Bon Apetit! 10 cities every foodie must visit in their lifetime

These are the perfect destinations for the food lover.

The great thing about travelling to a new place is that it accords one the opportunity to try out new dishes, and if you're one of those people who goes to a place without trying out the local delicacy, you should know that you're totally missing out on a great experience.

While some areas of the world are famed for their great cuisine, others manage to go relatively unnoticed.

But what really puts a city on the foodie map?

Many times its the creation of a dish so unforgettable that word spreads and soon enough, it attracts world wide attention and earns urban legend status.

Today, we unearth all of such destinations as we take you to places where some of the best food in the world has been created and served, according to National Geographic.

So, pack a bag and definitely make plenty of space in your stomach...

 

1. Louisville, Kentucky: A fitting place to kick off the countdown as the birthplace of global fast food franchise, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), but that's not all Kentucky has to offer. Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey sandwich which was invented as a midnight snack for revelers at the Brown Hotel is what really earns this town urban food legend status.

2. Chennai, India: India is known for its great spicy, curry-infused food, and then there was Chicken 65 which is a spicy, deep-fried chicken starter believed to have been invented at Chennai's Buhari Hotel by the hotel’s founder and possibly named after the number of chilies (peppers) in the original recipe.

3. Buffalo, New York: The next time you eat Buffalo wings, you should know this tasty treat traces its origin to  Anchor Bar Restaurant, where the chicken finger food was born in 1964.

4. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Vietnam is no slacker either when it comes to food and the Vietnamese crispy bread sandwich bánh mì, was first served at Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City.

5. Lyon, France: For as long as time, France has been the de facto food capital of the world but what you should know is that Lyon is the epicentre of food in the country, and has the dish - Lyonnaise potatoes, sliced and pan-browned spuds with onion and parsley named after it.

6. Cincinnati, Ohio: Want a seriously spicy dish? Head on to this spice loving city for their famed spicy stew.

7. Osaka, Japan: Home to one of the best restaurants in the world, Osaka is believed to be the birthplace of street food, takoyaki. There is also a museum dedicated to the grilled balls of octopus batter, topped with seaweed flakes and served with sweet takoyaki sauce.

8. Bologna, Italy: Remember the famous spaghetti Bolognese which really is spaghetti and meat sauce? Well, it's named after Bologna. The people of the region take their invention so seriously that the city’s chamber of commerce staged a cook-off in 1982 to choose an official version.

9. Edam, The Netherlands: The cheese, Edam is named after this town harbour where it was sold. So for some original, great tasting Edam cheese, you know where to go.

10. Ensenada, Mexico: Noted for its classic combo of fried fish and shrimp topped with mayo, salsa, and cabbage, food lovers flock here for a taste of this classic meal. How it all started? In 1958, the Ensenada market opened and began selling fresh, local seafood and the fish tacos quickly gained prominence.