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The world’s ‘finest meals’ as chosen by vacationers – from Italy to Florida

Sampling the local cuisine is a holiday highlight for many tourists.  

But where is the best food in the world? Holidaymakers have shared their opinions.

They took to Reddit to rave about the meals they’ll never forget after user ‘Pale_Field4584’ asked: ‘What’s the best food experience you’ve had in your travels?’

For many travellers, it wasn’t an expensive Michelin-star meal that stuck in their mind as their top dining memory.

Scroll down to discover some of the world’s most mouthwatering flavours…

Malaysia

One tourist experienced 'love at first bite' at an Indian restaurant on the Malaysian island of Penang after trying dosa - a thin pancake - as pictured here (stock image)

One tourist experienced ‘love at first bite’ at an Indian restaurant on the Malaysian island of Penang after trying dosa – a thin pancake – as pictured here (stock image)

Tourist ‘Du_alter_schwede’ says they visited a ‘rather ordinary looking Indian restaurant’ in Georgetown on the Malaysian island of Penang. They add: ‘I hesitated a bit looking at the menu written on the wall and the waiter approaches me. He says: “You sit down. You eat dosa”. It was love at first bite.’

Dosa is a type of thin pancake served with chutney or other sides.

Another poster says they can’t forget the taste of ‘durian flavoured Turkish ice- cream from a street vendor in Kuala Lumpur’.

Florida Keys, USA

For one tourist, the best dining experience is where you play a part in the cooking. 

They write: ‘We had spent the day fishing and snorkelling [in the Florida Keys]. We got back to camp and cooked mahi mahi [fish] in the coals of the fire with coconut rice. Ate it with our fingers as the sun went down.’

MAILONLINE TRAVEL’S TOP PICKS 

Ted Thornhill, Travel Editor

Greek salad, Corfu 

He says: ‘This is not a Greek salad as you’re imagining it (unless you’re Greek). In Greece they’re full meals in their own right, not a sideshow. Your plate is piled high with the freshest tomatoes and slabs of feta big enough to use as surfboards.’

Sophie Foster, Deputy Travel Editor 

Langoustine bisque, Iceland 

She says: ‘My fiancé and I stopped at a  café in Grindavik, Iceland, for all-you-can-eat Humarsúpa (langoustine bisque). It was creamy and rich served with Skyr butter and dark, dense bread. In the November cold, it was ambrosia despite being the cheapest meal of our trip.’

Jessica Hamilton, Travel Reporter

Gỏi cuốn, Vietnam 

Jess says: ‘Gỏi cuốn, or Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, are filled with shrimp, fresh herbs and crisp lettuce and wrapped in thin rice paper. After trying every single food option Vietnam had to offer, I loved these rolls as a refreshing and light break. The tangy fish sauce I dunked them in, making them more sauce than roll, was the cherry on top.’

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Germany

Sometimes it’s the simple dishes that are the best. ‘Reading_username’ dreams of their ‘first bratwurst in a cheap roll with German mustard’ in Munich.

‘Tazdevil64’ says: ‘The Autogrills on the side of the freeways in Germany had some of the best food I’ve ever had. Massive turkeys, roasts and homemade minestrone with shaved Parmesan cheese! To die for!’

Italy

'Simple Margherita drizzled with olive oil' served at a pizzeria in Pompeii, Italy, was the meal of choice for one tourist (stock image)

‘Simple Margherita drizzled with olive oil’ served at a pizzeria in Pompeii, Italy, was the meal of choice for one tourist (stock image) 

From pasta to gelato, Italy is top of the food bucket list for many travellers.

‘Gardenclue’ says they had a ‘religious experience’ eating ‘caramelised onion focaccia from a street cart in Genoa’. 

Another tourist says they have ‘never had another pizza come close’ to one enjoyed at a pizzeria outside Pompeii. They say: ‘Simple Margherita, drizzled with olive oil, flash cooked in a wood-fired oven and devoured on the spot.’

Thailand

Some dishes eaten abroad feel almost impossible to recreate. ‘Witchyswitchstitch’ says: ‘My husband and I call it boat soup…it was a seafood noodle soup we bought off a floating market boat/food stall south of Bangkok. No idea what was in it. A decade later, I can’t even recall the specific ingredients. Just how delicious it was.’

The Seychelles

For some travellers, the taste they most remember is simple.

‘Goddessllovebroccoli’ says: ‘Mine would be the little pears we bought at a market in the Seychelles. We used to hike in unbelievable heat to watch even more unbelievable views from above. Sitting on top of the rocks, we would eat the juicy pears and get splattered with drops of seawater from the waves. Pure paradise.’

Finland

Sautéed reindeer with lingonberry sauce, seen above, is a popular Finnish dish and a favourite of one traveller (stock image)

Sautéed reindeer with lingonberry sauce, seen above, is a popular Finnish dish and a favourite of one traveller (stock image) 

Reindeer isn’t a meat many people have tried outside of certain regions, but it’s delicious according to ‘Gardener4525’ who says of their favourite food memory: ‘Eating sautéed reindeer with pureed mashed potatoes with lingonberry sauce on the side when travelling through Finland. I absolutely love reindeer meat.’

Vietnam

A dream, yet budget, meal for one holidaymaker was bun cha, as pictured here, a noodle dish from Hanoi, Vietnam (stock image)

A dream, yet budget, meal for one holidaymaker was bun cha, as pictured here, a noodle dish from Hanoi, Vietnam (stock image) 

‘AdventureTimeMadness’ says one of their best budget meals was: ‘Bun cha in Hanoi, Vietnam. Charred chicken, veggies, salty spicy fish sauce, with vermicelli on the street.’ 

The noodle dish is thought to have originated in the Vietnamese capital and is served throughout the Southeast Asian nation.