkin seed oil, cranberries and bouillon potatoes (served in Austria)  
• Traditional Rhineland beef roast—Sauerbraten—with braised red cabbage and potato dumplings (served on Rhine river cruises) 
• Alpine River Trout with almond butter, parsley potatoes and local lamb lettuce (served in the south of Germany) 
• Gratinated onion soup (served in France) 
• Oven-fired pizzas and handmade pasta (served in Italy) 
• Desserts like caneles (served in France) and stuffed vanilla cannoli (served in Italy) 

Chef Bernhard F. Zorn grew up working in his parents’ restaurant in Germany. Cooking alongside his mother prepared him well for a series of jobs across Europe, South Africa, the Maldives and on a variety of international cruise lines. Now, he is the Culinary Director for Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and has been honored as a Global Master Chef by the World Chefs Association and as an Officier Chef Rotisseur with the Chaine des Rotisseurs.  

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises features distinctively designed ships with an average capacity of 120 guests, exclusive excursions, gourmet cuisine, and one of the highest staff-to-guest-ratio in the river cruise industry. offers truly all-inclusive itineraries in Europe, as well as voyages in Russia, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, India, Peru and Egypt—a total of 20 rivers in 28 countries worldwide. Uniworld is a member of The Travel Corporation (TTC) family of companies, which celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2020. 

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By Bex Shapiro of Intrepid Travel

Do you love food so much that you would literally travel… for food?

You’re not alone.

There’s nothing more exciting (and tasty!) than eating your way through a destination. And there’s no easier way to do it than on a food tour that uncovers a world of authentic culinary experiences – complete with local guide, bucket-list sites and small group of like-minded adventurers.

In honour of the above – Intrepid Travel’s range of Real Food Adventure trips – we’ve collated a definitive list of must-have foodie experiences all around the world. They’re a little different, they’re culturally immersive, oh, and they’re delicious. Obviously.

So, what are you waiting for? Get drooling… and get browsing the delectable food trips.

15. Tour Phnom Penh’s markets with a local chef

14. Sit down to a home-cooked meal (with vodka!) with a family in St Petersburg

13. Try the real KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) paired with maekju (Korean beer)

12. Learn all things coffee on a local Peruvian farmstay

11. Visit a tahini factory and learn how to make knafeh (a traditional Arab dessert)

10. Enjoy Iranian cooking at a local family’s home

9. Enjoy Vietnamese home-cooking with a local family in the Mekong Delta

8. Make pasta from scratch like a local in Italy

7. Explore the local farms and cooking of Rajasthan

6. Learn the art of khachapuri, Georgia’s irresistible cheese bread

5. Harvest your own spring onions to make Taiwan’s iconic scallion pancake

4. Sample port in… you guessed it… Porto

3. Browse a Sri Lankan fish market for the freshest seafood around

2. Dive into spicy Szechuan hotpot like a local

1. Take a taco (and tequila!) crawl in Mexico City

Born in London and based in Toronto, Bex is happiest anywhere she can connect with interesting people over good food. She’s passionate about sustainable travel and powerful storytelling, and her favourite cities are New York and Shanghai. Follow her adventures on Instagram @BexShapiro.

Intrepid Travel gets you off the tourist track and onto the road less traveled. With average group sizes of 10 people and itineraries in over 120 countries, their local-led trips are all about experiencing the world with sustainability and authenticity front of mind. Follow Intrepid Travel on Instagram @IntrepidTravel.

The post 15 Must-Have Food Experiences In 15 Countries appeared first on USTOA Blog.