We’ve all heard of endangered species, but what about endangered dishes?
Intrepid Travel has compiled a list of ‘Endangered Dishes’, highlighting some of the world’s most recognisable dishes at the risk of disappearing as climate change, overtourism and mass food production reshape local food cultures.
Developed in collaboration with global food experts, the list is designed to inspire travellers to seek out authentic, locally-rooted cuisine, while supporting the communities that preserve these culinary traditions.
The Endangered Foods List includes:
- Cuscos Transmontanos com Coelho – Transmontanos couscous with rabbit stew (Lisbon, Portugal)
- Mosbolletjies – grape must buns (South Africa)
- Inanchila – a sacred sticky rice dessert made with endangered rice varieties (Northern Philippines)
- Hand-rolled, kettle-boiled bagels (New York, USA)
- Petkhvis Cvishtvari – black millet patty (Georgia)
- Kwun Tong Gao – “jumbo soup dumplings” (Hong Kong)
- Chelsea bun (London, UK)
- Tlacoyos made with maíz criollo – ‘heirloom native corn’ (Mexico)
- Traditional gumbo with filé powder (New Orleans, USA)
- Funazushi / Narezushi – the original sushi (Osaka, Japan)
Dishes were identified as being (1) materially endangered due to environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change, (2) culturally endangered due to dilution or standardisation driven by overtourism and globalisation or (3) craft-endangered due to reliance on traditional skills and practices that are declining because of social, economic or environmental change.
Among the dishes featured are hand-rolled New York bagels (above), which are increasingly being replaced by industrial production methods and Hong Kong’s oversized soup dumplings, now mass-produced to meet tourist demand.
Also included is ‘Inanchila,’ a sacred sticky rice dessert from the Philippines that is under threat as Indigenous ingredients are replaced by more commercially driven alternatives.
The findings come as travellers increasingly plan trips around food.
A recent Intrepid survey of more than 8,000 travellers across Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom found that 66% of travellers consider experiencing local food and cuisine an important factor when choosing a travel destination.
Some 93% agree that eating locally is one of the best ways to understand a culture when travelling.
“By shining a light on these at-risk dishes, we hope to highlight the role travellers can play in supporting communities to preserve their food heritage and encourage them to seek out authentic, locally-rooted culinary experiences,” said Erica Kridikies, General Manager at Intrepid Travel.
“Tourism can play an important role in helping to safeguard these culinary traditions, but when it’s not done responsibly, it can also contribute to its decline.”
Intrepid operates 20 dedicated food tours across four continents, alongside thousands of local food experiences offered on more than 900 trips worldwide.
Read more about Intrepid’s dedicated Food Trips: www.intrepidtravel.com/food
