By Kristen Wood, Food Drink Life

It’s kind of like devouring a delicious plate of sushi: wrapping up one amazing vacation always leaves you wanting more. But with such a big world to see – and so little time in which to see it – where should you book your next trip?

This year, it’s time to let your tastebuds do the talking. Read on to learn why foodies around the globe are flocking to these emerging travel destinations. How many of these spots have you visited?

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1. Tbilisi, Georgia

Vendors wait for customers at a food market in Tbilisi on June 11, 2020. (Photo by VANO SHLAMOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Cobblestoned Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is bursting with history – and by the time you leave, you’ll be bursting with satisfying Georgian dishes. Here, you can learn the art of eating khinkali, twisted dumplings filled with meat and broth, or enjoy crisp tomatoes and cucumbers paired with one of Georgia’s many varieties of cheese. Whatever you do, don’t forget to try khachapuri, a boat-shaped dish traditionally filled with cheese and egg, before you have to say goodbye.

2. Oaxaca, Mexico

If you want to eat well, visit Oaxaca: From street vendors to world-class restaurants, this city has so much to offer. Make sure to try at least one of Oaxaca’s seven moles, or thick chili-based sauces, which can take days to prepare. Then, try some of Oaxaca’s most unique dishes, including huitlacoche, a corn fungus similar to a mushroom, and chapulines, a crunchy snack made from deep-fried grasshoppers.

Wash everything down with tejate, a thick drink made from toasted maize and cacao. And for dessert, don’t miss paletas, frosty ice popsicles made from fresh fruit.

3. Medellín, Colombia

Visit Medellín, and you’ll understand why Colombian food is well worth booking that flight. In Medellín, your day starts with buñuelos, fried dough balls that are best enjoyed with a steaming mug of hot chocolate or coffee. Spend the day seeing the sights and devouring plenty of empanadas along the way.

At day’s end, dig into bandeja paisa, a traditional dish that includes a broad array of ingredients. Chorizo, a fried egg, plantain, chicharrón, arepa, avocado, beef, rice and beans are all served together for a hearty meal that hits the spot after a long day of traveling.

4. Ljubljana, Slovenia

Take a hiking tour through Slovenia, and you’ll be rewarded with sights of snow-capped mountains, hidden waterfalls and pristine lakes – but best of all, you’ll get to end every day with a different take on a hearty traditional stew. And if hiking isn’t really your thing, head to charming Ljubljana to sample all those dishes and more.

Obara, golaž and pohorski pisker are just a few of the savory, saucy stews waiting for you to soak them up with a crusty loaf of bread. For dessert, don’t miss potica, a sweet, festive cake that can be filled with ground walnuts, poppy seeds or even Nutella.

5. Havana, Cuba

Tourists have breakfast in a private restaurant in Havana, on January 30, 2024. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

No trip to Havana would be complete without enjoying ropa vieja, a dish of tender, shredded steak stewed in tomato sauce with peppers and onions and often served with rice and plantains. This dish is a perfect example of why Cuban food is sought out by so many.

Pair your ropa vieja with one of the many iconic Cuban cocktails out there, like the mojito – a Havana classic. Both can be enjoyed at Doña Eutemia, recently named one of the best restaurants and an “Old Havana stalwart” by CultureTrip.

6. Cape Town, South Africa

Visiting Cape Town? Don’t miss the chance to order a Gatsby, a huge sandwich stuffed with french fries, meat and vegetables. If you’ve still got room left over, seek out boerewors, a spiral-shaped mince sausage, best enjoyed with a cold glass of beer.

After all that, think you’re full? It won’t be difficult to find an appetite for dessert if you spot anyone selling koeksister on your way home. These sticky-sweet pastries made out of fried dough are completely irresistible.

7. Bologna, Italy

Bologna is the place to go to enjoy some of the most beloved examples of Italian food in their original cultural context. Try tagliatelle al ragù, and you’ll never think about spaghetti bolognese the same way again. And don’t stop there: lasagna verde, tortellini and gramigna are just three more must-try pasta dishes no visitor to Bologna can overlook. Buon appetito!

8. Tel Aviv, Israel

Before you head out to explore Tel Aviv, start your day with shakshuka, a dish of poached eggs in a spicy tomato and pepper stew with parsley and feta cheese sprinkled on top. As the day heats up, cool down with a sweet treat from Anita Gelato – if you’re lucky enough to stop by when their halva flavor is available, you might just be taking a pint back to your hotel room.

Towards sunset, head to Jaffa for dinner at The Old Man and the Sea, a legendary seafood restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean. You’ll get to enjoy a spread of almost two dozen different little salads included with dinner: the perfect way to sample hummus, tahini, pickled vegetables and other classic Middle Eastern dishes.

9. Osaka, Japan

This photo taken on March 16, 2024 shows a man pushing his bicycle past bars prior to their opening in a popular entertainment area in Osaka. (Photo by RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images)

If you’re craving street food, head to Osaka to see why this city is more than worthy of the nickname The Nation’s Kitchen. There, you can eat your way through the Dotonbori, Shinsekai and Kitashinchi districts, sampling favorites like takoyaki – fried dough balls with octopus – and kushikatsu, or deep-fried meat and veggie skewers. Be warned: you will be thinking about these tasty fried treats for years to come.

10. Porto, Portugal

Whether you’re looking for a satisfying lunch to carry you through an intense afternoon of port tasting, in desperate need of a hangover cure or just curious to discover what might be the world’s most indulgent sandwich, francesinha won’t let you down.

This sandwich, originally from Porto, typically includes multiple different types of meat – sausage, linguiça, steak and ham – drenched in a spicy seafood sauce and melted cheese. Just for good measure, it’s also topped with a fried egg and served with fries.

