Kosher Cuisine Around the World

A Jewish vacation is not complete without delicious kosher food to fill one’s stomach and gratify one’s taste buds. Indeed, a proper kosher holiday should be able to accommodate kashrut sensibilities.

There are many travel destinations around the world, with a wide variety of dishes and cuisine to taste and sample, but not all of these options are kosher. However, that does not mean that you can’t enjoy great foreign dishes. Here are a few samples of kosher cuisine from around the world.

Ratatouille (France)

This iconic French dish is a vegetable stew originating in the countryside of France, most notably its Provence region. This hearty Provencal fare uses no meat, and by merely substituting a few ingredients (namely, regular salt with kosher salt), this rustic French cuisine can be fully enjoyed by a Jewish palate. With different varieties of Ratatouille out there, you can certainly find a variant that will suit your tastes.

Banh Mi (Vietnam)

The Banh Mi (“bread” in Vietnamese) is a Vietnamese sandwich made from a baguette (a legacy of French occupation in the 19th century) stuffed with local Vietnamese vegetables such as cilantro, carrots and others. Traditionally, banh mi uses meat, including pork, but you can try one with all beef or chicken. You can even forgo eating banh mi with no meat at all, instead opting for tofu or other vegetable substitutes. Either way, this combination of French and Vietnamese cuisine is not one to miss.

Alheira (Portugal)

Our last example is a specially-made sausage with a distinct role in Jewish heritage, namely that of Jews in Portugal. Back in the 16th Century, when the Inquisition’s dogmatic fervor was at its height, the Jewish population had to conceal their faith, in fear of Inquisitors or nosy neighbors. To draw suspicion away from themselves, they created a special sausage using bread and poultry, hanging it outside their homes and tricking unsuspecting Inquisitors. The alheira today is considered an iconic Portuguese dish, but even before its celebrated status, it was first and foremost a product of Jewish ingenuity. Photo Credit: atwilltours.com/abc-alheira/


The world is full of culinary delights, and with the zeal of Jewish chefs, both casual and professional, new gastronomic experiences can be reached with kosher recipes. If you’re interested in travelling the world on an all-inclusive cruise ride, then kosher riverboat cruises can provide you with a satisfying kosher experience.