MC Travel Special | Loafing around in Europe

While in Slovenia, try sweet pies filled with cherries, apples, plums and walnuts.

Brioche Gelato, Sicily

Yes, it has a 1,000-kilometre coastline, but the primary colour in parts of Sicily is brown. Sunburnt fields. Tanned houses cascading down hillocks steeped in the tannin hues of history. Driving down from one quiet village to another can be a long, dry affair, especially under the summer sun.

But if it is the ancient town of Agrigento that you are heading for, rejoice. You are about to arrive at an ice-cream parlour by the roadside, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It is called Le Cuspidi, and it is where the locals flock to tuck into brioche buns filled with ice-cream.

The Italians love their pistachio, and this is your opportunity to marvel at just how much. The green nut plays a starring role in the classic gelatos in your bun. They say it is the best ice-cream sandwich in all of Italy, and your taste buds are sure to concur.

The Brioche Gelato at Le Cuspidi in Sicily, Italy.

Olive Bread, Cyprus

Ah, Cyprus! Your guide will tell you that the island enjoys every kind of climate on earth, and even a three-day tour will corroborate that statement. In a matter of minutes, you can go from snowy hill to summery plains, sleety streets to sunlit shores. It’s like driving inside a 3-D postcard, living your fondest travel dream.

“No one can ever go hungry on our land,” says a local farmer, presiding over a mound of bright oranges. The island virtually drips fruit: citrus, olives, figs. Here in Cyprus, you are never far from a farmers market, bursting with fresh produce. A great way to enjoy the bounty is to fill your basket with cherry tomatoes, halloumi cheese and a bottle of cold-pressed olive oil. Settle down at a spot where you can watch the sea gobble up the sun, and break that olive-studded bread.

Moisten the bread with olive oil, sprinkle it with juicy tomatoes, top it with fried  halloumi and you will achieve the Grecian version of nirvana. Perhaps the secret is in the flavour of the fruit, ripened under the Mediterranean sun in century-old groves. Not ours to analyse why, but while you are in Cyprus, feel free to forget the dictat that man shall not live by bread alone…

A farmers' market in Cyprus.

Khachapuri, Georgia

Virgin mountain landscapes. Ancient cities draped around rivers. And some of the world’s best wine! The spirited nation of Georgia deserves to be on every nature lover’s list.

If you’re going—and you must—make the capital city of Tblisi your base, hire a car and drive around to the resort town of Borjomi, Kazbegi National Park, the ancient city of Gori, the riverside settlement of Khashuri and the former capital Mtskheta.

The country’s poster child for bread is an open-faced loaf called khachapuri. Now here’s the interesting thing: it was invented by sailors, so it’s shaped like a boat. The melted cheese on top depicts the sea and the very Instagrammable egg in its centre mimics the sun! Every region in the country has its own twist on khachapuri, so make sure you try the local variety wherever you go.

Khachapuri

Sweet Pie, Slovenia

The food of the Balkan region is as diverse as its snow-covered mountains, vast valleys, great rivers and lakes. Balkan cuisine owes its eclectic range to the many influences it has seen through the ages, from ancient Romans who started olive oil production to the Ottoman Turks in the Middle Ages and finally the Italian and German traditions.

While the cold climes of this largely mountainous terrain necessitate an emphasis on meat (Turkish-style kebabs are a hot favourite), it is the humble white bean that has their heart. In fact, it is such a basic meal that when Serbs want to say that something is simple they say it is “as simple as beans,” reveals Anna Rostokina, a Serbian writer.

After you have savoured a hearty Balkan meal, dig into one of their sweet pies. Filled with cherries, apples, plums and walnuts, they are very moreish. If you ask the locals, they will pick prekmurska gibanica, or Prekmurian cake, a layered Slovenian pastry loaded with fruit, cheese, raisins and poppy seeds. While there is no knowing which influencer nation left its stamp on this Slovenian delicacy, on one thing there is no debate—it is delicious.