Exotic culinary tours around the world

By cnn |  January 24, 2013

Eating and cooking one's way through a country is one of the best ways to understand and enjoy a culture. The raw ingredients, finished dishes and smells, tastes and traditions in between meld into unforgettable sensory experiences.

Tour operators are offering an increasing number of trips that cater to their guests' desire to taste -- and cook -- their way through a destination. These newer excursions go far beyond familiar gastronomic pilgrimages to Tuscany. Hungry globetrotters are keen to visit goat-cheese producers in Iceland, with the likes of food writer and chef Jody Eddy; sample street food in Vietnam on a trip with Artisans of Leisure; or press their own olive oil in Egypt during a journey with Backpacker Concierge.

Our list highlights some of the very best culinary tours around, all of which prove that travel has never tasted so good.

Artisans of Leisure, Vietnam

After the S-shape curve of the country from north to south, Artisans of Leisure's private, custom Vietnam for Foodies tours take in cultural and gustatory attractions along the way. Trips start in Hanoi, where guests explore the city's famed markets, colonial architecture, historical sites and French-influenced restaurants.

Next they hop on a traditional junk for a sail across Halong Bay, whose waters teem with prawns, oysters, squid and snapper that are staples of the local cuisine. Visits to the former imperial city of Hue, a vegetarian Buddhist monastery and the herb farms around Hoi An follow (participants pick lemongrass, basil and cilantro and use them to make fresh spring rolls).

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