According to New York-based Saveur magazine’s latest Good Taste Awards, you’re doing the right thing if you 1. eat vegetarian food in Berlin, 2. know za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix and 3. understand that the “zero-kilometer movement” is a new food trend.
In addition to naming the world’s best food city, this year’s survey includes some interesting new categories.
The magazine’s Next Big Little Thing award, for example, goes to AGA, a four-table restaurant in the Italian Dolomites village of San Vito di Cadore.
It’s described as the perfect example of the “zero-kilometer movement,” a farm-to-table dining concept that requires all ingredients be foraged or hunted within or near the restaurant property.
Tartine Bakery in San Francisco and The Bread Lab at Washington State University – which work closely with each other – were named Bread Revolutionaries of the year.
Stinky food from Shaoxing, China, was called the Good Taste in a Most Unusual Form.
Already a delicacy in many Asian countries, fermented tofu is recommended because it’s “something that isn’t what people immediately think of when they think of good taste,” Saveur editor in chief Adam Sachs tells CNN.
Best food and drink cities
And for the awards you really care about:
The World’s Best Food City title has been bestowed on Tokyo.
As a Saveur article explains, in Tokyo visitors can find delicious food in all price ranges, with good consistency.
That’s not just for Japanese food – French and Italian cuisine in Japan’s capital city are sublime, too.
Berlin claimed the throne as the world’s New Vegetarian Capital.
London may boast the most bars on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2014 list published by Drinks International, but according to Saveur, Los Angeles is the world’s Breakout Cocktail Scene.
From lamb raised on Achill Island to mussels harvested in Killary Harbor, Ireland’s coast offers the Best Culinary Road Trip.
Middle Eastern flavor is the Food Trend Everyone Loves.
Santiago, Chile, is the Next Great Food City.
And in case you’re still wondering what za’atar is, the Middle Eastern spice is a blend of sumac, sesame and herbs that every line cook should now learn to make, according to the magazine.
The complete list of the winners can be found at saveur.com.
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