Nomad Travel: The Best Countries to Live, Based on Food

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Does the nomad travel lifestyle appeal to you? You’re certainly not alone. Let’s take a look at some of the best countries to live in based on the food available locally.

Have you ever explored the idea of moving abroad, and developing a location-independent lifestyle based around the things you love? Living a location-independent lifestyle is the big dream for many of us. Just imagine the freedom you’d have if you weren’t tied down to a particular destination because of your job and you were free to explore the world of nomad travel, living practically anywhere in the world you desire – all while being able to study while abroad, or get paid for doing what you love.

Even better, imagine if you were to work out how to achieve financial independence, enabling you to live anywhere you like in the world and, if you wish, never have to work a day in your life. It might sound crazy, but this is fast becoming a reality for thousands of people all around the world.

An introduction to nomad travel and location-independent lifestyles

Thankfully, it’s now much easier than ever before to turn our dreams of becoming virtual vagabonds into reality. Today, around 5 million of us class ourselves as independent workers and, with 17 million people worldwide aspiring to explore the world of nomad travel, that figure looks set to sky-rocket (MBO Partners, 2018).

Some of the most popular career paths being explored by digital nomads all over the world include website development, search engine optimisation (SEO), blogging, home tuition and social media marketing.

So, where would I choose to live if I was free to explore the nomad travel lifestyle? Here are 5 of the best countries to live in, based purely on the local food and drink scene and nothing else.

5 of the best countries to live in as a digital nomad, based on food

1) Malaysia

I had my first taste of authentic Malaysian cuisine when I visited Sabah (Malaysian Borneo) back in March and it’s left me longing for more! A fusion of Thai, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian cuisine, Malaysian food is centred upon fresh fish, seafood and veg, often cooked in coconut milk or cream and flavoured with exotic herbs and spices. More often than not, typical Malaysian meals are served with rice (‘nasi’ in Malay) – a staple of Malaysian cuisine.

The best Malaysian dish I’ve sampled so far has to be nasi lemak (‘rice in cream’). The backbone of a decent nasi lemak is a mound of rice cooked in coconut milk or cream with pandan leaves, although this popular Malay dish is accompanied by a variety of tantalising side dishes which may differ. Usually, you can expect to find crunchy skin-on raw peanuts, spicy sambal, crispy fried anchovies, sliced cucumber and/or side salad and a fried or hard-boiled egg sitting on the plate too. Last but by no means least, an authentic nasi lemak also features a meat or fish accompaniment like ayam goreng berempah (Malay fried chicken – my personal favourite!), deep-fried basung fish or slipper lobsters.

I also fell in love with the beef rendang we ate while staying at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, perched on Sabah’s Kinabatangan River. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I nagged Head Chef, Teddy Ibau to share the recipe with me and he kindly gave me permission to share it on my blog. Try my adapted recipe for slow-cooker beef rendang – you’ll be blown away!

2) Grenada

It’s no secret that I’m just a little bit obsessed with the eastern Caribbean island of Grenada! After attending Grenada Chocolate Festival as part of a press trip in 2018, I took a three-week holiday in Grenada last year and I would’ve returned for the annual Spicemas carnival this year (in fact, I should be there right now!) had COVID-19 not interfered with my plans. Roll on 2021!

What I love the most about the Grenadian diet is its emphasis on fresh fruit and veg, which is grown everywhere throughout the island, from back yards and beaches to farms and roadsides. Fruit and veg provides a cheap, sustainable and nutritious source of food for many islanders, alongside freshly caught fish and seafood, chicken, turkey and goat. You can also find beef, lamb and pork for sale in the supermarket, although it is often imported.

While I’m not so keen on the national dish of oildown (a one-pot stew of breadfruit, callaloo, veg, dumplings and salted meat or fish), my favourite Grenadian dish has to be crabback. It can’t just be any old crabback, though; I’ve got a seriously soft spot for BB’s Crabback, from the restaurant by the same name (that means it must be good!) Crab meat is removed from its shell and mixed with white wine, cheese and herbs before being returned to the shell for serving. I don’t even like crab meat usually, but I could live off this stuff!

