Celebrate Local Cuisine with USTOA Tour Operators

September is marked by Eat Local Day on the 22nd, and it’s got me drooling just thinking about all the different USTOA tour operators who offer culinary tours where you can connect to new destinations through gastronomy. From immersive cooking classes with expert chefs to visits to the farms where local ingredients are sourced, the possibilities to satiate your global appetite are endless.

The first stop on our global food journey is Vietnam with Abercrombie & Kent’s Flavors of Vietnam. From street food gems to two different Michelin-starred restaurants, experience the breadth of flavor Vietnam has to offer. In Hanoi, try pho and bun cha on a guided street food tour. Get to know the rural Mekong Delta with visits to a mushroom farm and grapefruit orchard.

Next up, Morocco with Collette’s Colors of Morocco. You will experience the country's diverse landscape with stops in bustling cities, small villages, the Sahara Desert and breathtaking views of the Atlas Mountains. Learn how to make traditional Moroccan tagine using herbs and vegetables from an on-site garden during a cooking class in Marrakech. Sip vintage wine and tour the cellars of a winery estate outside of Fes.

Explore two South Caucasus countries with Alexander + Roberts’ Ancient Cultures: Armenia and Georgia. Visit Armenia’s Yerevan Brandy Company where Churchill’s favorite brandy has been crafted since 1887. Stroll through GUM Market and try Armenian delicacies like sujukh, a candy-dipped nut treat, and lavash, the country’s beloved ultra-thin bread. Dine with a Georgian family that has lived in the mountains for generations.

For a culinary expedition that spans land and sea, Hurtigruten’s Culinary Voyage introduces guests to Norwegian gastronomy. Onboard, enjoy multi-course tasting menus, an Indigenous Sámi cooking demonstration and sip Havets Bobler, a sparkling wine that is sea-aged in a hidden Arctic fjord. On land, tour an ecological farm, dig into a seaweed-inspired lunch and sip beers brewed with Arctic water at a family-run brewery that dates to 1877.

Trafalgar brings guests on a culinary journey through Brazil and Argentina on their Impressions of South America tour. In a beachside demonstration, learn to make Brazil’s iconic caipirinha cocktail before attending a lively barbecue at a local churrascaria. In Argentina, visit a family-run gaucho ranch where you’ll indulge in a feast of empanadas, sizzling steak hot off the grill and flan with dulce de leche for dessert.