2016 was an insanely great travel year. This past year I spent time in nearly twenty different countries- revisiting some of my favorites and also exploring new destinations.
Yes, I saw some cool stuff, and, as always, I met some phenomenal new and interesting people. But, most importantly, what about the food?
Here are the Best Meals of 2016:
The Republic of Georgia-
I took this trip on a whim. I had some good friends there that said the wine was good, and I was able to find a cheap flight. That’s really all I needed to know. When I got there, I was blown away by how great both the food and wine are.
Georgia is known for it’s wine, perhaps not known well enough, but known. The country actually has the longest recorded history of wine production in the world, dating back to 8000 B.C. Needless to say, in all that time, they’ve perfected the art. Many people actually consider Georgia the birthplace of wine.
But what I didn’t expect was how great the food was going to be.
My favorite Georgian dish, and one that I ate near daily, was giant soup filled dumplings known as khinkali. Fillings can vary by region but they’re usually a mixture of beef and pork with onions, chili and cumin. This mix is folded into a dumpling with a thick knot at the top that you use to hold while you take the first bite, where you’ll suck out the soup inside. Served either steamed or deep-fried, usually sprinkled with black pepper, and always eaten only with your hands, this is a dish I still think about months later.
Lviv, Ukraine-
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I fell hard for Lviv this past summer. I still haven’t stopped talking about it. Lviv has the feel of Western Europe at some of the best prices of Eastern Europe. So much to see and do, and so much amazing, incredibly affordable food. Of all the meals I had in Lviv, this T-bone steak with dill butter and cranberry sauce is the most memorable. It’s also one of the most photogenic plates of food I’ve had in a long time.
For a list of the top five strange or most unique restaurants in Lviv click here.
The Azores of Portugal-
Is it cheating if I include everything I ate while in the Azores? Do I have to narrow it down to just one meal? It’s my blog, I’ll do what I want! Seriously, for seafood lovers the Azores is a dream destination. And since the islands are located in the middle of the Atlantic halfway between Europe and the U.S., this makes great sense. If I had to narrow it down to just one meal, it would be this plate of perfectly roasted octopus.
To find out more about Azorean foods click here.
Chiang Mai, Thailand-
Brunches are one of those things I miss most from home. In many parts of Asia, brunch just isn’t a thing. Not so in Chiang Mai. Because Chiang Mai is home to so many expats, there are tons of great restaurants serving Western and Asian-Western fusion dishes.
For a complete list of the best brunch restaurants in Chiang Mai click here.
Hong Kong:
I knew the food in Hong Kong wouldn’t disappoint, and I was right. While my first impressions of the city were mixed, from my first bite, the food was a solid yes. Nothing was better than the dim sum stalls we found on the walking food tour I joined during my visit. The small plates were meant for sharing, so I got to try a bite of everything- Asian tapas if you will.
Istanbul, Turkey-
This is another place where I’m once again tempted to say “everything I ate while I was there.” I returned to Turkey the second time this year, and I stand firm in my opinion that Turkish food is one of the most underrated cuisines in the world. At home we think of kebabs as Turkish food, but there is so much more! Turkish food really varies by region, and they have an entire mezze (appetizers) culture built around drinking!
Marrakech, Morocco
Moroccan food is another overlooked cuisine. At home we tend to think of Moroccan food as only tagine. I learned how mistaken I was when I joined the walking food tour of Marrakech. The food is so varied, and so much history lies behind each dish. I would love to return to Morocco to try more of this unique cuisine!
Pisa, Italy
Last but not least, this one is probably no surprise if you’ve been following my blog- the charcuterie platter I had in Pisa Italy easily beat out the competition as my best meal of 2016. I supposed it would be more accurate to say the platter was the best meal(s) I had last year, because I ate it twice. In a week. No shame. I don’t know if I could say anything else about this meal that I didn’t already say when I wrote about it here. It was nothing short of perfection. Local meats and cheeses, fresh breads, house wine, all while sitting under the Tuscan sun and having an out of body moment eating the entire platter myself. Don’t be surprised when you see this same dish on my Best Meal of 2017 list- I’m positive that I’ll be going back for this one!
