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Escaping the Summer Crowds in Europe – How to Survive Peak Travel Season. Action on the beach at Magaluf, Mallorca, Spain. Copyright © 2023 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Escaping the Summer Crowds in Europe – How to Survive Peak Travel Season

Escaping the summer crowds in Europe is easy: avoid summer travel, school holidays and weekends and travel off-season or mid-week instead. If you must travel in summer, go off the beaten track, hire a car and do a road trip or settle into a holiday house or apartment in a lesser visited destination. These are our tips to surviving Europe’s peak summer tourist season and the sweltering heat and heaving crowds that go with it.

Before the pandemic, July-August had long been the peak period of the busy European summer tourist season, which starts end of June and continues until the end of August, when not only is the rest of the world descending upon the continent, but most Europeans are also taking their annual holidays.

Added to the pain of dealing with never-ending lines, throngs filling museums and art galleries, and masses of people crowding cobblestone lanes and pebbly beaches, is the scorching summer heat. When I first wrote this guide to escaping Europe’s summer crowds, Europe was in the grips of a record-high heatwave that saw soldiers battling wildfires, villages evacuated, and schools shut. July and August are always sizzling in Europe.

In 2018 a deadly heatwave in Spain and Portugal broke Europe’s all-time temperature record of 48°C (118.4°F). It was so hot in Europe that mountains were melting (Sweden’s highest peak lost 4 metres of ice from its peak), rivers dried up, fish suffocated, toxic algae invaded beaches (in the Baltic, swimming was off limits in Sweden, Lithuania and Poland for a while), zoo animals were being fed frozen food, dogs were being fitted with shoes to protect their paws, and police water cannons were used to water public parks.

And, look, I do get the pull of Europe in summer. I have to confess that I absolutely adore Europe in summer, even in the scorching heat, and even when it’s uncomfortable. Europe in summer is a rite of passage for so many travellers. Once upon a time a European summer escape was my ideal annual holiday.

I could think of no better place to be in summer than in Europe – basking on pebble beaches by day or by hillside hotel swimming pools, gazing over pastel-painted towns; strolling through in air-conditioned museums to browse  magnificent works of art; lingering over long lunches under shady umbrellas overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean; and sipping spritzes on buzzy squares in the balmy evenings. Sigh…

We spent 12 years travelling Europe before we settled in Southeast Asia, initially from our base in the UAE for annual summer holidays, when we’d spend two months exploring two or three countries: Italy, Spain and Portugal one year, Turkey and Greece the next, Italy and Croatia after that, France and northern Europe another year. It was bliss. Later we travelled Europe writing guidebooks on Milan, Paris, Lisbon, Belgium, Amsterdam, Greece, Cyprus, and Italy. Dream job, you bet. Deep, long sigh…

But that was before over-tourism. European cities were busy and beaches were crowded, but not like they were before the pandemic. In 1990, Barcelona was visited by 1.7 million tourists, in 2017 it was 32 million, around 20 times the local population. On our first trip to Barcelona in 1999 residents weren’t yet hanging banners from their balconies or scrawling messages on popular sights telling tourists to go home. Public spaces weren’t yet overwhelmed with people. Old city centres hadn’t yet had their souls destroyed by 7-Elevens, Starbucks and Airbnb. And locals hadn’t yet been priced out of their own cities.

It was an altogether different Europe before the pandemic; a Europe where tourists weren’t always welcome in some places, especially in summer. That was reason enough for escaping the summer crowds in Europe, and a good reason to get off the beaten track in Europe and visit places where you will be welcome.

Escaping the summer crowds in Europe is easy. If you can, avoid summer and travel off-season and if you can’t, and you must travel in July-August then follow our tips to surviving Europe’s peak summer tourist season, starting with the obvious…

Published 3 August 2018; Updated 20 March 2022.