Final thoughts

Is your stomach rumbling yet? The dishes named in this article are just a taste of the many innovative celebrations of local cuisines that you can expect at any of these destinations. So if you’re hungry for more, don’t overlook these destinations when planning your next trip – because sometimes, there’s no better way to experience a new place than by tucking in your metaphorical bib and diving in.

Kristen Wood is a photographer, writer, world traveler, and creator of the blog. Foodventures Abroad, where food and travel intertwine. She is also the author of Vegetarian Family Cookbook, Fermented Hot Sauce Cookbook, and Hot Sauce Cookbook for Beginners. Her work has been featured in various online and print publications, including Tasting Table, Forbes, Martha Stewart, NBC and more.

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press

Even in a busy year of elections around the world, the next few days stand out.

Over the next week, voters go to the polls in fledgling democracies like Mauritania and Mongolia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and in stalwart democracies — former imperial powers — Britain and France.

While U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump were set Thursday to hold the first of two TV debates before their expected November standoff, other countries are facing hard choices.

The votes could reorient the world at a time of war in Europe, the Middle East and Africa; mutual suspicion among some big powers; and growing public anxiety over things like jobs, climate change, taxes, inflation and the rise of AI.

National elections are taking place in more than 50 countries this year. India, Mexico and South Africa ushered in political change or ballot-box surprises. Russia did not.

Here’s a look at the flurry of balloting over the next few days in countries that collectively hold some 225 million people in Europe, Africa and Asia:

IRAN

In Iran on Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is looking for a successor for his hard-line protégé, President Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash.

Two hard-liners — former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf — are among candidates that include Masoud Pezeshkian, a cardiac surgeon seen as a reformist who has lined up with supporters of relatively moderate former President Hassan Rouhani.

Amid signs of widespread voter apathy, Khamenei has called for maximum turnout and has issued a veiled warning to Pezeshkian and his allies about relying on the U.S.

Iran has faced economic woes in part due to international sanctions after Trump in 2018 shredded Iran’s nuclear accord struck three earlier with world powers. Iran has since ramped up enrichment of uranium and now has enough to be able to produce several nuclear weapons.

The Islamic Republic has sought to position itself as a leader of Muslim-world resentment against the West and Israel, which Iran directly attacked for the first time this year. For years, Iran has backed an array of militant groups, including the Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

FRANCE

France wasn’t supposed to be holding national elections this year.

But a drubbing for his pro-business, moderate party in EU elections this month led President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap parliamentary elections, which will take place in two rounds on the next two Sundays.

The result could send the nuclear-armed nation into uncharted political territory at a turbulent time for Europe: A victory of the anti-immigration National Rally party could produce France’s first far-right government since the Nazi occupation in World War II.

National Rally placed first among French parties in the EU vote, and polls suggest it could reap the single largest bloc of seats in the Assembly. If it wins an outright majority, it could name 28-year-old party President Jordan Bardella as prime minister.

Macron, whose term ends in 2027, would retain his job but have to share power with a party with historical links to racism and antisemitism that is firmly opposed to many of his positions, including on military support for Ukraine.

The outcome of the French vote remains very uncertain because of the complex two-round system and alliances that parties could form between the two rounds.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

Western Europe’s other nuclear-armed power, Britain, will hold parliamentary elections on Thursday.

Like their cross-Channel neighbors in France, Britons appear ready to oust the ruling party: Polls suggest the Conservatives are headed for a historic defeat in the House of Commons after 14 years in power.

On Wednesday, Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer struggled to get their messages across protesters drowned out their answers at the start of a heated TV debate. They traded zingers and barbs on issues of ethics, tax and migration.

Britain, under the Tories, has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine in its national defense against Russia and a possible Labour government isn’t expected to waver on such backing for Kyiv.

Starmer may be inclined to mend Britain’s relationship with the EU after Brexit more than four years ago, but he has been adamant that a Labour government would not seek to reverse the will of the people in the referendum.

MAURITANIA

Nearly 2 million people go to the polls Saturday in Mauritania, a vast desert nation in West Africa that positions itself as a strategic ally of the West but has been denounced for rights abuses.

President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a former army chief who rose to power in the country’s first democratic transition in 2019, faces seven rivals. Among them are Biram Dah Abeid, an anti-slavery activist and third-time candidate, and several opposition party leaders as well as a neurosurgeon.

One of the most stable countries in Africa’s arid Sahel region, Mauritania has seen some of its neighbors shaken by military coups and jihadist violence.

The European Union this year announced funding to help Mauritania crack down on people smugglers and deter migrants from embarking on dangerous Atlantic crossings from West Africa to Europe — the number of which has been rising sharply — and patrol its border with restive Mali.

In the 1980s, Mauritania became the world’s last country to outlaw slavery. But nearly 150,000 people — in a country of under 5 million — remain affected by modern slavery, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index.

MONGOLIA

Also on Friday is the vote for parliament in Mongolia, a country of 3.4 million people that emerged from some six decades of communist rule to become a democracy in 1990, and is wedged between two much larger authoritarian states: Russia and China.

Voters will choose representatives to a body that has been expanded to 126 seats, 50 more than in the current legislature.

The ruling Mongolian People’s Party, which ran the country during the communist era but has transformed into a left-leaning centrist one, is favored to win.

But other parties could make gains, possibly even enough to force the People’s Party to form a coalition government with the Democratic Party or the HUN Party, an emerging player in Mongolian politics.

Discontent with the government has been fueled by accusations of corruption and l arge protests broke out two years ago.

The Mongolian government has sought to maintain ties with China and Russia while also building new ones with the U.S. and its democratic allies — a delicate task since the two sides are increasingly at odds.

Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal; Angela Charlton in Paris and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.