3 destinations chefs say food lovers should visit

Grab your passport and pack your stretchy pants for these adventures

Thanks to social media platforms, anyone can be a food critic. Although getting a restaurant recommendation from influencers is easier, there is a group of professionals whose suggestions trump an average viral video. After all, who knows food better than the ones who prepare it?

Here are three places chefs recommend food lovers visit, according to HuffPost.

Guatemala

“One of my favorite places to go when I visit is Mercado Central, the central market, because it’s a one-stop shop for everything,” Sofia Deleon, the owner of El Merkury in Philadelphia and the Guatemalan rum brand Tenango Rum, told HuffPost.

Guatemala is filled with markets and restaurants using the best ingredients grown on its own land. While taking a stroll through Mercado Central, stop by tapas places and other eateries and street vendors for a variety of flavors almost on every corner.

Corsica, France

Corsica is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the French mainland and west of the Italian Peninsula. Its location makes it a melting pot of tasty dishes. However, experts say the No.1 thing to try is typically an appetizer.

“One of the highlights there for me was the charcuterie that was produced,” Tyler Akin, chef-partner of Le Cavalier in Wilmington, Delaware, and Bastia in Philadelphia, told HuffPost. Les Delices de Castellu, he added, has “these incredibly natural products, wild boar salamis, and the signature sausage of Corsica which is figatellu.”

Oaxaca, Mexico

With a population of 270,000, Oaxaca is a popular tourist destination with colorful buildings, narrow streets and culture everywhere. When it comes to must-have cuisine, the city is known for Mexcal tequila and itsmole.

“Mexican cuisine is such a huge part of American cuisine that I am always drawn to Mexico,” Gregory Gourdet, chef and founder of Kann and Sousòl in Portland, Oregon, told HuffPost via email. “Criollo and Alfonsina are both incredible restaurants.”

Planning your next excursion around food — whether with friends or family — is a great way to connect with fellow travelers and to learn about different cultures.