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Food speaks volumes without words just as much as a picture does. Take note it covers a diverse setting to include culture, style, taste, blend, and so much more. With this much in one plate, no wonder we have seen a tremendous rise in the number of tourists every year yearning after the kitchen more than anything else. It is clear the amount of wine tasting seminaries, cake sample shows, restaurant nights out, and the likes have nodded in agreement with the direction food tours are going.
A large percentage of travelers have indicated that food and a great dining experience plays an integral role in making their time much better spent. From getting the chance to meet their favorite Chef from that TV show, getting to prepare the meals in cooking classes or even dining with the locals is what truly creates the memories. Most bucket list these days include eating local or engaging in the whole food preparation process.
Why Are Food Tours on the Rise?
Every so often, we have heard the term “food is the staff of life,” and tourists alike will agree with this. Experiencing different cuisine from various parts of the world is a high interest for travelers. Thus, most regions have invested in the culture of providing a “food trip” experience. Food tours help to bring awareness to the locals and what they have to offer in terms of flavor, taste, aroma, and food choices. Ingredients also have everything to do with it as a combination of the regular and the native helps to create a huge difference when one indulges.
Food Tourism Trends
In the last few years, we have seen countries implementing a new tactic as it relates to food and tourism. They are getting the tourists involved! At various times throughout the year, different countries host cooking shows and food expos, which is a significant attraction methodology for travelers. This as they gain the opportunity to:
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- Indulge in the preparation processes of their favorite meals or that of the local cuisine
- Join cooking classes and expand their menu while being tutored directly by locals
- Connect in cooking seminars and/or sessions with famous food figures
- Dine with locals as a complimentary benefit of Airbnb services
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Also, local restaurants do host “local food nights” during the week to allow tourists to enjoy what the natives grow and/or produce. Ever heard of Farm-to-Table? Well, this, too, is a significant hit in food and tourism as they get to enjoy the “raw and fresh taste” of their favorite fruits and vegetables they generally buy from the stores. Travelers also get the privilege of engaging in wineries, distilleries, food tasting sessions, or even street-style cooking. Not sure what street style is? Take Jamaica, for instance: so many people are used to ‘oven jerk,’ while in Jamaica it is done on open flames, marinated by the fresh smoke and herbs.
Tourism and food give the advantage of being up close and personal with farms to include animal-rearing ranches, wineries, and vegetable farms, among others. While getting to understand and learn about each food, travelers can also participate in food harvesting and festivals while collecting their little bits to take back home. For sure, it is a challenge worth taking up and engaging in! Wanna be a part of this fun experience but don’t know where to start? Engage the services of a local tour guide!
I was able to work with an incredible food tour company on my last visit to Omaha and sample a few of their amazing clients. Omaha Culinary Tours led us thorough some of the tastiest locales in their town by our taste buds. We were in the Old Market area, Blackstone District, and more as we tasted delicacies from our Omaha Food Trip. I was amazed at the knowledge shared by our guide as well as her obvious relationship to the places we visited. She totally knew her stuff!
Food Tours we sampled:
Nestled in the heart of the old market, Le Bouillon treated our taste buds to an amazing version of their Austrian pancake called Kaiserschmarrn. Complete with berry butter, blueberries, and fresh whipped cream? Syrup wasn’t even needed!
While I am far from being vegan, I could almost be converted when eating at Amateur Coffee! The vegan (and gluten free!) waffle was beyond amazing and the oat milk pumpkin spice latte just nailed it! This is not a place I would have ventured to myself, but would now seek it out. It certainly seemed popular with the locals and had a steady stream of traffic while we munched.
The wood roasted beets & fried kale salad of Dante still is making me drool – it came dressed with butter, bourbon & brown sugar with cashews.
I never would have tried the radish dish from Kitchen Table on my own! After the Sweet Potato soup with grilled bread, this was my favorite – and is blended with house cultured butter, dukkah seasoning, and fresh cilantro.
Omaha Locals must love Hardy Coffee as they even deliver! I am in love with their cherry almond sweet scones… but my compadres raved about their loaded breakfast burritos that were full of: eggs, chorizo, potatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, green chilis, cheese, refried beans, scallions, and seasoning all wrapped in a flour tortilla.
Noli’s Pizzeria exposed me to kambucha for the first time. They make and flavor it themselves, using their special reverse osmosis water treatment system. That same water makes their uber-light and airy pizza crust that is also used for bagels and the croutons in their salads.
Our gastronomic tour would not have been complete without a great dessert! The Coneflower Creamery touts farm-to-scoop specialty ice creams. Their unique and amazing flavors will ruin you for “normal” ice cream. Locally sourced supplies and a final product that has no preservatives or stabilizers? You can almost indulge guilt-free!
Whisk and Measure is another place I wouldn’t have gone on my own – but discovered this hidden gem as part of our foodie adventure! Keto. Vegan. Gluten Free. Paleo. One place that can cater to all of that and also offer classes? Ah-Ma-Zing.
Can you see how food tour vacations are possible? You can visit an area and really dip into the local flavors that make it so unique. You will not find those edible treats at your local national chain eateries. Food tasting is so much fun – and with experts like Omaha Culinary Tours taking you around? You will learn about so much more than the food as you nibble!
Great Visitor Tip:
The Omaha Savings Pack gives visitors more $300 in exclusive discounts to top Omaha attractions. With nothing to download, the Savings Pack will be instantly delivered via text and email and allows for easy mobile redemption.
Other articles on the Omaha Area:
- Henry Doorley Zoo and Aquarium is Mindblowing Fun for Littles
- Look Again at the Coco Key Omaha Water Park Hotel
- Being Inspired with Colin and Jessica Duggan of Kitchen Table
- A Conversation with Chef Nick Strawhecker of Dante’s Pizza
- The Impact of Agritoursim on Local Communities
