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Top 10 World Food Cities

Top 10 World Food Cities

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Credit: Getty ImagesIn order to identify something as subjective as a "food city," you must have some decisive factors on which to rest your arguments. Otherwise, you open yourself up to all sorts of vicious denigration and scorn.

People take food seriously, perhaps none more so than I. As a result, I can understand if you disagree with some of the choices below. But before you read on, here are some of the factors I chose to single out in my quest to find the ultimate world food capitals.

Food history: Does the city have a history or reputation as a culinary hotbed?
Food variety: Does the city have a diverse food landscape? Is this a city with a unique mix of cultures and as a result, culinary styles?
Food price: Does the city accommodate a host of budgets with not just good, but superior cuisine?
Food soul: As intangible a quality as there is, but nonetheless, does the city exude a soul and a passion for food? Do the residents as a collective care about food?

Not every city on this list scores high on all of these elusive, yet important, measures. They do however, all radiate food soul. Sometimes, that is all it takes.

10- Guangzhou, China

This port city, birthplace of Cantonese cuisine and capital of Guandong province is, to many, the culinary epicenter of China. Like all places that fascinate visitors and residents alike, Guangzhou is a city of contrasts. Over 7 million people live within a complex network of modern urban sprawl that rises out of a bygone era of Silk Road infrastructure. This Old-World charm reminds visitors of a time when the city was Canton, the international hub of trade and distributor of silk, porcelain, ivory, and spices via the Zhujiang (Pearl) River.

Despite the transformation from Silk Road outpost to modern center of foreign commerce, the Guangzhou of today is a mishmash of culinary styles and flavors. If you cannot find it in Guangzhou, it simply does not exist in China to begin with. The metropolis is home to more restaurants than any other city in the country and countless "food streets," where hungry patrons clamor to sample dishes from unfussy open-kitchens.

9- Bologna, Italy
If residents of Bologna suffer from an inferiority complex, one can hardly blame them. With Venice to the north and Florence to the south, the city is within enviable range of two bastions of western civilization. The fact that Venice and Florence, being the giants of folklore and tourism that they are, make a veritable bologna sandwich on the map is delicious irony. To visit Bologna is to experience food, not just eat it. Tortellini, lasagna, mortadella, and spaghetti Bolognese of course, were all born here. Explore the town on foot and stumble upon piazzas that transport you to another time. Try the sausage, the cheese, the wine, and the gelato: it is all buon in Bologna.

Head off to South Africa, France and Singapore...

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