Top 5 Countries With the Best Cuisine in the World

We want to preface this blog by making 2 important notes: 1. We haven’t yet traveled to Africa (that will hopefully change soon) or large parts of the Middle East and 2. We obviously haven’t been everywhere (so far only to about 40 countries). This limits the blog in one aspect because, for instance, we absolutely love Persian, Moroccan, and Indian food, but considering we haven’t yet visited Iran, Morocco, or India, we will not include them on the list. However, given our extensive travels to almost 40 countries spread across 5 continents, we have had our fair share of aagallery incredible culinary experiences. The food in some of these countries is SO good that we, as self-proclaimed foodies, return on a regular basis just to eat! Of all the incredible places we have traveled and eaten, there are the top 5 countries with the best cuisine in the world (that we have visited)!

1. Cuba

Moros y Cristianos (black rice and beans) – or Mormons and Christians as we liked to call them – Cubanos (Cuban sandwiches), tamales, empanadas (think meat pies), cocido de garbanzos (chickpea stew), Boliche (Cuban pot roast), ropa vieja (shredded or pulled beef with veggies), dulce de leche (like a caramel dessert), …the food in Cuba is both unique and delicious. Cuba’s geographic location in the Caribbean Sea meant that history would provide influence to the cuisine from the Spanish, Africans, and other Caribbean countries. Cuba is a must-visit destination for any traveler looking for a unique experience with rich culture and cuisine and wonderfully happy locals.

2. Indonesia

Perhaps the most unique of the cuisines on this list come from the island archipelago of Indonesia. Few countries in the world offer such unique foods as this chain of islands, whose plates offer spices and flavors reminiscent of Indian, Thai, and other delicious Southeast Asian delights. Sambal (chili sauce/paste) and other chili ridden dishes offer a one-of-a-kind taste that is not only hard to describe but also hard compare in relation to another cuisine. If you’ve never tried Indonesian food, it’s one of those cuisines that you must try to understand. Visit a hole-in-the-wall warung and try dishes like nasi goreng, chicken satay (skewered meat), nasi uduk (steamed rice cooked in coconut milk), mie goreng (fried noodles with chicken beef or fish), nasi campur (a scoop of nasi putih accompanied by small portions of a number of other dishes, which includes meats, vegetables, peanuts, eggs, and fried-shrimp krupuk), and soto ayam (yellow spicy chicken soup with noodles – like an Indonesian chicken noodle soup).

3. United States

The US seriously could be 6 or more distinct countries that just so happen to speak the same language. Take the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Rockies/Great Plains, Midwest, South, and Northeast and you’ve got a number of areas with vastly different lifestyles, cuisines, and people. Influenced over hundreds of years by immigrants from around the world, each mini melting pot of America has become uniquely distinguishable in 2019.

Many of the best chefs the world has ever known are/were Americans (Thomas Keller, James Beard, Anthony Bourdain, Bobby Flay, Jim Gallagher, the list goes on and on). The US is littered with some of the best Michelin Star restaurants in the world as well as local hole-in-the-wall joints inspired by our strong immigrant communities, and a uniquely American take on making almost anything unnecessarily large, there is no denying that the United States of America is among the greatest culinary countries in the world. In case you think we are biased, the US is 6th on the list of countries with the most Michelin Stars.

4. France

Much of the way we eat, cook, and dine in the Western world can be attributed to the culinary successes of the French. In France, food is everything. Well, food and wine are everything. With 18 regions each boasting unique varietals of wine, every French dish is perfectly escorted to your plate by a bottle of Bordeaux, rose, pinot noir, or syrah. We have been fortunate enough to live in Nice for a month and travel through other areas of the South of France as well as the capital city of Paris.

Second, only to Tokyo, Paris is home to an insane amount of Michelin star restaurants, but our favorites were the hole-in-the-wall spots we found both here and in Marseille. Our mouths are watering thinking back to the bœuf bourguignon (beef stew braised in Burgundy wine and beef stock, flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and bacon), Soupe à l’oignon (French onion soup), Coq au vin (chicken braised with wine, mushrooms, salty pork or bacon (lardons), mushrooms, onions, often garlic and sometimes with a drop of brandy), ratatouille (stewed vegetables that you can eat as a side, meal, or complement to another dish), and pastries/sweets like the Macaron (a sweet, meringue-based cookie invented by Caterina de Medici during the Renaissance), Chocolate soufflé (a sweet, airy, egg-baked dessert), eclair (an oblong doughnut-like pastry filled with creme and topped with chocolate icing), and creme brulee (a rich custard dessert topped with hardened caramelized sugar).

5. Israel

This one is all Alex. I’ve had my fair share of Israeli food in LA thanks to the diaspora in the valley, but Alex is the only one of us who has actually visited Israel. Still, she made our list because Israel is every foodies dream.

Israel is only the size of New Jersey and she is geographically isolated in a geopolitical climate that is less than desirable. Regardless, the food that is produced throughout the country is some of the best in the world.