Food and Travel: Reader Photos

With camera lenses now incorporated into most mobile phones, the number of photos of everyday items has skyrocketed. Among the leading subjects? Food.

There's something captivating about an image of a mouthwatering dish (it's one reason food television is booming). While you might not be able to taste or smell it, that photo sure does whet your appetite and can spur you to plan a trip. Likewise, when you're served a fantastic dish, whether at a fancy restaurant or street cart, it's gratifying to instantly preserve the memory with a photo-and share it through social networks.

So when we asked the Travel + Leisure community to upload food photos they've taken during their travels, we weren't surprised to find hundreds of delectable images pouring in. Selecting our favorites made our stomachs rumble with hunger, but we pushed forward. The resulting collection of food photographs runs the gamut from food prep to ready-to-eat dishes to fresh produce, so there's something for every taste.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

As appealing as a dish can be, it isn't always the right place to focus. Some get more creative by zooming in on the preparation of food. A T+L reader photographed a cooking class in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where several students are working with pans, flames shooting into the air, presumably from the addition of alcohol.

Other travelers, by their choice of what to photograph, reveal an insatiable sweet tooth. If you're the same, you'll find yourself lingering a little too long over a photo of a Sacher torte-that notoriously decadent chocolate cake from Vienna. Like many foods, it's become an instant symbol of a destination.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

From time to time, however, it's the strange or unusual quality that gets the shutters clicking. Who knows if you'll actually be daring enough to eat it yourself, but if you see a collection of skewered sea horses and scorpions perfectly arranged and ready to eat, as one reader did in Beijing, chances are, you'll at least snap a shot.

So take a look through our slideshow of food photos. Once you've finished dishing about your favorites, remember to share your own photos with us!

More Articles from T+L

• Baby Animals: Reader Photos
• Road Trips: Reader Photos
• 
  
• See all of our slideshows
• * See our blog for the inside travel scoop *

Subscribe to