GAETAN PENEC (DESSERT), BRENDAN SMITH (DRINK), EWEN BELL (RIVER)NATGEOTRAVEL.COM
TASTE OF TRAVEL
GORDON RAMSAY
New Zealand
“The hangi is my new
favorite way to cook meat,”
says Ramsay. “Dig a hole,
light a fire, bury the meat,
and go enjoy a few hours
relaxing.” Methods for this
traditional Māori way of
cooking have been handed
down for generations, and
the hangi is still used to
prepare meals on special
occasions. Ramsay also
marvels at how Māori cook
with seaweed in inventive
ways—and how they
retain these techniques in
their modern-day culture.
Smoked eel, he says, is
another best bite. And be
sure to sample the sips.
“New Zealand has some
of the best local wines.”
A CHEF TO WATCH:
Matt Brock of Kika
restaurant in Wanaka,
known for seasonal,
tapas-style dishes
Alaska
One of Ramsay’s most
memorable moments
came when he visited an
indigenous Tlingit commu-
nity. As he entered a family
smokehouse, he saw that
the 12-year-old daugh-
ter was “braiding with
absolute, utter finesse”
the 23-foot-long intestines
of a seal so they could be
smoked and later eaten.
“You stop in time and just
think, wow,” he says. “It’s
how they will continue
to survive across very
dark, hard-core winters.”
For local fare requiring a
less adventurous palate,
he recommends Alaskan
white salmon and gin from
Juneau’s Amalga Distillery,
which has a lively tasting
room. The owners forage
many of the botanicals
themselves. “A must try!”
A CHEF TO WATCH:
Beau Schooler of In Bocca
Al Lupo restaurant, serving
handmade pastas and
pizzas in Juneau
the lofty villages dotting
the Sacred Valley. But his
greatest discovery in the
land of the Inca? “The
amazing diversity in pota-
toes. Each one was unique
and different, and they
were incredible to cookand eat,” he says. Indeed,
it’s estimated that 4,000
types of potatoes grow in
Peru, ranging from the pale
papa blanca to the jewel-
toned papa púrpura. But
not everything succulent
is starchy. Alpaca jerky,says Ramsay, makes a salty,
satisfying snack.A CHEF TO WATCH:
Juan Luis Martínez of
Mérito, a restaurant in Lima
that puts Venezuelan spins
on Peruvian ingredientsPeru
“High altitude is no joke,”
Ramsay says. Even the
pisco sour, a brandy-based
tipple that’s considered
Peru’s national drink, packs
a more potent punch in