Escaping the Summer Crowds in Europe – How to Survive the Peak Summer Period

Avoid Europe in Summer If You Can – Travel Europe Off-Season 

My top tip to escaping the summer crowds in Europe will always be to avoid Europe in summer, especially in August, and travel during the shoulder seasons (April to June and September to October) or even off-season (November to March; Christmas to New Year aside, of course). We adore Europe during those periods and I’ll tell you why in another post. I understand that travelling to Europe outside of summer isn’t possible for everyone, especially if summer is the only time your employers allow you to take leave, or you have kids at school and you have no choice but to take off during school summer holidays. If that’s you, read on…

Do a European Road Trip – Take the Roads Less Travelled

We adore travelling by train in Europe, but in summer the trains can get uncomfortably crowded, and even if you’ve got ticketed seats it can still be challenging to get people sitting in them to budge. We have memories of spending a several-hour train trip standing because the train was so crowded it was impossible to move and the carriage. That’s one reason to always buy first class seats with ticket numbers, as the conductor will boot the people from your seats. Or rent a car and do a European trip. While some roads can get grid-locked in Europe in summer, especially on weekends and especially coastal routes and to/from popular getaway spots, such as the Italian Lakes, the beauty of renting a vehicle and doing a road trip is that you have so much more freedom and can change your itinerary to head to less-crowded places and you will always be able to find a road less travelled. Just ask the locals for tips!  

Tips for Driving in Europe for Stress-Free European Summer Road Trips

Try Europe’s Second Cities – and Second Countries and Second Islands

For those of you eager to experience the continent at its finest weather-wise, my best advice on escaping the summer crowds in Europe is to spend your time in Europe’s second cities. For example, instead of Paris visit Lyon, which has glorious food, mouthwatering markets and riverside swimming pools, but was hit hard last year by the French train strikes, which resulted in a 25% drop in tourists, and was eagerly welcoming visitors. Also try: Valencia in Spain, Thessaloniki in Greece, Genoa or Trieste in Italy, and so on. See our post below on Underrated Cities in Europe we Love for more ideas. Or instead of second cities, try second countries: spend time in Kotor in Montenegro instead of Dubrovnik, Croatia. And second islands: while we love Mallorca, we recommend Menorca during the peak season.

Underrated Cities in Europe That We Love – An A to Z Guide of Europe’s Second Cities

Visit the Cities Locals Abandon for the Beach

August is beach month for locals as well as tourists, so while Europe’s star destinations of Paris, London, Barcelona, and Rome are busy year-round, more local cities, such as Madrid and Milan empty of tourists in August when residents de-camp to the beach. If you can handle the heat and the fact that the very best restaurants will be closed, this is a fantastic time to experience the cities that locals leave for the seaside. Just be sure to do as the locals do: head out in the morning, take things easy during the hottest part of the day, linger over lunch, head back to the hotel for a long siesta, then go out in the evening when the temperatures drop and the streets are livelier. 

Get Off the Beaten Track to Places Beyond the Obvious

Another means of escaping the summer crowds in Europe is to spend time in the towns and villages that locals have deserted and most tourists ignore. Italy, for instance, has countless big towns and villages that are off the beaten track for the tourist masses and empty of locals in July and August (see above). In northern Italy, for instance, most tourists focus on Venice, Verona and Bologna, but Cremona, Mantua and Padua also hold a lot of allure. See our post below on Off the Beaten Track European Summer Destinations for more ideas.

Off The Beaten Track European Summer Destinations Just Beyond the Obvious

Avoid Weekend Travel and Travel Mid-Week in Summer

If you’re intent on escaping the summer crowds in Europe then avoid any weekend travel in Europe, especially to the beach. Locals who are still working or who can’t afford to go away on a summer holiday will travel on weekends, and more often than not, it will be to the beach they’ll be heading. Book European train tickets well in advance, travel first class on trains if you can – there’s nothing more excruciating than standing for hours on an over-crowded train as you can’t get the seat that you paid for – but even better, travel mid-week.

