Edible Expeditions - Connect to Your Surroundings Through Your Taste Buds

  • September 6, 2018
Edible Expeditions - Connect to Your Surroundings Through Your Taste Buds
Hotels are taking guests out of the dining room and into gardens, farms, and more, allowing travelers to connect to their surroundings via their taste buds.

Ka’ana Resort, nestled in San Ignacio, Belize, draws from its scenery and the local, indigenous culture to offer unique culinary adventures. In an onsite outpost designed to mirror a traditional Maya kitchen, guests are taught to prepare staple dishes including tamales, tortillas and caldo. The cooking class is led by Maya descendants who use ancient methods and tools like the fogon, a type of stove - to ensure an authentic experience. Additionally, Ka’ana offers an offsite Maya Cacao farm tour where travelers get a hands-on lesson in harvesting cacao beans and making chocolate.

Ponta dos Ganchos is an exclusive resort on a with only 25 bungalows. Located in Brazil’s Santa Catarina, a private peninsula known for its beaches and mountains, the resort offers a firsthand experience at oyster cultivation. Paired with local fisherman, travelers can explore historic oyster farms on the Ganchos Bay, catch the mollusks and slurp them fresh out of the water. This experience can also be coupled with champagne.

At Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, travelers can take a guided hike to the shore of Hualalai Volcano, an ancient salt flat which was a cornerstone of living for the early Hawaiians. Guests will learn how the salt is formed before harvesting their own into fabric bags. Following the harvest, the resort’s culinary team will lead a cooking class using the salt in a variety of dishes.

Viña Vik, a vineyard hotel in Millahue, Chile, gives guests a chance to join the harvest team for a lesson in wine making. From March to May, travelers will learn to choose and clip the best bunches as well as taste the freshly pressed juice. For a next-level souvenir, Viña Vik will age the guests’ wine for four years before sending a bottle to their home.