Updated Jan. 17, 2025 at 7:50 p.m.*
-Analysis-
WARSAW — A bike ride through wine country, cooking classes on how to craft handmade pasta, visiting a dairy farm and making cheese: There is perhaps no better way to visit a new place than gastrotourism.
Getting to know the tastes of locals has been a quintessential part of each of my trips, whether that be traveling to Toruń, in north-central, for gingerbread, up to the Baltic sea for fried cod with fries and waffles, or to Spain for paella and patatas bravas.
Polish TV viewers have gone on culinary journeys with food critic and television personality Robert Makłowicz, who in his program “Makłowicz On The Road,” has cooked on seas and oceans, in forests and on the tops of mountains, all the while tellings stories about Austria, the Dalmatian Coast, and the lakes of the Masurian region of Poland.
With the rest of the world, we watched the culinary adventures of Anthony Bourdain on “Parts Unknown,” and more recently, we’ve traveled with actor and foodie Stanley Tucci on his journey through the tastes of Italy.
Food enriches and inspires us, and the popularity of culinary trips is only growing, with interest in gastrotourism expected to continue to grow in the future. And while trips abroad for Japanese matcha, French coq au vin, or Italian carbonara remain alluring, foodies should consider Poland as one of their next destinations.
A growing trend
One of the key factors behind food tourism’s popularity is the relative ease and accessibility of travel compared to years past. Many places, even those seemingly most far-flung for Europeans, like the far corners of Asia, South America or Africa, are no longer pipe dreams for potential visitors. Yet another reason, according to avid traveler, culinary journalist and author Bartek Kieżun, is social media.
“We chase after what we see online, and we see people posting their plates. The truth about cooking comes second, says Kieżun”. And what do we do, to see more than just a plate? According to Kieżun, “We have to prepare for our trip. And then we will discover much more than just pizza in Napoli.”
Visitors with food on their minds want something more than a pretty picture.
This is exactly what’s happening among tourists. Culinary researcher and author Magdalena Tomaszewska-Bolałek assures that visitors with food on their minds want something more than a pretty picture. “They often try products and take part in their creation. Cooking classes, fruit-picking, and preparing preserves or pickles means that we are not only observers but also participants,” she says.
After experiences like these, even visitors can look at the products on store shelves with a completely different lens, like the cheese that they made in a class, or a wine that they saw on a prosecco or Trentodoc tour. I say this based on my own experience.
What’s more, these types of meetings can allow us to meet people with a deep knowledge of the local food and culture. “This social aspect as well as the search for authenticity has led to the growing popularity of culinary tourism,” the researcher adds.
More than food
Why do we pick particular countries to travel to with our forks? Tomaszewska-Bolałek points to the impacts of culinary diplomacy, the effective promotion of certain countries, as well as specific products and the dominating atmosphere of the country.
For example, many foodies travel to the Danish capital of Copenhagen to experience multi-star restaurants and the culinary minimalism of Scandinavia. Asian countries like South Korea, Japan and Vietnam have also become especially popular. But the uncontested winner of culinary tourism is Italy.
While Italy is famous for its cuisine, this isn’t just about food. “We don’t buy the food alone, but also a substitute for Italy itself: the sun, feasting, la dolce vita,” Tomaszewska-Bolałek says. “When it comes to spending time at the table and enjoying food, Italians are unrivaled.”
Those I spoke to assured me that gastro tourism is the best way to visit a country. “Stories about food are also stories about culture, history, and the changing world and its people. Getting to know a region through its dishes, we uncover the fascinating world of multisensory history and culture, which means that the memories from our trip live in our memories longer,” Tomaszewska-Bolałek says.
“In our plates, we see the history, religion, and political beliefs of our host,” Kieżun adds.
Letting the world know
In Poland, gastrotourism is currently crawling, but places and institutions are increasingly accepting it as a possibility. According to Beata Jabłonowska from the Polish Tourism Organization, it has been attracting more and more tourists. “Cuisine is a very important element in the promotion of our country as an attractive trip destination,” she says.
Bartek Kieżun affirms this, arguing that Poles should stop hiding their heads in the sand and start praising Polish cuisine. “We have amazing soups, żurek should be the new ramen. Polish cakes and baked goods are phenomenal, and Krakowian cheesecake is better than the Basque one. We have a great variety of mushrooms that we do great things with,” he says.
“We have great products, a fascinating culinary culture and ambitious chefs,” adds Tomaszewska-Bolałek, “Now we have to let the world know about it.”
In the Taste Atlas ranking of the best cuisines in the world, Polish cuisine ranks 13th.
There are currently six Michelin star restaurants in Poland, 16 with the Bib Gourmand distinction (good value for money), one with a green star (for an ecological approach to cuisine) and 54 with recommendations.
Italian touch
“In the Taste Atlas ranking of the best cuisines in the world, Polish cuisine ranks 13th. We are also at the forefront of countries offering a wide range of gastronomy based on organic local products, as well as restaurants that meet the needs of people with special dietary requirements,” the PTO’s Jabłonowska says.
The PTO’s development strategy through 2030 also includes programs promoting Polish cuisine, culinary trails, “Cultural Heritage” certificates and the promotion of local organic agricultural products.
“I think that Italians — who have a cuisine like ours — would make it a hit,” Kieżun concludes.
*Originally published Jan. 5, 2024, this article was updated Jan. 17, 2025 with enriched media.
