02 JAN 2018: My jaunts around the globe last year in pursuit of great culinary experiences were full of the delightful and delicious. From the exotic spiced cuisine of Morocco and the art filled kilometres of underground wine cellars of the Loire, to the bounty of the Caribbean here are some of the highlights of 2017.

Most on Trend Country

The trendy spicing of 2017 was Moroccan – with Moroccan inspired cocktails turning up in cool new New York bars and Moroccan inspired dishes starring in restaurants around the globe. It seemed that at least half my friends and family made a trip to Morocco last year and so did my husband and I.

At La Sultana in the historical medina of Marrakesh, our Moroccan tasting menu was an extravaganza of 14 specialty dishes including harira soup (a smooth combo of tomato, lentils, chickpeas and spices), cinnamon scented pigeon pie (bastilla), followed by taktouka of tomatoes and peppers, caramelized pumpkin and eggplant quenelles. (Moroccans always start a dinner with an assortment of cooked vegetables.) The fish courses were medallions of monkfish Rabat style with raisons, prawns with preserved lemon, and chermoula sauce and tagine of Oualidia mussels. Meat dishes included tagine of beef M’rosia with toasted almonds and chicken makfoul (with sweet onions) served with couscous (an ultra-fine tiny ball shaped wheat pasta) with onions and chickpeas.

Top Arabian Destination

The Sultanate of Oman which sits on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula located along the ancient Frankincense Route, is one of the most developed and stable countries in the Arab world. It was a hot destination last year as the place to go for an “authentic” Arabian experience. Muscat, its over 5,000 years-old capital, is home to the Muttrah Souq considered one of the oldest marketplaces of its type in the world. It’s a lively place selling everything from fruits, vegetables and dates to jewellery, carpets, pottery, clothing, perfume oils and of course frankincense.

Best Caribbean Culinary Experience

Half Moon, named after its crescent-shaped Sunset Beach, is a beloved old Jamaican property, first opened in 1954. In 2017 it upped its game with a culinary programme that takes full advantage of the earthly bounty that’s Jamaican. Jamaica, I believe, has the potential to be the best in the Caribbean for cuisine. The variety of vegetables and fruits – many exotic to the Canadian palate – is impressive. On the menu and buffets of Half Moon I found callaloo (green leafy vegetable resembling spinach), pak choi (leafy green from the cabbage family), ackee (Jamaica’s mild tasting yellow-hued national fruit), chocho (green vegetable of the squash family), breadfruit, soursop (tangy fruit of Annona muricata), cassava (made into bammy – a round flat bread), taro (both its edible root and leaves used in various ways), plantain, green banana and much more. Even the turn down treats were traditional Jamaican sweets.

Most Varied and Vast Food Culture

It’s been said, “The Chinese eat everything with four legs, except tables, and everything that flies, except airplanes.”

Certainly the range and variety of Chinese cuisine is impressive. Zhejiang in the southeast is the richest province in China, once called the “land of milk and honey”, so the food is refined, artistic and never greasy.

The province has four distinct cuisines: that of Wenzhou, a coastal city, is called “OU”. The yellow croaker fish from the East China Sea is the most famous seafood in OU cuisine. I had it steamed with Shaoxing wine and as “knocked yellow croaker” with sweet and sour sauce. Around Wenzhou are more than 200 ancient villages that follow along the Nanxi River, many known for their food specialties such as Yubei, an ancient village with a 1000-year-old history famous for their Nanxi noodles.

In Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, we had Beggar’s Chicken which was stuffed with pork belly, cured ham and shitake mushrooms, spiced with clove and cinnamon, wrapped in clay and roasted for hours. At the city’s gorgeous Weizhuang restaurant by West Lake, we dined on Dragon Well Tea Prawns (peeled prawns cooked in Chinese wine with Dragon Well tea leaves – the famous tea of Hangzhou – added to the dish), West Lake fish in vinegar gravy and West Lake beef soup. A foodie could spend a lifetime being led by their belly in China.

Best Canadian Party Town

While Canada celebrated its 150th birthday, Montréal put on over 175 events for its festivity filled 375th anniversary. Of course, food and drink feature prominently in Sin City- to call it by its Prohibition days name. Microbreweries are mushrooming with an estimated 25 now such as bistro-brasserie Les Soeurs Grise the first brew pub to have a serious kitchen for gastro-pub food. In the bar scene, LAB cocktail bar on Rachel Street owned by mixologist Fabien Maillard has a speakeasy atmosphere and an impressive drink menu that includes flaming drinks and unique combos. And Montréal finally has a distillery, Cirka, in its inner heart near the historic Lachine Canal open to the public.

Most Unusual Meal

The Magdalen Islands (Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine), shaped like a fish hook in the middle of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, have a long, fascinating history. For centuries they were a seasonal destination for Mi’kmaqs in search of walrus meat. Jacques Cartier visited them in 1534, Acadians settled in them in the 1700s and a segment of the population are descendants of survivors of the more than 400 shipwrecks in the area. It’s no wonder a visit here is quirky and fun with abundant tastes of the sea.

There are great spots to dine on seafood such as La Table de Roy, with its delicious dish of sweetbreads, scallop and lobster with two sauces. The menu at Café de la Grave in Havre-Aubert, includes a local specialty, seal meat poutine topped with Pied-de-Vent cheese and curds. Seal meat has a strong flavour that is somewhat fishy. An acquired taste to be sure but a meat that meant survival in the winter for many Madelinots in the past.

Best Underground Economy

Above ground the Loire Valley in France is dotted with beautiful Chateaux and other limestone dwellings. Below ground are kilometres upon kilometres of limestone tunnels, the spinoff of the extraction of so much building material. These former quarries today house artful wine cellars containing millions of bottles, restaurants, mushroom farms, and even hotel rooms. At La Caves au Moines which houses a mushroom and snail farm as well as Les Pieds Bleus restaurant in its tunnels, I sat down to a dinner of snails, mushroom and duck with a specialty from Saumur called fouées – puffed up pitas served up hot from their wood oven.

Most Exalted Spirit Experience

The medieval city of Cognac is home to the world’s best and most expensive brandy. In recent years the top Cognac houses have been hard at work to make sure the visitor experience matches what’s in the glass. To celebrate its recent 300th year anniversary, one of oldest of the great cognac producers, Martell, ploughed millions into its visitor centre, creating an unparalleled interactive presentation of the whole distillation process from field to bottle. My visit ended in their Chai Jean Martell where I was blessed to taste cognacs from the 1800’s.