Budapest Hungary

Chris Albersdörfer, Executive Chef, Crystal River Cruises

Budapest’s Great Market Hall is a must-visit for gourmet food enthusiasts. Located right by the Danube, on the Pest side of Liberty Bridge (within easy reach of where most river cruisers dock), this grand covered market is filled with stalls piled high with vegetables, cheeses, meats and baked goods. ‘The thing I like to buy here is kolbasz,’ says Chris Albersdörfer, who leads the brigade aboard Crystal Ravel. ‘It’s a typical Hungarian sausage made with goose, pork, rabbit or horse. I always get mine at a butcher’s stall from the southern city of Szeged, along with more typical salamis made with spicy or sweet paprika.I also like to try körözött, a paprika-spiced cottage cheese dip, followed by a shot of homemade pálinka, the fiery local schnapps.’ Also head up to the mezzanine level for souvenirs and snacks such as goulash, stuffed cabbage and Hortobágyi palacsinta – a meat-filled pancake typical of the Alföld (Great Plain).

Antwerp Belgium

Dave Pogul, Destination Consultant, Hebridean Island Cruises

Not every port of call is famed for celebrating local flavours. In Antwerp’s Vreemdelingenmarkt, it’s all about exotic foods peddled by Chinese, Moroccan, Turkish and other international vendors. Held every weekend on Theaterplein (Theatre Square), it’s awash with ethnic snacks and foodstuffs such as olives, mint tea and pickled vegetables, as well as cheeses, waffles, oysters on the half-shell and other more typical Flemish offerings. ‘Go for the croquettes,’ suggests Dave Pogul, a long-time Antwerp resident. ‘Locals line up to buy these either ready-to-eat or in frozen form to take home. Aim for the artisanal fillings such as shrimp or truffled cheese, or seasonal specialities like pumpkin.’ Theatre Square itself is a 20-minute walk (via the main shopping streets) from where the river cruisers dock, with nearby attractions including Rubens House (the art-filled home and workshop of the celebrated painter) perfect for combining market grazing with a cultural fix.

Lima Peru

Bernhard Klotz, Vice President, Culinary, Oceania Cruises

For a company that boldly bills itself as having the ‘finest cuisine at sea’, Oceania Cruises knows a thing or two about food-focused ports. A top pick for Bernhard Klotz is Lima, the Peruvian capital. ‘The city has two entries in the world’s top ten best restaurants list,’ he says, ‘and its Surquillo Market is the best place to find unfamiliar foodstuffs and spices.’ Good examples might be the more unusual varieties of potato and pepper, along with Peruvian lemon, star fruit and tuna, aka prickly pear. The market is also good for sampling ceviche, Peru’s most famous dish (normally eaten at lunchtime, when the fish is still at its freshest). ‘Some of the best ceviche in Lima uses octopus and sole,’ Klotz says, ‘and it should be washed down – of course – with an authentic pisco sour.’

Lyon France

Giles Hawke, CEO, Avalon Waterways

Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France, which makes it a popular pit stop when cruising the Rhône and Saône. Located where these two waterways meet, the city is surrounded by some of France’s best agricultural lands, which means there’s always something delicious in season at Les Halles de Lyon, the indoor market. ‘C’est magnifique!’ says Giles Hawke, who recommends that guests seek out Fromagerie Mons or Mère Richard for cheese, and l’Îlot des Gourmets for sausages and charcuterie. ‘We also offer a guided culinary walk to sample the city’s flavours, including such local specialities as tarte à la praline, with its signature pink, gooey filling.’ Other Lyonnaise favourites to try include quenelles (dumplings), gras double (tripe with onions) and perhaps the best-known dish of all, coq au vin. Also don’t miss the new International City of Gastronomy museum, set in a former hospital on the riverside.

Taipei Taiwan

Bitta Kuruvilla, Executive Chef, Holland America Line

Of all the docking points in Asia, Taipei is a favourite of Bitta Kuruvilla, whose childhood in Kochi, India inspired a love of cooking with spices and bold flavours. Both are in plentiful supply at Miaokou Night Market in Keelung, an open-air festival of food that’s close to the cruise port. ‘It’s good for local specialities such as ding bian cuo,’ he says. ‘It’s a soup containing seafood, meat and strips of rice-flour batter. Other street-food dishes worth sampling are sautéed beans with frogs’ legs, followed by pao pao bing, a shaved ice dessert.’ Another delicacy is xiao long bao soup dumplings, which passengers can learn to make on a Food Market & Dumpling Lesson excursion. Holland America is further embracing culinary traditions in its ports through the all-new Port to Table initiative, which will bring local chefs on board to showcase regional cuisines.

Valencia Spain

Fabio D'Agosta, F&B Manager, Azamara

Take a break from the heat of the day by diving into covered but colourful Mercado Central. This glass-roofed marketplace in the heart of historic Valencia is home to over 1,000 food stalls loaded with spices, fresh fish and seasonal fruits. ‘Here you can find just about anything to eat or drink from the Spanish culture,’ says Fabio D’Agosta, who works exclusively on Azamara Quest. ‘The fish section is incredible for its live lobsters, whole swordfish and buckets of eels. You can also buy fresh rabbit, which is a key ingredient of paella Valenciana, or sip a refreshing orxata – Valencia’s signature milky drink.’ Also look out for the magnificent whole legs of ham hung in rows, with cloven toes pointing skyward, like lines of dancers performing a can-can. Then, when you’re done with food shopping, wander the pretty nearby streets, which are lined with tiny, independent stores that specialise in everything from ecclesiastical robes to light bulbs.

St John Canada

Tony Bertout, Chef-cuisinier, Ponant

Saint John, the capital of Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador, is one of the oldest Anglophone cities in North America (it was founded in 1497). Arranged around a vivid blue bay, its brightly-painted, colonial buildings are every bit as colourful as the produce in the Farmers’ Market, the historic town’s foodie highlight. ‘I spend a lot of time here when I visit,’ says chef Tony Bertout, who worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before joining Ponant nearly four years ago. ‘Last time, I loved browsing and tasting the large selection of cheeses, apples, pears and all manner of root vegetables, and chatting to the stallholders about their impressive selections of fresh and smoked fish. The different vendors were only too pleased to share their recipe tips and advice, which I put to good use with some pumpkins and squash that I cooked that night for our guests back onboard.’ Bottles of top-quality maple syrup are perhaps better suited to carrying home as souvenirs.

‘Last time I was at the Farmers’ Market, I loved browsing and tasting the cheeses, apples, pears and root vegetables, and chatting to the stallholders about their fresh and smoked fish. They were only too pleased to share their recipe tips, which I put to good use for our guests back onboard’

Funchal Madeira

Adam Sachs, Director of S.A.L.T., Silversea

Silversea’s newest ship, Silver Moon, joins the fleet in August 2020 with a pioneering culinary programme, S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste), that will showcase destination-specific, immersive culinary experiences whereby guests discover regional ingredients and customs onboard, then venture ashore with expert guides to sample them first-hand. One such calling point is Funchal, which Adam Sachs recommends for its central Mercado dos Lavradores. ‘It’s a grand and lively, multi-level market filled with exotic fruits, spices and fish. Nearly everything grows well in Madeira’s rich, volcanic soils, so the market’s bounty is extensive and colourful. There are custard apples, tree tomatoes and pitanga (a tangy fruit from Brazil), plus terrifyingly ugly espada, a deepwater fish from these islands.’ Far more attractive is bolo de mel, a dark and nutty honey cake, or try garlicky pork sandwiches and poncha (traditional punch) at the small bars surrounding the market.