This article was passed on to me by a friend, and I’m just helping out and getting their word out there.  Like travel? Check it out.  I’ve wanted to check out Africa for some time now, and this article only makes me that much angrier I still haven’t been.  Enjoy!-L

Find yourself looking up the top restaurants in any city you travel to? Instead of fitting in foodie destinations with your vacation, make the foodie destinations the point of your next vacation. The world is filled with amazing cuisine, with guidebooks urging you toward Paris, New York, Italy, and other well known food meccas. For a truly unique foodie experience, you need to look past the well known locations and explore food destinations off the beaten path. Skip Europe and Asia for this round of foodie delights and travel to Africa for a diverse food adventure.

South Africa

Cape Town has had many cultural influences over the years, depending on the European

country that was settling it or using it for trade routes in its early history. While it’s a distinct area

with its own identity now, you see the melting pot of influences, especially in the food, which

is sometimes called rainbow cuisine as a result. One particular area to browse on your food

exploration is Franschhoek Valley, home to a massive amount of vineyards. The gourmet food

movement in South Africa is a must see. Some restaurants to explore on and around the wine

estate includes Cosecha Restaurant at Noble Hill, Dutch East Restaurant, and Haut Cabriere

Cellar Restaurant, as Epitourean.com explains.

Ethiopia

You may have enjoyed Ethiopian foods at that “authentic” restaurant in your home town, but

now it’s time to experience the truly authentic cuisine of Ethiopia itself. You’re headed to Addis

Ababa specifically, the capital city of Ethiopia. The main characteristics of Ethiopian food are

vegetable and spicy meat dishes, served on top of injera flatbread, according to Lonely Planet.

You don’t use utensils with this cuisine, as the injera acts as your fork. Start your journey off at

Yod Abyssinia Traditional Food restaurant to dive into Ethiopian food culture. Follow up with

a trip to Tomoca to experience the wonderful coffee this region has access to. From there,

you have a grand variety of cuisines to explore, whether you want to sample the Ethiopian

take on French food or head to the streets for street vendors that will make you want to live in

the country forever. Don’t count on swiping your card at all of the restaurants and street food

vendors, however. You will want cash in hand. Ideally, you will have already converted currency

before you left home. Avoid ATMs in foreign countries unless you’re really confident that they’re

on the up and up, as the Lifelock profile on Lifelock warns about the dangers of ATM skimming.

If you find yourself cash light, go directly to a bank or currency conversion service, so you can

continue your eating adventure without long interruptions.

Egypt

Egypt is far more than its tombs and pyramids. The long lived culture of Egypt has contributed

to a fascinating food scene that is a true high point of this country. Egyptian cuisine is

particularly delightful for those who enjoy bean and vegetable heavy dishes. It’s right next to

the Nile, after all, so the food culture is heavily influenced by crop

growth. Like Ethiopian food,

Egyptian food uses a flatbread as a primary utensil. Its bread is called Eish Masri. Egyptian food

also has a great deal of crossover with Eastern Mediterranean food, as Cairo360 points out.

Alongside traditional dishes such as koshari, which is a lentil, rice, and macaroni mixture, you

also see kebab and falafel. It’s also quite heavy on the garlic and onions. Cairo has the largest

concentration of restaurants, with some recommendations leading you to El Mashrabia for

traditional food, Noon for a contemporary take, and Al Mokhtar for Lebanese influence.