If you love food as much as you love travel, you really need to get to know Martina Sebova and Rachel Davey, a Slovakian tour guide and an Australian chef. Read on for our Very Hungry Nomads interview.
The travellers began their website Very Hungry Nomads to document their love of food and adventure. At the time they never realised just how far their journey would take them.
Marty and Rach first met while working as On-Road Crew for Topdeck in Europe, which they both describe as ‘the best job ever’.
Now, after travelling the world for over 15 years and collecting passport stamps from 100 countries, they’ve decided to set their sights on the next travel goal.
On their agenda? Every. Single. Country.
Yep, Marty and Rach plan to spend the next two years visiting the final countries on their list, bringing their travel total to 195 countries and 10 disputed territories by 2020.
Why are they on a mission to visit every nation? Rach and Marty are out to prove that it’s safe to take on the world as female travellers. In their own words, they ‘hope to empower and inspire women from everywhere to believe that anything is possible’.
And of course, they’re gonna taste some of the world’s yummiest food along the way 😉
From street food vendors to no-cutlery-necessary communal dishes shared with friends, here are their top 5 favourite meals that they’ve tried from around the world (so far).
1. Pork and holy basil stir fry (Pad Kra Pao), Thailand
‘It’s no secret that Thailand has some of the most delicious street food in the world. Thai people love to eat and they’re magicians at balancing sweet and savoury flavours to create a dish that is perfect.
‘This minced pork stir-fry dish is one of our go-to dishes when we visit Thailand. It takes only minutes to cook, it’s spicy, fragrant and it’s served with a crispy fried egg and rice.
‘Our top tip? It’s best eaten with a cold Singha beer on the side.’
2. Lángos in Budapest, Hungary
‘This classic street food is one that tastes sooo good but leaves you feeling a little guilty…
‘Lángos is dough made with yeast, flour, mashed potatoes and salt. It’s then deep fried.
‘The best part is the toppings! Lángos is topped with sour cream, garlic and grated cheese. You can pimp it out even further and add bacon or ham, green onions or feta.’
3. Homecooked lunch in Wakhan Valley, Tajikistan
‘We stumbled upon a group of Tajik women taking a lunch break in the wheat fields of the Wahkan Valley, Tajikistan. They invited us to eat lunch with them!
‘They shared home-cooked food with us, which included a pot of potato and garlic soup, a slow cooked lamb curry with vegetables, herbs and roasted garlic. There was also pilaf rice with sultanas, herbs and nuts and some flatbread.
‘It was clear that so much love had been put into that meal. This was easily one of our favourite travel foodie experiences to date.’
4. Vegetarian beyinet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
‘Bayinet is a collection of colourful vegetarian dishes or stews served over a plate of injera. Injera is a flatbread made from teff flour. It’s fermented with water for several days before being baked into large pancakes that have the texture of crêpes and the taste of sourdough bread.
‘To eat this meal, you simply break a piece of injera, then use it as a spoon to scoop up the delicious stew before eating it. This meal is designed to share with friends, so it makes it a fun and social experience.’
5. Tacos in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
‘The tacos that you can find in small eateries or from street vendors in Mexico are next level! We ate so many amazing tacos on the streets when we travelled through Mexico for three months, only a few years ago.
‘Our favourite type is tacos al pastor. The spicy marinade that the meat cooks in is delicious. It’s then served with small pieces of roasted pineapple, fresh coriander and hit with fresh lime juice and spicy salsa.’
So there you have it. The top 5 foodie travel experiences from the Very Hungry Nomads. Hungry yet? 👀
Need more foodie inspiration?
Follow Rach and Marty as they immerse themselves in the flavours of every country in the world via their website, Facebook or Instagram.
