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Come for the tuna auctions, stay for the sushi breakfast. After it’s been fished from the sea and before it turns up on a sashimi platter, most of Tokyo’s seafood transits through Tsukiji Market. This gigantic pulsating hub of Tokyo’s gastronomic system pumps at a frenetic pace. Workers yell, slice blocks of ice, haul massive bluefin tuna, spit, stop for a smoke, laugh, bone an eel and yell some more. You’ll have to trundle out here early to see the predawn arrival of fish and its wholesale auctioning (when visitors are permitted), but even at around 7am there’s still some good market bustle and seafood-slinging going on.

Lines are unavoidable at Daiwa Sushi, Tsukiji’s famed sushi bar (open from 5am). The sushi sets are a good bet if you’re not comfortable ordering in Japanese.

5. House of Master Belgian Chocolate-Makers, Brussels, Belgium

Belgium produces a dreamy 220,000 tonnes of chocolate per year. Its unmatched reputation for sublime chocolate derives from the silky smooth texture created by extended conching (stirring) during the production process, and from the use of pure cocoa butter. A turning point for Belgian chocolate came in 1912, when pralines (filled chocolates) were born in Brussels. On that city’s magnificent Grand Place, La Maison des Maîtres Chocolatiers Belges unites 10 of the country’s choco-craftsmen in an upmarket boutique that also offers demonstrations in English (and the all-important taste-tests) at 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Also stop by a Pierre Marcolini store – his innovative choc-creations are a top choice for Belgium’s wealthy and fashion conscious.

6. Darjeeling, India

It’ll start on the train there (or indeed, any train in India) – the nasal call of the chai wallahs pacing the platforms, hawking their masala-spiced nectar. But that’s nothing compared to Darjeeling itself. Once you switch to the narrow-gauge steam train that hauls you up to this 2000m hill station you’re surrounded by the stuff : tea in the cafes, tea in the bazaars and a deep-green leafy profusion of tea cascading down the hillsides, with the might of the Himalaya behind.

Between March and November (picking and processing season) take a plantation tour and marvel at what goes into a humble tea bag. Of course, high tea is in order – take it at the Elgin or  Windermere hotels. Shop for tea at Nathmull’s Tea Room.

7. Spice Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey

Although somewhat tainted by tourist creep, this market can easily transport you back to its Ottomanera heyday with the kaleidoscopic colours of its mounds of saffron, sumac, chilli and salça (tomato paste), its herbal teas and lokum (Turkish delight), and enough aphrodisiac remedies to make even a sultan blush. As well as baharat (spices), nuts and honey in the comb, there are truckloads of incir (figs) and pestil (fruit pressed into sheets and dried). This is a regular shopping spot for the city’s best chefs.

Don’t be afraid to do as the locals do – try before you buy, and compare prices. If you’re in need of more sustenance than a market snack, Bab-i Hayat is a beautiful vaulted space over the eastern entrance to the bazaar.

8. Maison Mercier Épernay, France

Épernay, the capitale du champagne and home to many of the world’s most celebrated champagne houses, is the best place for touring cellars and sampling bubbly. The most popular champagne brand in France, Mercier, has thrived on unabashed self-promotion since it was founded in 1858 by Eugène Mercier, a trailblazer in the field of eye-catching publicity stunts and the virtual creator of the cellar tour. Everything here is flashy, including the 160,000L barrel that took two decades to build, the lift that transports you 30m underground, and the train taking you along part of the 18km of champagne cellars.

Stay in style at Le Clos Raymi, once occupied by Monsieur Chandon (of champagne fame).

9. Roquefort Caves, France

In the heart of rural southern France, the village of Roquefort turns ewes’ milk into France’s most famous cheese. Its steep, narrow streets lead to natural caves, where seven producers ripen 22,000 tonnes of Roquefort each year – and some cheesemakers offer tours. La Société, established in 1842, has one-hour tours of its pungent caves (including tasters). It’s now the largest Roquefort producer, churning out 70% of the world’s supply. And did you know that the mouldy blue-green veins that run through Roquefort cheese are, in fact, the spores of microscopic mushrooms, cultivated on leavened bread? Er, yum.

Roquefort is a parking nightmare; it’s better to leave your car beside the tourist office at the main, western entry to the village and walk in.

10. San Miniato National White Truffle Market, San Miniato, Italy

The tuber magnatum pico (white truffle) reigns supreme at the medieval hilltop town of San Miniato, roughly halfway between Pisa and Florence. The woods around here are famed throughout Italy as prime truffle-hunting grounds, and mid-September to December is when all the action takes place. The best way to enjoy it is via the town’s white-truffle market, held on the last three weekends of November. During the festival, restaurateurs and truffle tragics come from every corner of the globe to purchase supplies, sample truffle-based delicacies in the town’s shops and restaurants, and breathe in one of the world’s most distinctive aromas.

From October to December, join a truffle hunt with Barbialla Nuovo Fattoria, an agritourism estate.

Further reading: Check out our top 10 European gourmet weekends – or maybe Wonka-style wonderlands are more your thing?

This article was updated in Jan 2012.

 

 

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