It is often said that food is a universal language.
Food tourism has grown in popularity, leading to activities like food tours and cooking classes that offer both cultural education and a way to support the local economy.
For many travellers, tasting native dishes is an important part of connecting to the daily lives of local people.
With this in mind, the ‘best food cities in the world’ have been revealed, based on nearly half a million ratings.
Based on 17,073 cities, these cities stand out with the highest average ratings for the regional and national dishes most commonly served there.
Many of the top-rated locations are just a short trip from the UK, with the majority of the top 10 situated in Europe. Unfortunately, the UK didn’t make it into the top 30.
Naples, a major port city in southern Italy, took the top spot with the guide, created by TasteAtlas, listing margherita pizza, gnocchi and sfogliatella – a shell-shaped pastry with a creamy filling – as ‘must try’ items.
The best news is that Naples is just a three-hour flight from London, meaning you could be dining out in the ‘soul of Italy’ in next to no time.
Naples, a major port city in southern Italy, took the top spot in the TasteAtlas awards with the guide listing margherita pizza as a ‘must try’ item
Pictured: Sfogliatella pastries, traditional Italian dessert with flaky layers with powdered sugar on top
Naples’ culinary traditions are deeply rooted in its history as an ancient port city, with a cuisine shaped by Greek, Roman, and other cultural influences, and a rich history as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
This blend of influences is evident in its simple yet high-quality dishes, which range from elaborate aristocratic recipes to resourceful street foods made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients like volcanic soil tomatoes and abundant seafood.
According to Secret Food Tours, Napoli food culture is a vivid reflection of its history as each culture left its mark on the city’s cuisine, creating a unique blend that is both rich in history and flavour.
There are also plenty of delicious sweet treats to choose from, including tarallo biscuits, rum-soaked babà al rum, honey-coated, fried dough balls of struffoli and chocolate-almond torta caprese (chocolate and almond flourless cake).
Other local specialities are fried, doughnut-like graffe napoletane and fiocchi di neve, snowflake-shaped pastries which are filled with a light and creamy mixture of ricotta, whipped cream and mascarpone.
Naples wasn’t the only Italian city to make the top lineup, as Milan bagged second place and Bologna secured third.
Milan is known for dishes like risotto alla Milanese and panettone while Bologna is considered the birthplace of ragù sauce.
Another Italian city, Florence, came in fourth place.
There are also plenty of delicious sweet treats to choose from, including tarallo biscuits (pictured), rum-soaked babà al rum, honey-coated fried dough balls of struffoli and chocolate-almond torta caprese
Despite the Italian-heavy list, other global cities made the top 10, including Paris, Vienna and Mumbai.
Meanwhile, two US cities made the top 20.
New York came in 12th place, while New Orleans took the 20th spot.
San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia all were in the top 30, coming in 26th, 29th and 30th place, respectively.
