When travelling to a new destination, sampling local delicacies is often a top priority, whether it's pizza in Italy, croissants in France, or something more unusual like crispy tarantulas in Cambodia. However, global travellers risk missing out on authentic local dishes as overtourism, climate change, and globalisation dilute food cultures around the world.
New Research Highlights Endangered Dishes
Research commissioned by Intrepid Travel and conducted by leading food experts has revealed how traditional dishes are being adapted for mass tourism or abandoned altogether as destinations cater to tourists' tastes. While 61 per cent of Brits claim they want to try local delicacies abroad, many default to familiar options: 51 per cent won't travel beyond their accommodation to find authentic food, and one in four visit a global fast-food chain within 48 hours of arrival.
Dan Saladino, author of Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them, and award-winning food writer Yasmin Khan have identified a global list of 'Endangered Dishes.' The list includes everything from traditional hand-rolled New York bagels to a sticky rice dessert from the Philippines.
Top 10 Endangered Dishes
- Cuscos transmontanos com coelho (couscous with rabbit stew), Lisbon – A little-known Portuguese dish believed to have been brought by Sephardic Jews. Historically, artisans hand-rolled flour to create couscous and marinated rabbit for up to 24 hours, infused with regional herbs and wines.
- Mosbolletjies grape must buns, South Africa – A traditional Afrikaner sweet bread known as 'poor man's brioche,' made with grape must. Commercial shortcuts like instant yeast and margarine alter the taste.
- Inanchila, Northern Philippines – A sacred sticky rice dessert made with indigenous Chaykot rice, topped with caramelised coconut cream. Demand has declined in favour of western snacks.
- Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels, New York – Authentic New York bagels are vanishing due to industrial shortcuts and mass-market pressures, despite being global icons.
- Petkhvis Cvishtvari (black millet patty), Georgia – Savoury patties made from black millet, egg, and cheese. Most are now made with cornmeal, altering the original recipe.
- Kwun Tong Gao (jumbo soup dumplings), Hong Kong – Traditional hand-closed dumplings filled with pork and broth, increasingly replaced by mass-produced versions.
- Chelsea Bun, London – Filled with currants, brown sugar, and spice, finished with a sticky glaze. These 18th-century buns are being replaced by trendy pastries.
- Tlacoyos made with maíz criollo, Mexico – Street food made from heirloom corn dough, filled with beans and topped with cheese and salsa. Climate change disrupts corn growing cycles.
- Traditional gumbo with filé powder, New Orleans – A rich stew with onions, celery, filé powder, and seafood or meat. Filé powder is increasingly scarce, and younger generations are less dedicated to fishing traditions.
- Funazushi/Narezushi - the 'original' sushi, Osaka – Fish packed in salt and rice, fermented for months or years. Modern palates are less keen, and the nigorobuna carp is near extinction.
To help preserve these dishes, Intrepid Travel has included experiences such as cooking tlacoyos in a Chinampa community near Mexico City, allowing travellers to taste authentic cuisine while supporting local traditions.