If you find yourself constantly wondering what I’ve eaten today click here to start following me on Instagram, calorie for calorie.
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Lovely meals!! Its seems delicious and so yummy!! Happy New Year 🙂
It was! Thank you!
Now I’m starving 🙂 I LOVE dim sum so I need to get myself to Hong Kong this year. We had a similar platter just outside of Florence, Italy and it was fabulous! One of my best meals ever.
Hong Kong is not hurting for amazing food! I hope you do go this year. If so, you should check out the walking food tour I did. It’s a great way to get introduced to the city and its food.
You had a lot of foods in 2016 that I have never tried. Although I will add that the roasted Octopus looks intriguing to me.. Although I’d take any of these meals, they all look amazing.
If you’ve never had roasted octopus you should try it. It’s so good! Thanks for reading!
of all the yummy food, I love the look of that Tbone steak! Everything looks so good and you have had a wonderful year in food around the world
Great list! I’d definitely like to visit Georgia someday to tour the vineyards.
We rented a car and spent a weekend touring several- it was the highlight of the trip!
Looks all very yummy. Italien kitchen is my favorite so I am not surprised that a dish from Pisa is your favorite 🙂 I would love to do the walking food tour in Marrakesh that sounds very interesting!
If you go you should definitely do the walking tour of Marrakech. It was such a great experience.
Looks like you had an awesome culinary year! The roasted octopus in Portugal and meats in Italy look amazing. One of my favorite meals of the year was at Cuisine Wat Damnak in Siem Reap, Cambodia. They have a tasting menu using traditional recipes and local ingredients with French techniques. A very memorable meal!
Wow– I wish I would have known about that when I was there! I’ll have to keep that in mind for if I make it back. I love tasting menus.
ummm so …my mouth is watering now! Does food panda deliver all of these in Chiang Mai???? LOL We’ve never had Moroccan food and the dish here looks fantastic – I’ll be pinning this and hopefully geting to some of these places in 2017.
Thank you for pinning this- I appreciate it. If Food Panda delivered all of these places I would never leave my apartment!
This all looks amazing – I have to start making a more conscious effort to take photos of our food as we’re making our way around the world – reliving the memories through photographs almost makes you able to taste it again!! Kudos to Portugal for their roasted octopus with vegetables … looks delish!!
Here’s to many more exotic and amazing dishes in 2017!
This post has really made me hungry. I love dim sum. They are one of my favourite travels foods
You’ve certainly had a foodie year of note. Each of those dishes looks incredible. I must get to Lviv, you make it sounds like it’s really amazing. Definitely an energetic plate if I’ve ever seen one 🙂
Oh man, I had massive food envy in reading your post. I love dumplings, so HK is quite far up my list of travel destinations. Have tried Georgian wine – it was sooooo good. And regularly think about the food from Marrakech, particularly the tea! Good thing I just ate breakfast, otherwise my stomach and tastebuds would be quite upset.
Those are all mouthwatering! Traveling is more enjoyable when you get to try all those must-try local food. Happy New Year to you and looking forward to more of your amazing food finds!
Thank you very much! Happy New Year to you also!
I was in Georgia very recently and I got so surprised by the amazing food culture they have! They enjoy eating and drinking in a similar as we do in south Europe. You should also try the khinkali from Azerbaijan. They are smaller and put inside a chicken broth. Delicious!
I actually tried to visit there this summer but the visa was a bit tricky! I hope to make it there soon. I’ve heard it’s an interesting country!
Good thing I am sitting in a cafe right now because your post just made me so hungry! I will have to check out your Instagram too. I love coming across new (to me) foods as I travel! Better grab some recipes so you can make them on your own 😛
Yes! I agree. I would love to make some of these at home, or at least attempt it!
