Tourism & Hospitality | Monday 14 May, 2018 6:49 pm |

If, for you, food and travel are a marriage made in heaven then you’ll be excited to read about our picks for the world’s trendiest gastronomic destinations. Considered #MoreThanATravelAgency, Mundana creates bespoke trips founded on the twin principles of providing excellent service and taking care of every detail. Food tourism is a rapidly growing travel trend and, here in Dubai, founder Mais AlNuaimi and her team have been discussing their favourite gastronomic destinations. As Mais puts it: “Whether they specialise in traditional recipes or experimental methods of cooking, these cities stand out above the rest for their unique creations and beloved contributions to the culinary world”. 1. Tokyo, Japan: Tokyo has 225 Michelin-starred restaurants, more than any other city in the world. From soba dishes at humble noodle shops to high-end, costly sushi, quality carries through to all price levels in the Japanese capital. Rise at dawn to see wholesalers haggle over the price of fresh tuna and follow the salarymen to the lanes of Shimbashi for grilled chicken at a traditional izakaya. 2. San Sebastián, Spain: You’ll get some peculiar looks if you ask for tapas in the Basque country: such bite-size morsels are known as pintxos in this part of Spain. The delightful city of San Sebastián is renowned as the best place to sample pintxos. Carnivores will salivate at the thought of tender beef cheeks and jamón iberico, while pescetarians are equally well catered for with salty anchovies and shrimps dripping with garlic oil. 3. Bologna, Italy: Sticking with Europe, we can’t resist including the northern Italian city of Bologna – even its nickname, La Grassa, (The Fat One) testifies to a love of food. One of the country’s best kept secrets, its old town is a labyrinth of lanes whose names reflect the type of food merchants that originally opened for business. Sample cured meat, artisan cheese and tortellini soaked in broth. Just don’t ask for spaghetti Bolognese – it’s tagliatelle al ragù if you don’t want to be laughed out of town. 4. Jaipur, India: The Pink City is well known for its palaces and flamboyant architecture but it’s also one of India’s top cities when it comes to street food. Dodge the chaotic traffic to reach the old town and be prepared to lick ghee off your fingers as you chow down on Rajasthan favourites like a local. As you wolf piles of tangy golgappas and spicy pyaaz ki kachori or refresh your palate with a cool glass of lassi, you’ll soon see why we rate this city so highly. 5. Oaxaca, México: Colourful Oaxaca more than holds its own when it comes to culinary matters. It’s here you’ll wrap your tastebuds around not one but seven mole sauces, rich in chocolate and bursting with aromatic spices such as cumin, cinnamon and chilli. The adventurous can sample deep fried grasshoppers known as chapulines, while the more conservative might content themselves with delicious queso Oaxaca, the local cheese. It’s been hard to whittle down our picks to just five. We’d be thrilled to create a tailor-made itinerary so you can see for yourself why these are special enough to make the cut. Do you have a favourite foodie city that we should put on our own wish list?