Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe

by National Geographic Society

For pure pleasure, few experiences are as satisfying as a chance to explore the world's great culinary traditions and landmarks - and here, in the latest title of our popular series of illustrated travel gift books, you'll find a fabulous itinerary of foods, dishes, markets, and restaurants worth traveling far and wide to savor. On the menu is the best of the best from all over the globe: Tokyo's freshest sushi; the spiciest Creole favorites in New Orleans; the finest vintages of the great French wineries; the juiciest cuts of beef in Argentina; and much, much more. You'll sample the sophisticated dishes of fabled chefs and five-star restaurants, of course, but you'll also discover the simpler pleasures of the side-street cafés that cater to local people and the classic specialties that give each region a distinctive flavor. Every cuisine tells a unique story about its countryside, climate, and culture, and in these pages you'll meet the men and women who transform nature's bounty into a thousand gustatory delights. Hundreds of appetizing full-color illustrations evoke an extraordinary range of tastes and cooking techniques; a wide selection of recipes invites you to create as well as consume; sidebars give a wealth of entertaining information about additional sites to visit as well as the cultural importance of the featured food; while lively top ten lists cover topics from chocolate factories to champagne bars, from historic food markets to wedding feasts, harvest celebrations, and festive occasions of every kind. In addition, detailed practical travel information provides all the ingredients you'll need to cook up a truly delicious experience for even the most demanding of traveling gourmets.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Food, Cookbooks, Reference, Cooking, Food and Drink

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2009

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee table book. Entertaining reading! The extraordinary place to eat that sticks out in my mind is the restaurant in London where diners are served in the dark by blind waiters! The mind boggles!

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: Food Journeys of a Lifetime 2nd Edition: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe
AUTHOR: National Geographic
PUB DATE: 10.18.2022

REVIEW:

I always believe that in order to learn about a particular culture, you must learn it through food. The food we eat shapes our cultural identity, memory, family, and heritage. I am both a foodie and a traveler, and this book definitely is the perfect resource for me when planning my next adventure with my family.

Food Journeys of a Lifetime 2nd Edition is a phenomenal compilation of the best of the best information on destinations and the food that culture is most known for. I enjoy learning about the world’s best in food and travel destinations through photos and information written by the experts from Nat Geo.

With the holiday season coming, consider adding this book to holiday gifting list for friends and families.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous read, but not at all what I expected!

I expected this to be a book of the greatest places to eat ... broken down by country. Instead, I discovered sections on Specialties & Ingredients, Outstanding Markets (& food bazaars), Seasonal Delights, In the Kitchen, Favorite Street Foods, Great Food Towns, Ultimate Luxuries, The Best Wine, Beer & More and finally, Just Desserts!

Scattered throughout are annotated "Top Ten" lists including Old Fashioned Candy Stores, street Markets, Bike Tours for Foodies, Unusual Food & Drink Festivals, and many many more!

One of the biggest surprises discovered was in a Top 10 list of Traveler's Restaurants. This is a list of places for people on the go, some are destinations in their own right, offering excellent food in styling surroundings. Number 4 [in the world:] on the list is the Indianapolis International Airport! The designers of Indianopolis's replacement terminal aimed to change people's perceptions of airports with local food, live music, and an eco-friendly design. On offer are Indianapolite favorites, including breakfast-vendor Patachou on the Fly, Shapiro's kosher deli, the South Bend Chocolate Company, the speedway-themed Indy 500 Grill, and the gourmet popcorn store, Just Pop In!

Although not a coffee drinker myself, another fun find was in the Top 10 list for Places to Enjoy Cafe Society. Number 3 on this list is Seattle, Washington -- Home of Starbucks. Visitors have other options in coffee world including rival chain Caffe Ladro (ladro is Italian for "thief"), which deliberately opened venues close to its competitors!

Finally, there is a Top Ten Places to Try Death by Chocolate ...

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A richly produced National Geographic book. . . . I received this as a Christmas present and enjoy its quirkiness immensely. The subtitle suggests why: "500 Extraordinary Places to Eat around the Globe." And I have actually been to some of the places, such as Ben & Jerry's in Vermont, Philly cheese steak venues in Philadelphia, the Beaver Club in Montreal, steak in Buenos Aires, beer halls of Munich, and Les Deux Magots in Paris. Some nice memories came back to me! Sitting at Les Deux Magots in Paris, having a Croque Monsieur for lunch. . . .

The book is divided into a series of sections, such as Specialties & ingredients, Outstanding markets, Seasonal delights, In the kitchen, Favorite street foods, Great food towns, Ultimate luxuries, the best wine (beer and more), and Just desserts. After each title page, a series of examples is provided. For instance, after "Specialties & ingredients," we see a segment on lobsters (from the Atlantic coast) to maple syrup (Vermont). Also, there are "Top 10 listings," such as Top 10 Unusual Food and Drink Festivals, such as the Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, or the Cabbage Festival in Hungary, or the Fete de fromage (Cheese Festival) in France. . . .

In short, a lot of fun if you are a foodie. Not much in the way of recipes. Not much detail on any of the 500 places to eat. But a richly illustrated, enjoyable work to peruse.