Looks like you had a tasty year! I’ve been dying to get to Georgia in no small part due to the food.
I really recommend it! The food and wine alone are worth a trip.
Yum, yum that is some great food. Always a steak fan I love the look at that T-bone with dill butter and cranberry sauce. Absolutely delicious. A good thing is T-bones can be bought nearly anywhere in the world, so I am off to the supermakets.
haha, nice! If you post a pic of yours on IG I would love you to tag me so I can see it!
wow… this is life ..lol, it appears to be a concise food guide of the world. This is amazing and I am sure the list is going to be longer in coming years. Keeping an eye on the upcoming dishes, try Indian Sub continent dishes as well it will not disappoint you.
Loved this culinary review format! Such an amazing way to remember your travels. You’ve now got me wanting to get to the Azores asap, and I’ve learned something new about Georgia wines.
You should go! The Azores are amazing. I hope to make it back one day, sooner rather than later.
They all sound really delicious! I had the same octopus dish in Portugal, agree that it was fantastic! Also the Georgian khinkali is one of my favorites.
It sounds like we like some of the same foods! I crave that octopus dish- it was so tender!
Getting hungry just reading this post.. Really want to visit Turkey and Marokko and try the foods there, looks super interesting!
Both of those countries have amazing food!
some great looking meals!I plan on going to both the ukraine and georgia this year so will be looking out for those meals!
Nice! If you need any help or suggestions about either places that I don’t cover in the blog feel free to ask. I’m happy to help.
Wow, now I’m hungry. These meals look absolutely delicious, and what beautiful presentations! Eating tasty, unique food is one of my favorite things about traveling; great post!
Thank you very much! This is definitely a post to avoid if you haven’t eaten yet!
not surprised that Italy made your list! You’ve had some awesome food experience. this is makingme drooool 😀
I think I could travel forever and ever and Italy would always make the list!
I’m always very concerned about getting sick while traveling. It can ruin an entire holiday. I tried some fruit from a fruit stand in Morocco and got very sick by the time I flew out of the country. Still, all of your photos look amazing, and I bet the food was, as well.
I must have a cast iron stomach- I so rarely get sick from food when I travel. **knocks wood**
I also enjoyed the food in Lviv. I wanted to go to The First Lviv Grill Restaurant of Meat and Justice but it was full. I will be back again in May though!
Try that steak when you go! Also, check out the guide I have for the top 5 spots in Lviv– there are lots of cool places there!
I love the choices. Kinkale in Georgia is very much like any momos or dumplings. You hit all the variety and great places for food globally.
yes, like momos except filled w/soup and much bigger!
Thank you for enlightening me about food around the world! I knew some of these places had great cuisine, but had never considered places like Georgia & Ukraine to be so tasty! Would love to try that Georgian dumpling soup.
You’re welcome! I hope if you get the chance to try any of these you’ll let me know what you think of them!
Well my gosh. I flipping love food and I loved checking out yours. How delicious! Ommmm nom nom nom nom 🙂
Thank you! I appreciate you saying that.
The Dim Sum looks amazing. The octopus, not so much, I’ve never been able to eat anything like that. Perhaps I’m missing out!
You are 100% missing out! Octopus is so good!
I wonder what meals 2017 will bring… 🙂 Nice photos and big fun of khinkali (form the photo so far but soon we’ll change it!)
I hope you get to try it soon! It really is amazing- I was so addicted to them the entire time I was there.
You have some great ones here and many I think I would add to my list – if I had one – but the Moroccan BBQ is the food experience of yours I remember those most from 2016. That was just amazing.
Yummm. Love seein’ good ol’ Rustic and Blue on there, since we’ve drooled over it together. Super curious about things that are new to us, like Georgia. Hmm!
You have to come back– so many new places to try! I found a place that makes pasta to order– it’s insane!
You’re on, Nathan. We miss ya! And awesome new food sounds wonderful.