Tourists share the dishes they fell in love with abroad and can’t stop eating – from a French staple to a New York speciality

It’s certainly food for thought.

A recent Reddit discussion has highlighted how trips abroad can permanently change a traveler’s diet, with commenters revealing foreign dishes they’ve eaten during their travels that they now can’t stop eating.

‘Coffeewalnut05’ opened the discussion with the question: ‘What is a dish that you fell in love with during your travels and that you now eat regularly?’

A range of responses followed, with users highlighting addictive dishes they’d tasted in New York State, Singapore, Brazil and the Balkans, among others.

And don’t worry, France, one of your staple foods will do too. Read on if you’re hungry for more…

acai, Brazil

Acai, pronounced ‘ah-sigh-ee’, are small purple berries that grow on palm trees in South America. They are often served in smoothie bowls and according to some travelers, tasting acai will definitely leave you wanting more.

Coffeewalnut05′ writes: ‘For me it’s acai from my time in Brazil. The classic acai ice cream with granola and banana is a favorite, but I prefer acai in its more “pure” form as pulp/puree, so I sometimes order that to have at home.

‘Unfortunately in my country it’s not common to find acai like this in shops, and acai bowls are only a thing in specific places like London and some coastal areas.’

‘Lorlei’ agreed, adding: ‘So happy to see acai mentioned! To be honest, I miss living abroad every day.’

Baguette and butter, France

French baguettes are so delicious that they have earned UNESCO status. And many travelers can’t eat enough baguette.

‘Itsthekumar’ says they love ‘baguette and French butter’.

User ‘Sain197’ loves the combination of ‘baguette, cheese and cheap red wine for dinner’ when in Paris, and ‘Pwlife’ said that after a trip to France they make ‘baguette almost every weekend’.

Cinnamon sprinkled orange slices, Morocco

According to several travelers, the oranges sprinkled with cinnamon in Morocco are impossible to peel.

‘Brown_burrito’ writes: ‘These are so tasty! The cinnamon sugar takes it to the next level. And if you want to make it extra special, you can buy a crème brulee torch and glaze the cinnamon sugar. That makes them even better!’

‘Timbomcchoi’ says: ‘Oh wow, I forgot about this one, thank you!’

Onigiri, Japan

Onigiri are Japanese rice balls, often filled with fillings such as salmon, and wrapped in seaweed.

‘Melonpan78’ says: ‘I discovered them in Japan, I make them myself at least once a week. I usually add spicy chicken or salmon mayo.’

‘Kikicataku’ says, ‘Same! Every time I go to the Japanese market near me, I get a pickled plum onigiri and tuna mayo!’

Pasteis de nata, Portugal

Although the world has thousands of tasty desserts, nata exists just like a Portuguese custard pie.

‘Ehs5’ says: ‘After my first trip to Lisbon in 2017, I’m longing for it all the time. But well-made ones are not easy to find here in Norway.’

‘Janet – snake hole-‘ says: ‘This is also what I came here to say! It’s now my favorite dessert to bake at home.’

And ‘Get-Me-Hennimore’ notes: ‘I’ve only had the one from Lidl in the UK. They are very tasty, but I think they are far from real?’

Buffalo wings, USA

Tasting buffalo wings started a lifelong affair for one traveler, ‘Rude-Illustrator-884’, who says, ‘This is going to sound crazy, but buffalo wings. I grew up in the Middle East and never had them before.

“We stopped by Buffalo, New York, on a trip from NYC to Niagara Falls and we got some wings there because my parents wanted me to try it since we were in Buffalo. I fell in love with buffalo wings.”

‘Toomuchsauce68’ adds: ‘When my grandmother came to visit us in the US from Vietnam, buffalo wings became her favorite thing too.’

Tomatoes, Europe

Sometimes it’s the simple ingredients that are incredibly tasty.

‘Cakeit-tillyoumakeit’ says: ‘For the first 24 years of my life I hated tomatoes, but then I went to Italy and fell in love with Caprese salads and bruschetta and now I love tomatoes. My family couldn’t believe it when I came home and started eating tomatoes.’

‘Taace1ila’ says: ‘Same! I hated tomatoes until I ate a traditional Greek salad in Greece. Now I eat tomatoes at farmers markets in the summer.”

Pandan cake, Singapore

The grassy taste of the tropical plant pandan is a winner for some commenters, with user ‘Another-story’ answering the question asked with ‘pandan cake!’

They continue, “I bought four bottles of extract the last time I was in Singapore. I’m moving to a new apartment at the end of this month and I’ve decided [pandan cake] is the first thing I’m going to bake to celebrate.’

‘Marcybq’ adds: ‘Anything with pandan flavor whenever I can find it, which is rare. Had a lot of these in South East Asia and can’t get enough of that mild grassy taste.’

Haggis, United Kingdom

Haggis is made from the heart, liver, stomach and lungs of sheep, with the latter ingredient being illegal to import into the US since 1971.

American user ‘Far-link-7533’ tried it in London and was impressed, revealing: ‘I tried it for the first time in London and it was incredibly delicious. Not what I expected anyway, and if I could find it in the States, I would.”

Pan con tomate, Spain

Simple but tasty: the Spanish pan con tomate, grilled bread with tomatoes, is a real winner for a few travelers.

‘Educational-Unit3746’ says they make it with their own sourdough and tomatoes from their garden.

‘Outside-Limit-3084’ comment: ‘Second this! I add a little chili oil and eat it twice a week.’

Ajvar, Balkans

Ajvar is a red pepper paste popular in the Balkans that, according to some Reddit users, “works perfectly.”

‘Schnitzalbrain’ writes: ‘I absolutely love this stuff. It’s like a sauce of roasted peppers and vegetables and it’s just perfect. I usually take a spicy one and eat it with scrambled eggs.’

‘Gratusin’ says: ‘My wife is Slovenian, so it seems like half of our garden is devoted to making ajvar. We can eat it and eat it all year round. It is the ultimate seasoning. I make a spicy version with New Mexico peppers and it’s perfection.”

Spaghetti carbonara, Italy

On the other hand, two travelers said that the Italian Carbonara was so delicious that they have not been able to eat it outside the country.

‘Nzhawkster1’ says: ‘I recently ate spaghetti carbonara while on holiday in Italy, and it was so good that I will never eat it again unless I’m in Italy because nothing else comes close.’

‘AndyVale’ adds: ‘The guanciale (salted pork cheek) was the big difference for me. Pancetta or sliced ​​bacon doesn’t crisp up on the outside or melt on the inside like it does.”