Beim Wiener Würstelstand / At a Viennese sausage stand Wiener stand. Photo / Peter Rigaud
Love food-themed getaways? From sausage stands to David Beckham’s favourite mussels, the globe’s culinary kingpins boast Unesco recognition and special status, writes Tamara Hinson.
Next time you undertake taste bud-led travel, consider destinations that lay claim to protected foods or drinks with certifications such as PGI (Protected Geographical Indication), AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) or Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage status.
The Scots take their seafood seriously, proof of which is the creation of an entire trail dedicated to the Arbroath smokie – hardwood-smoked haddock prepared in very specific ways. Locals started smoking the fish (using leftover hessian sacks from nearby mills) in the 1700s, and little has changed since, barring the fact that the European Union gave Arbroath smokies Protected Geographical Indication in 2004. Highlights of the Arbroath smokie trail include Arbroath’s haddock-scented harbour, which dates back to the 1300s and still has several family-run smokehouses. We recommend trying smokies at Arbroath’s WeeCook restaurant, helmed by Hayley Wilkes, a huge fan of smokies’ versatility. “The skin and bones make hearty stocks for pho-style dishes, and it’s the base for our award-winning Fishwife Pie,” she says.
Another food with the EU’s Protected Geographical Indication, Calabria’s Tropea red onions, known as red gold, were first planted by the Phoenicians 4000 years ago. They’re famously sweet, and Roman author Pliny lauded their ability to cure various “physical disturbances”, while Aristotle raved about them. Emanuele Pucci, head chef at Tropea’s De Minimi restaurant, is another fan. “Our Tropea onion and wild oregano pasta was created to showcase these onions in their purest form,” he says. “We use a cryo-extraction technique to enhance every nuance, bringing out their coffee and honey notes.”
Kobe’s Tajima-gyu cattle really are living the high life – and yes, farmers really do treat their animals to sake massages and classical music to reduce their stress hormones, such as cortisol, which can affect intramuscular fat and reduce the “marbling” for which Kobe beef is famous. “The fat is exceptionally fine with a low melting point, which provides the signature texture,” says Kobe connoisseur Makoto Tokuyama, chef and owner of Cocoro, Auckland’s top Japanese restaurant. “It melts gently in the mouth, releasing a refined sweetness and deep umami.”
Full disclosure, the protected entities here are not food items, but street food stalls, albeit ones specialising in Vienna’s famous sausages, whether they be cheese-stuffed Kasekrainers or crispy bratwursts. Vienna’s famous Wiener Wurstelstands (sausage stands) were added to Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2024. “They’re where the city meets itself – where strangers talk without social barriers, united simply by a sausage and a beer,” says sausage stand owner Mike Lanner. Over at the Alles Wurscht sausage stand, owner Sebastian advises going all in with the extras: “My top tip would be to enjoy a typical Viennese sausage like Kasekrainer with mustard, horseradish, pickles and sourdough bread.”
Galicia mussels were the first seafood in Europe to be awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification. Their cultivation is somewhat labour-intensive, and starts with the collection of mussel seeds (maxilla) from designated stretches of Galician coastline before the mussels are cultivated on rafts, spending a year feeding on phytoplankton. And they’ll never go hungry – according to the UN, Galicia’s saline-rich waters have the world’s largest phytoplankton deposits. One of the most popular brands is Los Peperetes. Beloved by David Beckham, these upmarket mussels have an orange hue with a bluish-black axe-shaped shell.
These aren’t just any beans – they’re labours of love that can be grown only on Oland Island, famous for its lime-rich soils. They’ve been grown here since the 1880s, and there are countless annual celebrations of their heritage, including bean harvest festivals. The bad news? The future’s not looking too bright for this much-loved bean, a staple of Swedish dishes such as Sodvik bean goulash. This is because a growing number of farmers are focusing on more profitable crops, although local authorities are going all out to encourage consumption of this endangered speciality.
Tequila doesn’t just have PGI status (which states, among other things, that it must be made in Mexico). It’s even got its own Tequila Regulatory Council, created to ensure producers adhere to strict regulations, including that it’s made only from the blue weber agave plant’s flower (or pina), and in one of five Mexican states: Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Tamaulipas and Jalisco (the latter is where George Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila Reposado is produced). The best bit? Tequila is good for you. Kind of. During the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, doctors instructed patients to drink tequila to ease symptoms, and research by the American Chemical Society suggests tequila can lower cholesterol. Which, we should point out, regular exercise can also achieve. If only exercise were as much fun as tequila …
Yes, the UK is famous for its cheddar, but Lancashire cheese, which must be made in certain parts of the northwestern county using techniques stated in its PDO certification, is regarded by many as infinitely superior. The credit for its mellow taste should go to the cows, which graze on lush Lancashire pastures boosted by the moderate coastal climate. This results in the top-quality milk used for the cheese, although cheese-makers’ ability to blend different curds to achieve its smooth texture is also key. We’re huge fans of the supersized versions, including the 20kg waxed wheels sold by Lancashire’s Dewlay Cheesemakers.
Trust us, the chicken Caesar will look rather plain after you learn the story behind this fine French salad, and you’ll also understand why the versions served on the Cote d’Azur around Nice are infinitely superior. The salad, a recipient of the Cuisine Nissarde label created to identify, protect and preserve staples of local cuisine, is a mix of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Nicoise olives and anchovies or tuna. True Nicoise salads, a favourite dish of the late great Anthony Bourdain, must be drizzled with olive oil produced on Nice’s AOC groves. A dish traditionally enjoyed at celebrations such as family gatherings, it’s regarded as a symbol of togetherness and has been reinterpreted by some of the world’s most famous chefs.