Do you plan your European vacations around food? In some way, Europe's top regions for travelers are also tops in the food and wine department. In fact, it seems like foodie Europe starts with the production of wine and beer, and the enjoyment of good food and regional cooking styles follow.
Below you'll find my picks for the regions of western Europe with the best food. You might think of other places, and you'll find a link below where you can tell us about your favorite region (or even city) for eating well.
And...they're in alphabetical order. No perferences are to be infered.
1. Alsace Region, France
James Martin, Europe Travel, licensed to About.com
Alsace has a rich culinary heritage, and a high number of Michelin starred restaurants as well (27 one star restaurants).
If you're touring France in a car then pick a nice medieval village along the Alsace Wine Route like Riquewihr and enjoy the beauty, wines, and food of this interesting region. If you're touring by train, the larger cites like Colmar and Strasbourg will do quite well too.
Look for one of the many winstubs, wine bars, in the area, especially in Kayserberg and Riquewiihr.
Walkers might like the Alsace Gastronomy and Scavenger Hunts, in which "each team, provided with a travel diary, will discover the village, its vineyards, and the chosen theme by solving riddles and word puzzles."
2. Baden Wurttemberg, Germany
Pfalz Picture © James Martin, licensed to About.com
You might not think beyond piles of fat sausages and enormous steins of beer when you think of German food, but my first visit to the Hotel Restaurant Rebmann in Leinsweiler, along Germany's southern wine route, quickly dispelled that myth.
Baden Wurttemberg, the region in the southwest corner of Germany, hosts two neighboring wine regions, the Pfalz and Rheinhessen. Rheinhessen is huge, every fourth bottle of German wine comes from there. Along with this wine comes good food, and Baden Wurttemberg has many fine restaurants. And, the wine and food is considerably less expensive than that found in nearby Alsace.
More for foodies: Catch a German Wine Festival | Try a Flammkuchen | See some pictures of Germany's Southern Wine Route.
3. Basque Country, Spain and France
James Martin
Especially in Spain, the recent hype over the food in Basque country is well-deserved. Belly up to the first bar you see in Spain's Basque region and try some 'pintxos' (the Basque word for pinchos, which is another name for 'tapas'). In France, Gascony and the Basque Country share high expectations for food as well. If you're on a budget, have the menú del día at the Guggenheim Restaurant in Bilbao, where you can get a semi-gourmet meal for under 20€.
4. The Alentejo, Portugal
James Martin
Portugal, in general, is much overlooked as a foodie destaination. But head east out of Lisbon to the quiet contryside of the Alentejo and you'll soon come to Portugal's newest wine region, eating pata negra from the famed Iberian black footed pig or chowing down on Carne de Porco de Alentejana, pork with clams (recipe), a very interesting and tasty combination. Unlike many southern destinations, Portugal is soup country, and the off-season tourist will be amazed at the choices. Chouriços, the most popular of Portuguese sausages, contriibutes flavor to many dishes. It's a pork eater paradise, this Alentejo.
Related: Take a trip on the Alentejo Wine Routes.
5. Tuscany, Italy
Torre del Lago Puccini Picture © James Martin, Wanderers Eye Travel Photography
Simple food, cucina povera, the cooking of the (mostly rural) poor. Too simple for some folks, the cooking here relies on fresh and local ingredients prepared to let their natural flavors show through. In rural Tuscany, folks really do make their own salami and eat local foods. If you have a car, find a country agriturismo that produces its own wine, olive oil, and vegetables and start your foodie vacation there. If you don't have a car and still want the rural experience, stay in a larger town like Lucca, accessable by train, and hire a guide like Wish Versilia to give you a foodie tour of traditional Gafagnana haunts.
Foodies who like more complex food and a wider variety of local cheeses may prefer Piemonte or Emilia Romagna.
6. But What About Europe's Smaller Countries?
"Forlorn Man Contemplates Enormous Pork Hock" © Martha Bakerjian, Italy Travel
The problem is, of course, that small countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg don't have traditional regional food within their boundaries. Yes, the food varies from city to city, but that's not the focus of this exercise. Rest assured that there are indeed reasons for foodies to make the pilgrimage to Belgium. About.com's guide to Culinary Travel offers her suggestions for The Best Belgian Food Experiences for Travelers. And we have a whole site devoted to Dutch Cooking. And as for Luxembourg, well, not enough of you go there. Some of the best food I've had in Europe has been in Luxembourg.
