Featured image: Maureen Littlejohn shares her tips on how to find a food tour that mixes local flavours and history | Photo provided by Maureen Littlejohn

A culinary travel writer shares her secrets on how to find a food tour

by Maureen Littlejohn

My first day in Cartagena, Colombia, I signed up for an afternoon food tour. I gobbled spicy camarones (shrimps) from a street stall topped with a huge sombrero vueltiao,  slurped pulpy slices of fruit I’d never seen before, including gulupa (from the passion fruit family) from a vendor’s cart, and lingered over a sweet pastilla con queso and guava at the hopping bakery Pandebono.

Not only did I find out what I liked (and didn’t like), but I also knew where it was safe to go when I had a certain craving. Hygiene is paramount for me, and I find that successful food tour companies will not risk their reputations on dodgy vendors. Over the years, I’ve found a good food tour gives me insight into the roots of traditions. Plus, it opens my eyes to the area’s agriculture, markets, holiday rituals, and often the architecture and even politics of a place.

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Different options for food tours

Food tours come in many sizes and shapes, from social and entertaining to educational and academic. Or a combination of all four.

It’s easy to book a half-day walking tour on the fly. There are online sites such as Viator, GetYourGuide, Devour, Eating Europe, and Eatwith. I often sign up for something after I have arrived at a destination and have figured out where I can slot it into my itinerary.

Choosing a local food tour

From Cartagena to Istanbul, from Hanoi to Guadalajara, I’ve found half-day food tours are a great way to discover delicious local haunts. Plus, they help me get my bearings in neighbourhoods I’m unfamiliar with.

What I also love about a food tour is that they guide you away from tourist traps and take you to hidden spots that locals love. For instance, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Melissa Hogan with St. John’s Walking Tours took our group to the Duke on Duckworth for the best fish and chips in town. It would have been hard to find on my own because every pub claims to have the best.

On my St. John’s tour, the only cola available was Pepsi. Why no Coke? Melissa told us the Coca-Cola bottling plant had been moved to the mainland in 1989 after much protest from the citizens who lost their jobs. In retaliation, islanders became Pepsi drinkers since Pepsi still has a bottling plant there.

She shared another beverage tidbit.

“Pineapple Crush is made at the bottling plant. It’s hard to find outside Newfoundland. We love everything pineapple.”

In Guadalajara, I took a private tour with Tlaneztli Barajas, a local hospitality student I found online. She took me to one of the largest indoor markets in the world, Mercado San Juan de Dios. Passing stall after stall, I watched vendors make birria tatemada tortillas filled with marinated goat meat and cheese. Others ladled out steaming bowls of menudo, a spicy tripe stew, or concocted tacos stuffed with fish and shrimp. I learned that menudo’s roots lay in pre-revolution Mexico as a way to utilize parts of the animal that were usually discarded.

“It’s become a popular hangover cure,” noted Barajas with a smile.

How to find a food tour that’s right for you

Food tours are advertised everywhere, from online accommodation booking sites to travel agencies to tourism offices. How can you find the right one, at the right price?

I have a few personal rules of thumb. I like a guide who is from the area. For instance, in Hanoi, I chose between a private tour run by Australians and a group run by locals. The local one was a third of the price of the Australians’. I asked friends about their experience with the Australians. They liked it, but I wasn’t convinced. I compared their offerings to what the local tour had listed on its website. The types of dishes were almost identical. I didn’t mind social interaction with strangers and picked the local one.  The food, conviviality, and price were right up my alley.

Sometimes there are considerations. A deep dive into culinary history and tradition requires a specialist.

 Find the perfect food tour in any city on GetYourGuide.

“If you want more of a learning experience, look for a culinary tourist guide who is a cultural anthropologist, historian, or chef,” advised Erik Wolf, founder and executive director of the World Food Travel Association (WFTA).

For that kind of guide, it is important to see if the food tour company lists any industry awards and confirms guides are licensed. Accredited training, such as that provided by the WFTA, is also an indicator of quality.

“Look for a licensed tourist guide. Although not all destinations require a license, it is your best way to filter out the non-professionals. Then look to see if the guides have a background in culinary heritage, culture, or the culinary arts of the destination,” emphasized Wolf.

Elise Botiveau agrees. As the founder of Bechamels, a food and travel company based in Paris, she specializes in culinary tourism, education, events, and food tours.

What does she believe makes the best guided culinary experience?

“A proper tour should explore all the dimensions of food: Taste and combining tastes as with wine and food pairing; culinary history and geography to understand the origin of the product; techniques of production; the place (in the street or a bistrot); and background on the people who are making the food.”

What makes a good guide?

“Someone who helps you understand what you’re eating and how to eat it.”

One way to find a tour that will work for you is to read reviews. “Don’t limit yourself to the number of ‘stars’. Read the reviews to see if it will meet your expectations,” she advises.

Hussein Dehghan, based in Tehran, represents the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations and covers Asia and West Africa. He leads workshops, trains guides, and runs food tours.

When leading a group in his home city of Yazd, his tour guests bake bread, visit a farm, taste honey and olives, and sometimes prepare a simple local dish. A favourite activity he’s found for his clients?

“Eating pomegranates from a rooftop in the old city as the sun sets.”

When you book a tour, Hussein advises you to tell the organizer about your allergies and preferences.

There’s nothing worse than going on a tour and realizing you can’t eat something. Plus, the organizer needs to know ahead of time so they can give you a separate tasting.

How can you judge whether you’ve had a good food tour?

“It either meets, or goes beyond, your expectations,” says Hussein.

In other words, both your mind and tastebuds are tingling.

Bon appetite!

How to find a food tour: Things to consider

1. Look for a local, licensed guide.

2. A bonus is an accreditation from an industry leader in culinary tourism such as WFTA.

3. Overwhelmed by the choices available? Consider a specialty food tour such as chocolate or cheese.

4. If you want a deep learning experience, look for a guide with a background in culinary heritage, culinary culture, or culinary arts in the destination.

5. Consider if you want a private or group tour. Private tours are more expensive.

6. Ask if the price of food is included. It usually is, but not always.

7. Figure out how much time you have.

8. Wear good walking shoes and stretchy pants.

9. Don’t eat before the tour.

10. Read the reviews to get an idea of what to expect.

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