17 Amazing Foods Worth Traveling For

The famous open-faced sandwich! Smørrebrød consists of buttered slices of Danish rye bread, topped with tons of delicious things: pickled herring, cheeses, tartare, and much more.

It's the heartiest, meatiest stew ever. Plus, it's usually served with delicious sides of fluffy rice, collard greens, cassava, and orange slices.

Basically a packet of taste bud ecstasy. Who knew a crunchy pastry containing an egg, spices, and meat could taste so good?!

There's good pizza in plenty of places, but none are quite like authentic Neapolitan pizza in Italy. There's even an Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana that puts out official guidelines to making the most genuine recipe!

A simmering pot of incredibly spicy stock, with a spread of raw ingredients to cook in it. Spicy hot pot is especially special in Sichuan, where spicy-tingly Sichuan peppercorns and chilies are rife, and diners literally bring towels to restaurants to mop up their sweat.

The Brits are seriously the kings of meat encasements. Steak and kidney pies, pork pies, sausage pies, Beef Wellingtons... MMM.

One of the most popular recipes in West Africa, and for good reason. It's a traditional chicken stew that gets its flavor from a marinade of oil, onions, lemon, and a little mustard. It can also be made with fish!

One of the most aromatic rice dishes ever. You'll find seafood paella all over Spain, but for maximum freshness and authenticity, stick with the seafood paella along the Mediterranean coast — especially in Valencia.

Delightfully soft, chewy dumplings filled with mashed potato, meat, sauerkraut, or cheese. Then, on top of all that goodness, they're topped with salo (cured bacon fat) and onions. YUM. Dessert varieties, filled with fruit, are also a thing.

A Burmese-influenced noodle dish that's SADLY not often served outside of Northern Thailand and Laos. The sauce is coconutty, limey, spicy, and rich, and it's topped with deep-fried noodles and other accoutrements.

France is famous for its rich, tasty food... but seriously, how are their simple sandwiches SO GOOD? Brie and butter, ham and butter — maybe anything tastes amazing on a crusty, authentic baguette.

Eating potatoes in Peru, the motherland of the potato, is mandatory. Causa is a mashed potato cake, often stuffed with tuna, egg, avocado, and shrimp. YUM.

Delightfully buttery flatbread that you can find basically anywhere in India. It can be stuffed, layered, deep fried, or more, depending on region. You can do NO WRONG with paratha.

It's the silky smooth, savory goodness that makes sweating in the Texas heat worth it. The best stuff is dry rubbed with peppery goodness and smoked until all it takes to separate it is a fork.

It's worth traveling ALL OVER Japan for regional variations on ramen. From shoyu to miso broths to dipping ramen, the entire country is heaven for noodle soups.

It's flatbread stuffed and rolled with doner kebab, spices, onions, and tomatoes. This too varies by region, but tastes amazing anywhere, especially if the bread (usually lavash) has been toasted with the meat's dripping juices.

The quintessential street food that you can smell from a mile away. Crispy on the outside, soft and silky on the inside, and can be paired with an array of delicious dipping sauces. There's nothing like crowding around the best stinky tofu stands with fellow enthusiasts!