FOOD & DRINK tips

The year was 1370, and even the shimmering canals of Venice brought no joy to Francesco Petrarch. Over the last two decades, the world-renowned scholar and poet had travelled the length and breadth of Italy. But with every passing year, he found himself retreating more from social life, seeking to escape the "ignorance" of his age.

Adding spicy chorizo to Chinese dumplings might be unconventional, but according to Boston Magazine, the savoury delight from Mei Mei Dumplings "might just be the best two-bite morsel in town".

Conditori La Glace in the heart of Copenhagen has been crafting cakes and confectionery since 1870. From weddings to silver jubilees, Denmark's oldest patisserie has a tradition of celebrating royal occasions.

The image of a celebrity chef dousing their Caprese salad, gazpacho or dolmas with extra-virgin olive oil is incredibly ambitious at the moment, with most Europeans facing record prices in the supermarket aisle. But why have olive oil prices risen so sharply?

Anyone interested in food as a window to class could do worse than exploring the options available on the RMS Titanic. The handful of menus that survived the wreck reveal important differences in the way the ocean liner's passengers ate. While third-class passengers dined on rice soup, gruel and cabin biscuits (essentially, a stomach-settling hardtack), first-class diners had a panoply of options.

I'm three dishes deep into the tasting menu at Al Gatto Verde – Massimo Bottura's new "Not Barbecue" restaurant at Casa Maria Luigia, his intensely stylish guesthouse on the outskirts of Modena, Italy – when the cotechino sangue di drago arrives.

Few places are as synonymous with Jewish food as New York City. Manhattan's Lower East Side neighbourhood served as a culinary cauldron when it was home to the largest Jewish community in the world in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, blending centuries of diasporic gastronomic knowledge.

This summer, Aperol Spritz has been flowing from the counters of the most enchanting venues in New York City, from the rooftop of the Independent Art Fair in Tribeca to the flamingo-themed new bakery on my Brooklyn block. In Singapore, you can take an Aperol Spritz bar crawl, and in Paris, it's now a fixture at most cafes next to the local pastis and kir.

With around 17,000 places to eat in Hong Kong, you're never far from a steaming bowl of something delicious. The city's culinary landscape features world-class Michelin-starred tasting menus and fine dining, but the majority of restaurants are humble, local spots where the prices are low and the proudly Cantonese dishes are comforting.

Flanked on three sides by picturesque wine regions and blessed with an array of award-winning distilleries, South Australia's capital has always punched above its weight when it comes to high-quality alcohol. But until recently, Adelaide was a city where the corner pub reigned supreme and many of the best drops were destined for export.

When you choose a vacation destination, what’s your number one reason for going? Is it a cheap flight, the scenery, or the culture? Well, according to a new survey commissioned by Harry & David, most Americans plan their trips around food.

Earlier this year, Starbucks made a move that will be all too familiar to travelers: The company converted its loyalty program to a spend-based scheme, rewarding members according to the amount of their purchases rather than the number of their visits.

Every now and then a lucky traveler discovers a far-off place that feels like home. San Franciscans might find comfort in hilly Lisbon; Dubliners have been known to flock to their unofficial sister city of Boston; and New Yorkers often find solace in bustling capitals like Tokyo and London. But it’s not often that two oft-compared destinations also share an identical name.

Enter the Williams-Sonoma “Trip to Spain” sweepstakes by August 19, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-night trip to Spain for two, including air, accommodations, meals at two Michelin-starred restaurants, a cooking lesson, winery visits, and city tours.

Enter the Babich Wines “Trip to New Zealand” sweepstakes by August 31, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night trip for two to New Zealand, including air to and within New Zealand; hotels in Auckland, Marlborough, and Queenstown; choice of activities; and a NZD$1,000 gift card.

Chipotle, the super-popular international burrito chain, has had a bad couple of years. A series of E. coli and Norovirus outbreaks have dampened customers’ appetites for its self-described fresh, healthy fare, depressing sales and the company’s stock price.

As reported by USA Today, lawmakers in Missouri are expected to pass a bill that will amend the state’s liquor law to allow travelers to take alcoholic drinks with them to their boarding gates.

Kentucky has way more to offer than just fried chicken! Beautiful scenic parks, horse country, and historical points of interest are all waiting to be discovered. Horses Kentucky Ho

In Croatia, it’s common to see clotheslines hanging between the streets and much to the confusion of the locals, there’s nothing tourists love more than photographing their laundry. The ancient walls and ruins along the Dalmatian coast tell the story of the past, but the clotheslines tell the story of the city’s living inhabitants.

Enter the Draft Publishing “Bon Voyage Belgium” sweepstakes by September 5, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night beer cruise between Amsterdam and Brussles, including air between New York and Brussels, train between Brussels and Amsterdam, meals, brewery tours, and tastings.

Enter the Family Circle “Sail Away with MasterChef” sweepstakes by August 31, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night MasterChef cruise for two, including air to and from the cruise port, and a $650 check to cover port charges and other trip expenses.