This g rowi ng trend of cul i na ry travel has a l so i nspi red i nterna tiona l chefs to take up cul i na ry travel s wi th many today l ead i ng travel l ers over ‘chef-l ed tours’. These speci a l i zed tours not j ust offer a pl a tform for chefs to showcase and sha re thei r knowl edge but a re a means to enri ch and sha rpen thei r ski l l s too. Chef-l ed tours a re an extraord i na ry gastronomi c journey as they present a ra re opportuni ty for cul i na ry travel ers to d i scover, i ndul ge and i nteract and a l l ow both the chef and the travel ers to take a l ong l oca l i deas and authenti c recipes i nto thei r ki tchens. A cul i na ry travel er i s today wi l l i ng to travel anywhere to seek and experience the i ntense, compl ex, and l ayered fl avours of cui si nes na ti ve to a desti na tion---maki ng food touri sm a g l oba l phenomenon wi th the choi ce of desti na tions spread across the g l obe. And thi s augmented i nterest i n food and food cul ture i s an opportuni ty for touri sm stakehol ders, i ncl ud i ng food travel ers to gol oca l , whi ch makes na ti ve ea teries, establ i shments where food trad i tion i s bei ng fol l owed over genera tions and fami l y-run homestays hol d g rea t promi se for gastronomi c travel . Where cooki ng trad i tions a re sti l l preserved , where every d i sh has a story, where one can unea rth the cul ture to whi ch the d i sh bel ongs, where the d i sh i s not onl y speci a l to those who prepa re i t, but a l so for those who a re wi l l i ng to embrace i ts heri tage---here i s your cul i na ry desti na tion. A few tips to prepa re and extract the maximum from your gastronomi c tour: - Get an overview of the cul i na ry cul ture of the desti na tion you woul d l i ke to vi si t. - I denti fy not j ust restaurants and l oca l pl aces to ea t but a l so d i shes tha t you woul d want to savour, remember l oca l i s the word . - I f the cui si ne i s very new to new to you, sta rt wi th sma l l er portions and sl owl y bui l d your pa l a te to appreci a te a ful l mea l . - Over a cul i na ry demo; document the deta i l s, i nvol ve i n every process, noti ce how the d i sh i s evol vi ng through the process, ask and cl ea r every doubt. - Noti ce the cookwa re too. You need a speci a l pan to make hoppers, one whi ch you may not be ava i l abl e a t your pl ace. So, a l so the i ng red ients add them a l l to your buy l i st. - Take photos of the i ng red ients, the process and the fi ni shed product, i ncl ud i ng i ts presenta tion and accompaniments. - Pa rti cipa te i n a l l cul i na ry acti vi ties, be i t l oca l ma rket vi si ts, spi ce pl anta tion tours, fa rm trips, etc. , these a re an important aspects of your gastronomi c journey. - Remember tha t the success of your cul i na ry travel depends on you more than anyone or anythi ng so travel wi th an open mi nd , take the i ni ti a ti ve, engage and enjoy everythi ng tha t comes on the pl a tter. #FINEDININGINDIAN | 26 JUNE 2019
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