[Aoi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brilliant photos!

Information - lite, very little on personalizing the experience for the 'armchair traveler' . Quite Euro-centric in terms of content

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Word.

Since I have been stuck on my couch and really haven’t gone anywhere due to the pandemic that shall not be named I really needed a book like this. It’s big. Full of bold, glorious photos of all of the places I want to go when one can go again.

And then there is the food. Food is half of the fun of travel isn’t it? Now, some food in some places is not food I am going to try but that doesn’t mean that I don’t read about it. I love to cook only seconded by going out to eat.

Sitting with this book in my lap – which I have done more than once since it arrived – is pure escape for me. Just what I need living in my little city so far away from anything exotic.

I know I will be turning to it in the depths of winter when I need to journey to a place where to food is exotic and the temperatures are warm.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to look through and read. Some of the places mentioned have closed as the book was published in 2009.

[Lauren Farr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! Lots of great pictures. I liked how this was organized. It had great info but not too much, like a lot of travel books do sometimes.

[Yaaresse · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's OK. The photos are wonderful, as one would expect from National Geographic. The content just was more like a travel brochure than real information or the kind of quality writing National Geo can do when it really wants to. I was hoping for something more like the writing in the magazine (or in Saveur) where they delve into some little-known information in a colorful and intriguing way. This is just bare bones mini-facts and links to websites.

[Petesake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an armchair traveller at the moment *and* I'm a foodie. What more in a book could I want, besides edible pages?

[Jules Brugel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad and shallow, but sometime that is exactly what I want.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these “coffee table” books from National Geographic, because they’re not only incredibly informative they’re also just beautiful. After all, they feature photographs from some of National Geographic’s best photographers, and articles from some of their best writers. This book, the second edition of Food Journeys of a Lifetime, is no exception. The photographs are not just of food – although many of them are – but also of fabulous food markets and unique restaurants. All are eye-catching. Some are mouth-watering.

But this book is more than just pictures. It has pages that describe the best-know foods from individual U.S. states, and various countries around the world and has fascinating supportive text. Did you know that real wasabi (not the fake stuff we Americans get most of the time) has antibacterial benefits? I didn’t until I read this book. No, it won’t kill all the parasites in raw fish, but sashimi fish isn’t truly raw in the sense that it’s untouched. It’s just not cooked. (Also parasite-ridden fish isn’t served.)

The other thing I loved about this book is that, as much as it’s a work of art, it’s also a reference guide. I would rank it right next to one of my favorite foodie resources, The Flavor Bible, in its usefulness to anyone who wants to improve their home cooking. Health experts tell us to “eat the rainbow.” With Food Journeys of a Lifetime you can broaden the number of colors, and enjoy vicarious travels at the same time.

This book is great if you read it from cover to cover, but perfectly suited to pick up now and then, or skip around in.

Goes well with: eggplant caponata and crusty sourdough baguette.

[Greg Sedbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing homework, beautiful coffee table book usually under $15 online.. Caught a number of their suggestions including LE TREN BLU in Paris (for lunch- much cheaper) I teach classes on European Chocolate - check out SALON du CHOCOLAT Paris end of Oct. If you want any info I can share sedbrookgr at yahoo

[Ming's fantasy myth library · Rating 4 out of 5]

little outdated

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing for any foodie around the world.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/HtVcztRQmls

Enjoy!

[Emily D · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely, as are all NGS large scale books, but a 5 for this one as Food Journeys basically describes my life. So many subtle suggestions, so many enticing details.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee table book and very informative.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a browsing book, and that's what I've enjoyed - browsing the lists such as top ten unusual food and drink festivals, top ten culinary surprises, and the top ten bank-braking cocktail bars. But it isn't all lists, cuisines are broken down by area with a little bit of background and the beautiful photographs you expect from NatGeo. Very fun.

[Mum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures alone make the check out worth it. If you have ever actually visited the places shown in the book you will be transported right back there in the blink of an eye. The recipes are just an extra bonus. If you haven't visited these places, you will want to book a trip right away. FUN!!

[Angie Niles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book combines two of my favorite things - travel and food. It's so much fun to browse through and read about all the different food cultures all over the world and dream about what trip I may plan next.

[Cynthia caprise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this last night. I never knew Truffles grew underground. Up to 8" in depth under oak trees, and truffle hunters use sniffing dogs when they forage. Really good book - combines travel and food - two of my favorite things.

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many beautiful and delicious places to go! So little time and money to go there. (Boo-hoo!)

[Leesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most beautiful book, it is a travellog, amazing photo book and food realated.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to go to all these places!

[Lud · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 'coffee table' type book, not something to sit and read from beginning to end in a sitting. I looked through it for 10-20 minutes at a time. Lovely photos.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, with the usual outstanding NatGeo photography. Added quite a few "would like to eat here someday" places to my Master List.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

Will make you want to go and eat something new and different, right away.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

lite on information, heavy on beautiful photos - but it IS National Geographic.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2010.06] Great photos. Felt like the book gave more focus to foods encountered in Western countries.