James Martin's destination food tips

Tunis

Tunisian cuisine is mainly based on olive oil, spices, tomatoes and seafood and their main meat is lamb. But the region's most famous export has to be Harisa (hot chilli paste) which is the most important condiment used in Tunisian cooking. Coming from the Arabic word "to break into pieces" it is simply a paste of fresh chilli peppers and olive oil. You can buy this at the spices markets in most villages together with a vast array of spices and dried herbs. However be careful when purchasing saffron, as it is sometimes the outer casing of the plant which is sold and has no real flavour. Most importantly buying dried green or brown herbs and white powdery looking spices are not a good idea for the simple reason that the customs officer is going to love you trying to explain that one!

Must-try dishes when you're visiting Tunis are:

Fried squid with lemon
Grilled fish with cumin
Grilled fish with spicy tastira (peppers)
Honey cake stuffed with dates
Baklava (although strongly associated with Greece, this is a Middle Eastern dish)
Bouza (Hazelnut cream with grilled sesame seeds)

Rome

This is a fantastic place for food from great restaurants to small bars - eat anywhere and you won't be disappointed. When I think of Rome my first thoughts are pasta and dishes with veal. Fettuccine is the traditional pasta in Roman cuisine and can be used with a mixture of different sauces. Visit the small delis tucked away in side streets and you're sure to find a gift for someone at home, with olive oil, hams and dried pasta being my favourite things to buy. On the menu on Ocean Village I serve a chicken breast with sage and ham, which is a modern version of "Romana style". Have a look for this on the menus when you're thinking of something to eat while in Rome.

Dishes to look out for:

Fettuccine alla romana (pasta with chicken livers and wild mushrooms)
Spaghetti alla carbonara (pasta with bacon, cream and cheese)
Saltimbocca alla romana (veal with ham and sage)

Santa Margherita

This is one of my favourite places in the world, only a stone's throw away from Portofino.  With fantastic food and wine all around the area it's hard to talk about just a few things. But fish is fantastic here, bang on the coast try any number of great places to eat with views out to the sea. Two of my favourite places to eat are Da Oubatti and Da Gennarro. The former has unbelievable food with a shrimp and seafood risotto to die for whilst the latter has the best pizza in town. I had a seafood pizza here, which was superb.

Travel a few miles to Portofino and here is food at its best.  Get your cash out, sell the car and the kids if you have to, and go to the Hotel Splendido for lunch. The food was so good last time I was here I don't mind telling you I was bowled over by it. There's a fab wine shop as you walk round to your left in the harbour, which sells great olive oil called Petra.

Dishes to look for:

Grilled langoustines with lemon
Proscuitto with melon
Ice creams
Risotto and seafood

Barcelona

Spain is the best place for hams and cured meats I think, but my Italian girlfriend will not be happy. The very best ham in the world is without a doubt Iberico which is a dried ham from the black-footed pig. What makes is so special is the fact the pigs travel up to 10 miles a day in search of its food - acorns. These give it a stronger, richer flavour than others hams you will have tried. You can't leave Spain without trying it - and buy some to take home.

Dishes to try:

Mantecados de Soria (butter cakes)
Carne de Membrillo (quince conserve)
Manchego (cheese)
Paella
Sardines
Iberico ham
Dishes with broad beans

Naples

Pizza, mozzarella and lemons are the order of the day in what many say is the best city in the world for food. Naples, it is said, is where the pizza originally came from and I can tell you the best gets better. I think it's because they just have the best ingredients to make it with. From the great tomatoes to the locally made mozzarella it has to be the dish to have. Also don't forget the wonderful lemons grown in the nearby groves. They produce fantastic flavour and are used in the most well known lemon liqueur drink, Limoncello. This drink is a must buy and must taste while you're here but watch it, it is so easy to drink, walking can prove difficult afterwards.

Dishes to try:

Tomato and mozzarella pizza
Tomato and mozzarella salad
Limoncello
Any snack or dessert with walnuts and or lemons

French Riviera

This area is rich in food and traditions and has a wealth of places to eat and foods to try. Fish I think is at its best here with such a wide variety to choose from, my personal favourite is anchovies. The most popular sauce made with this has to be Anchoiade, an anchovy and garlic based sauce used for dipping raw vegetables in and cooking. Salads are also a must to try with cheese and breads high on the list; also chicken is used in a lot of dishes here.

Dishes to try :

Coq au vin (chicken in red wine)
Pissaladiere (onion tart)
Salad Nicoise
Moule Mariniere
Bouillabaisse
Soupe au Pisto (basil soup)

Florence

Not just great architecture but wonderful food; this city has some fine restaurants with fab wine lists. But beware some places to eat can be bad and when I mean bad I mean really bad. I don't know why, as it is an area of Italy so rich in food it really takes a lot to muck it up but sometimes they do. I go for simple dishes here with robust flavours.

I've eaten at Cibreino, which is a great trattoria where you share tables and I had a great dish of stuffed rabbit, but there's not much pasta on the menu. Also sit outside the Enoteca Bar, which is below the Piazza Michelangelo and is a great snack bar for cheeses and salamis. A great place to lunch is the Al Lume di Candela.  For about £30 per head you get a fab lunch.

Dishes to try:

Pollo alla Florentina (chicken with egg and spinach)
Assaggi (an assortment of salamis and cheese)
Rabbit
Calamari
Chocolate cake
Ice cream