Top 10 Food and Wine Europe Destinations

TripAdvisor has announced its Travellers Awards for the best Top 10 Food and Wine Destinations in Europe.

1. Florence, Italy

Florence is literally the birthplace of a lot of the Western dishes that are available today. In no way does Florence claim to be home to some of the greatest cuisines, but they will not deny that they have cuisine that is not challenged by any other region in the world. They leave it up to the tourist to determine if they really have the best cuisine.

As with most cities that are similar in essence to Florence, a lot of the more affordable eateries can be found around the main railway station. The more expensive eateries can be found in the center of the city. In Oltrarno, there are some great moderately to high priced restaurants that you’ll never forget. They have cuisine that is quite unique compared to some of the other places you may eat at.

The best way to experience Florence cuisine is to order dishes that are traditional to the region. If not, you may experience dishes that are similar to what you have already tried in your home country. Again, Florence is home to a lot of the Western dishes that countries such as the United States and Canada enjoy. The reason why you want to stick with what is traditional to the region is because many of these restaurants have stuck to the peasant traditions. This involves combining simple cooking methods with basic ingredients. This may not sound like much, but the truth is that the results are rather astounding. It is hard to believe that such basic cooking can yield such great results, but that is what makes Cuisine in Florence so unique. They’re not trying to dress things up. They’re just sticking with what they know. In other words, they have adhered to what many have lost throughout the years and that is the taste of tradition.

2. Paris, France

Paris remains one of the most exciting and compelling food cities in the world. It is a city in which you can splurge hundreds or thousands of dollars on a single meal or where you can get a meal cooked by an expert chef for as little as 30 euros as you can at a restaurant such as Les Papilles or Aux Deux Amis. In recent years there has been the emergence of classy wine bars and special places known as cave-à-manger where you can buy a bottle of wine to take home or you can take it to the table and have a simple meal.

3. Rome, Italy

When in Rome, you should do as the Romans do by eating some of the city's typical dishes. Heavier on meat and butter and less focused on pasta with red sauce (as is the stereotypical Italian menu), Roman food – la cucina romana – may not be ideal for dieters or carnivores, but a taste of it will bring you and your palate a little closer to an authentic Roman experience.

4. Sorrento, Italy

Having an old culture of hospitality, making it one of the most famous tourist resorts in the world, Sorrento offers its visitors numerous attractions, which are natural, historical, artistic and wine-gastronomical.

5. York, England

The traditional cuisine of Yorkshire is known for using rich tasting ingredients, especially with regard to sweet dishes, which were affordable for the majority of people. There are several dishes which originated in Yorkshire or are heavily associated with it Yorkshire pudding, a savoury batter dish, is by far the best known of Yorkshire foods, and is eaten throughout England. It is commonly served with roast beef and vegetables to form part of the Sunday roast. Other foods associated with the county include: Yorkshire curd tart, a curd tart recipe with rosewater; Parkin, a sweet ginger cake which is different from standard ginger cakes in that it includes oatmeal and treacle; and Wensleydale cheese, a cheese associated with Wensleydale and often eaten as an accompaniment to sweet foods. The beverage ginger beer, flavoured with ginger, came from Yorkshire and has existed since the mid 18th century. Liquorice sweet was first created by George Dunhill from Pontefract, who in the 1760s thought to mix the liquorice plant with sugar. Yorkshire and in particular the city of York played a prominent role in the confectionery industry, with chocolate factories owned by companies such as Rowntree's, Terry's and Thorntons inventing many of Britain's most popular sweets. Another traditional Yorkshire food is pikelets which are similar to crumpets but much thinner. The Rhubarb Triangle is a location within Yorkshire which supplies most of the rhubarb to locals.

6. Siena, Italy

Sienese cuisine has its roots in Etruscan and Roman cooking, but it was in Medieval times that the ancient dishes gained new life through the importation of spices. Spicy Panforte and the vanilla that flavors the Ricciarelli are examples of the way the new spices were used in Senese cooking. Today's cooks in Siena rely more on high quality local ingredients, as well as the aromatic herbs grown in the countryside that surrounds Siena. Among the favorite herbs used in Siena are wild tarragon and calamint. Many dishes in Siena, such as beans and grain, require slow cooking, and the tradition of leisurely dining that follows is strong here. Of all the foods of Siena, perhaps the sweets are the most well known. No one who passes through here can ignore the tempting pasticcerias, and the large number of shops that sell Panforte. Riccarelli and Cavallucci are both made with almond paste, and have a crunch and inner softness that is addictive.

7. Bologna, Italy

Bologna claims to be Italy’s culinary capital. The list of foods originating in Bologna and the surrounding area—lasagna, tortellini, “spaghetti bolognese”, Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese—reads like a what’s what of Italian cuisine. Then there’s “bologna” itself (or rather, the gargantuan but delicately flavored mortadella), along with pretty much any other cured pork products you can imagine. The food in the Emilia-Romagna region is less about tomatoes and olive oil and more about butter and cream, which makes it a great place to visit in the cold weather; there’s nothing better than sitting down to a mountain of eggy golden pasta swathed in cheese when it’s foggy and freezing outside. Autumn and winter also bring chestnuts, mushrooms, truffles and game—all perfectly accompanied by a bottle of deep purple Sangiovese di Romagna.

8. San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastian is one of the hottest culinary destinations on earth. The exquisite cuisine attract tourists from all parts of the world. San Sebastian combines tradition, atmosphere, and culture with some of the best gourmet cuisine in the world. Gastronomy and wine are the keys to San Sebastian's unique aura and interest.The New Basque cuisine is highly rated and well-known worldwide and is one of the major attractions to this beautiful city. San Sebastian is full of superb restaurants and gastronomic societies which preserve traditional preparation and cooking practices and styles. Gastronomic societies cultivate the Slow Food Movement, concentrating on healthy eating, traditional dinner parties, and a variety of tastes that can't be matched. San Sebastian is home to a great variety of very high-quality restaurants. Probably the influence of the gastronomic societies, these restaurants offer many traditional Basque dishes. New Basque Cuisine uses seasonal fresh foods, exotic pastries, and a unique style of presentation. Seafood is, of course, one of the main ingredients in traditional dishes using interesting ingredients including sea bream and hake cheeks. Apart from the Seafood, beans and corn are traditional ingredients, and interesting regional cheeses are used as well.

9. Barcelona, Spain

There's nothing more synonymous with Barcelona cuisine than tapas, the tradition of eating small dishes as an appetizer, snack or in combination to form a main meal of the day. The word 'tapa' in Spanish means 'lid', and 'tapas' is simply its plural form. Tapas is such an integral part of Spanish culture, than almost every rudimentary bar will have some basic tapas on the counter, whilst many restaurants have a tapas menu or specialise solely in the saucer-sized snacks.

10. Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Restaurants offer a wealth of variety when you are ready to eat out in an Edinburgh restaurant. The range of Edinburgh restaurants available is as diverse as the City of Edinburgh itself. Edinburgh Restaurants offer a wealth of variety when you are ready to eat out in an Edinburgh restaurant. The range of Edinburgh restaurants available is as diverse as the City of Edinburgh itself.