Plan Museum Visits Very Carefully

There’s nothing worse than standing in line for hours at the Vatican or Louvre and then experiencing the crush of the crowds inside. It’s enough to bring on panic attacks in the most laidback people. If you have the luxury of time and flexibility call the museum you want to see and ask when is the quietest time to visit. With some museums, it’s best to go as soon as they open – most people on holidays want to sleep in. For other museums, lunchtime is best when everyone leaves to eat. Whatever you do, avoid the free days and nights when they’re packed. Museums are good ideas in summer for the air-conditioning alone.

Buy Museum Fast-Track Skip-the-Line Tickets

Alternatively, if the budget allows, one of the best ways of escaping the summer crowds in Europe – particularly the hoards of people lining up for the most popular sights and attractions – is to buy fast-track tickets in advance online that you allow you to skip the lines at museums and attractions. They’re an absolute must in Europe in summer and can save many hours of waiting in line for top sights such as the record-high heatwave, the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Museum D’Orsay and Orangerie in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan, the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Acropolis in Athens.

Do Exclusive After-Hours Tours

Another great way of escaping the summer crowds in Europe – once again, those masses of people that can overwhelm museums heaving with people – is to do an exclusive after-hour tour with a guide so you can amble museums in peace. We’ve visited the Vatican both ways over the years, the first time lining up in a queue that stretched around the corner and way down the road, and the second time on a private after-hours tours with a brilliant guide with a PhD who had done her research in the Vatican libraries. I know which way I’ll do it again. Highly recommend exclusive early morning or after hours tours for the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel in Rome in the early morning before the masses arrive or after the museum closes in the evening, St Mark’s Basilica and The Doge’s Palace After Dark VIP tour in Venice, the Accademia Gallery (home to the statue of David) in Florence, and the Opera Garnier in Paris.

Avoid European Beaches in August

Avoid Europe’s beaches in August, which is not only when kids are on school holidays, but when most Europeans take leave. Many businesses close completely for the annual summer vacation, others operate with a skeleton staff, which means August is beach month in Europe for locals as well as tourists. Locals just go to different beaches to tourists. In Italy, while foreign tourists invade the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre, particularly Positano and Portofino – and in recent years Ischia, the latest hot destination on travellers’ bucket lists – Italians make a beeline for the Italian Riviera west of Genoa, the Adriatic Riviera or Riviera Romagnola centred around Rimini, Italian Lakes such as Lake Garda, Sardinia, Sicily, Puglia, and Calabria. Everyone – local and foreign – hits Capri. Sigh… if you want empty beaches, you’re better off heading to beaches and islands of northern Southeast Asia, where it’s low season. 

Hit the Coast in September

The best way of escaping the summer crowds in Europe – especially in the countries that boast the best Mediterranean beaches, such as Italy, Spain, Greece, and France – is to wait and take your beach holiday in September. Everyone will be back at work, the temperatures will be more tolerable, restaurant owners will be more laidback and up for a chat as the big summer rush is over and the touts will be so tired of tourists that they’ll leave you alone. It’s not as hot in September as July-August, but it’s still warm enough to work on your tan. The roads will be less busy and the sky clearer and air fresher as a result.

Learn a Little of the Local Language

Another one of my top tips to escaping the summer crowds in Europe is that as soon as you decide you’re going, start learning some of the local language so you have some basic conversational skills by the time you arrive. That way you can ask locals for tips to avoiding crowds, getting off the beaten track, exploring beaches, towns, and neighbourhoods only locals go. Sign up for a basic language course as soon as you select your dates and learn how to say things like “which beach do you head to when you want to avoid tourists?” (with a wink) or “where do you dine when you go out to dinner?” At the very least learn how to say ten words and phrases before travelling, from ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’ to ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ (see the post below for the other six), so people are at lease friendly when you say “I’m sorry, I don’t speak your language… do you speak English by any chance?” and then proceed to pick their brains for lesser-visited spots. This is how we’ve long discovered the best local secrets.

Learning Languages When You Travel – 10 Tips for Learning Languages On the Road

 

 

Book Europe Tours and Tickets in Advance

 

Do you live in Europe, travel there regularly, or have you spent a summer in Europe? We’d love to hear your tips for escaping the summer crowds in Europe in the Comments below.

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

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About Grantourismo

Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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