Another popular Grenadian dish that gets my vote is curried goat, otherwise known as goat curry. I’d happily class Grenada as one of the best countries to live for foodies based on this dish alone! Again, BB’s Crabback serves the best goat curry I’ve ever tasted, but this hearty, spicy dish can be found everywhere across Grenada, from street food vendors to high-end restaurants. I’m currently developing my own goat curry recipe, so watch this space!

3) India

When I was growing up, my mother and father loved to cook Indian food. There was never a week that went by when we didn’t devour a home-cooked chicken or beef curry served with fluffy rice and homemade naan, chapati or paratha. In fact, we even ate Indian food for Christmas Day lunch once!

Considering I’ve been practically raised on Indian cuisine, it’s no wonder I’ve got such an appetite for fiery foods. When I went to India in 2016, exploring the local cuisine was one of the highlights of my trip. Not only is the food incredibly tasty, but it’s also rather cheap, making India one of the best countries to live in if nomad travel appeals to you. Although I steered clear of the street food vendors for fear of catching a case of the dreaded ‘Delhi belly’ and ruining my ten-day trip, I relished the opportunity to dine in local Indian restaurants. While staying with my friend in Kolkata, I indulged in comforting, home-cooked vegetarian Indian food. I’ll never forget the enormous thalis her catering staff would treat me to at all hours of the day and night.

My most memorable dish in India was the murgh malai tikka kebab I ate at Royal Jaipur Palace restaurant while exploring the so-called ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Although I’ve ordered the same dish countless times in UK-based Indian restaurants, it’s never looked or tasted anything like the stuff I ate in Jaipur. Tender chunks of chicken lay encased in a thick web of creamy yoghurt and cheese, grilled in a clay oven and teamed with a pillowy garlic naan. I honestly doubt whether I’ll ever get to eat a murgh malai tikka as good as this ever again in my life!

4) Nepal

While I’ve only just scratched the surface of what Nepalese cuisine has to offer, what I’ve tasted so far has left me yearning to visit Nepal to explore its food and drink scene in more detail. A melting pot of flavours and cookery techniques derived from India, China, and Tibet over hundreds of years, Nepali dishes are known for their distinctive tastes and usually include fresh veg, lean meats and rice.

There aren’t a great deal of Nepalese restaurants in the UK but luckily, my mother lives very close to two excellent ones, Yaks n’ Yetis in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire (which, I am distraught to discover, has not survived the lockdown period) and The Roadmaker Inn, just down the road in Gorsley.

I don’t think I’ve ever managed to visit Yaks n’ Yetis without ordering their steamed momo dumplings and khursani kukhura; a vibrant, rich dish of battered chicken strips cooked with onion, chillies, garlic and ginger.

Nepal is one of the countries at the top of my travel bucket list right now, so finger’s crossed I’ll be able to visit at some point during the next few years. This would be an incredible destination for nomad travel and no doubt one of the best countries to live in for foodies!

5) Mexico

I adore spicy food – the hotter, the better – so it’s only natural that I love Mexican cuisine. From fajitas and burritos to tacos and quesadillas, I can’t think of any Mexican foods I don’t actually like!

However, I’d love to spend some time in Mexico to get a taste for truly authentic Mexican cuisine, as I know it probably tastes worlds apart from the stuff we eat in the UK and, after having the pleasure of dining with the Yucatán tourism board at Ella Canta Mexican restaurant in London’s Park Lane last year, I’m extremely keen to explore lesser known Mexican dishes and to see for myself how culinary preferences differ between regions.

Just take the meal I ate in London last year, for example; we tucked into Yucatecan lime soup followed by queso relleno (Edam cheese stuffed with minced meat) and honeycomb-infused cookie with pollen-infused rice, freeze-dried mushrooms and a ceremonial Mayan drink known as Balché. A far cry from the stereotypical Mexican meals commonly eaten in most Westernised cultures, don’t you agree?

So, there you have it – the five countries I’d most like to live in, based entirely on local cuisine. I hope I haven’t left you feeling too hungry! And, if you’re also keen to ensure you eat a good balanced diet while working abroad, check out my post on how to eat for good health while travelling.

Now, it’s over to you! Where would you choose to live if you weren’t tied to a particular destination due to work or family commitments? Share your thoughts with other aspiring digital nomads by commenting below.

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