Culinary Tourism

The act of posting a photograph of your meal has branched out into a social media app called Foodspotting.  This goes one step further than Instagram and is a visual guide to good food and where to find it, anywhere in the world.  It isn't jut useful for foodies, but tourists can use it to find their nearest dishes, and they can specify a particular food, from dumplings and dosas, to cronuts (a donut-croissant mash-up) and flagels (a flat bagel).

This niche area of food photography has branched into culinary tourism, looking at a destination's culture and how we connect with food.  This is not just about food on a plate, but includes everything around it; the moments, the connections, the scenes, the places, the stories, the authentic experience whilst in that particular location.

A local market is a great place to visit and full of photograph opportunities.  This is where the locals are, where people gather to go about their everyday business.

Street food can look great on camera, but keep in mind that if you add extra sauce to make it look good you should still be able to identify what it is.  You could even try re-plating the dish and even adding more of one of its ingredients if it needs a boost of color.  If it has a lime, for instance, ask for an extra, squeeze it on the food, then place it on the plate before photographing.  Remember that you want people's mouths to water.  If your mouth doesn't water when looking at the food, no one else's will either.

Image courtesy of National Geographic

I purposefully visited Bakewell in the Peak District to sample a real Bakewell pudding, not one of Mr Kipling's tarts.

The pudding boasts a charming history, with most claiming that it was originally made by accident at a local inn around 1860.  Mistress of The White Horse, Mrs Graves, instructed her cook to bake a strawberry tart for some guests; but instead of stirring the egg mixture into the pastry, cook accidentally spread it on top of the jam instead.  The surprisingly delicious result was declared a triumph, and Bakewell resident Mrs Wilson obtained the recipe and began selling the puddings from her cottage.

As well as the delicious pastries on offer, I wanted to explore the breath-taking views of the Peak District.  This was a perfect day trip for me to work on my travel photography portfolio.  I was able to create a story of the town of Bakewell, with images of the various shops that claim to sell the original recipe for the puddings to the surrounding natural beauty of the moors and dales.

Whilst there I stumbled across the annual duck race along the River Wye from Bakewell Bridge.  Over one thousand rubber ducks floated down the river to raise money for local charities.  This event added an extra dimension to my story of the town as I was able to include something unexpected, but part of the life of the locals.

How do you respond to food when you are on holiday?  Do you search out the nearest place that does a full English fry-up, or go exploring and go native?