We get it.
One of the reasons you go on vacation is to escape the drudgery of cooking your own meals. With many nice, non-touristy restaurants serving local cuisine in your live-like-a-local town, the last thing you want to do is spend time in the kitchen.
Here at Europe Like a Local, however, we encourage you to avoid eating out every night. Instead, visit the daily or weekly farmer’s market to buy fresh, affordable ingredients for cooking some of your meals in your apartment. We’ve learned it’s a great way to build bridges to the community when we immerse ourselves in a new culinary culture, and mingle with neighbors and vendors over unfamiliar vegetables and cheeses.
Evidently, we are not alone. According to a recent article in the Travel section of the New York Times, many visitors to Europe are also seeking vacation rentals with good kitchens so they can have that same cultural experience while sticking to their vacation budgets.
Let the Ingredients Speak for Themselves
Importantly, the meals you prepare do not have to be time-consuming feasts. We enjoy creating simple but wholesome homemade salads and soups supplemented with the local breads and cheeses, or boiling up new-to-us pasta varieties with a sauce made with ingredients so fresh they basically speak for themselves. As a Philadelphia chef says in the article, “In Italy, you’re starting off already with great quality ingredients, which makes cooking Italian food so much easier because you don’t have to do so much to the ingredients.”
Prepared Meals are Another Option
Not convinced? Then seek out delicious and affordable prepared meals at those same markets. All one needs to do with these time-saving selections is pop them in your apartment’s oven or microwave, or on the stovetop, for another example of good, local cuisine. Of course, these types of meals are not just something thrown together for travelers looking for a shortcut, but are skillful creations aimed at finicky Europeans who want an easy but tasty meal after a busy day. Indeed, the sign we saw at the Padua market proudly states this sentiment to local shoppers:
Preparati da noi per voi
(“Prepared by us for you”)
Other countries have their own take on already-made culinary fare. When in France, for example, seek out charcuteries for a good selection of prepared meals, salads and appetizers. Then a stop in the boulangerie for a crusty loaf of bread and a visit to the patisserie for something sweet, and you’re all set.
Oh, and don’t forget that bottle of wine. After all, you are on vacation!