REFER A FRIEND: $200 Visa gift card for you and your friend when you refer them to book a cruise.
$200 Visa gift card for you and your friend when you refer them to book a cruise.
Wine can tell us so much about a place, its people, and its culture. Slopes, altitude, sunlight, soil, tradition, and winemaking technique — almost everything unique to a region influences its wine. It’s a fun way to taste the world, glass by glass, and connect more deeply with a destination.
Cruising to the Arabian Gulf allows travelers to experience so much within a voyage. It's one of the most diverse regions in the world, home to desert sinkholes and towering skyscrapers, ancient souks and flashy shopping malls, luxury golf courses and Bedouin camps. This diversity extends beyond the region's cityscapes and rich history into its kitchens and restaurants. Simply put, Arabian cuisine's flavorful and fantastic recipes are more than enough to put this region on your menu of must-visit destinations.
From Malaga to Vigo and everywhere in between, Spain is a rich tapestry of cultures and flavors. Shaped by geography and preserved by centuries of tradition, culinary customs and favorite dishes seem to change every time you find yourself in a new port. But one thing remains the same — in Spain, eating is always about getting together.
The holidays are here, and for many, that means friends, family, and — most importantly — food! Whether it's five-course meals or tasty snacks, there's something special about home cooking and baking around the holidays. Azamara Pursuit Pastry Chef, Wayan, agrees, and he wanted to share a favorite holiday treat that you can make right at home, his famous Gingerbread Chocolate Toffee Bar.
Fabio D’Agosta loves to cook — and that should come as no surprise. After all, as a Former Executive Chef and current Azamara Food & Beverage Manager, food is his life! And food has taken him all sorts of interesting places. He’s prepared meals for some of the most famous people in the world — from Queen Elizabeth to Robert De Niro. And, of course, it’s brought him around the world with Azamara for the last decade.
During an Azamara Quest voyage, I was treated to the Chef's Table California menu dinner, and it was such a fun experience. I enjoyed learning the fun educational facts from Darko Lilic, our sommelier on the Azamara cruise. Ready to test your wine knowledge? Here are ten wine facts you may not know:
Spaghetti, macaroni, penne, fettuccine. They’re all different types of pasta, one of the most popular dishes on the planet. When you think of pasta, it’s hard to not picture Italy. Not only does most of the pasta we eat originate from Italy, but nobody eats more pasta per capita than Italians, who feast on an average of 50 pounds of pasta per year.
Mexico evokes many different things for many different people. For some, it’s all blissful beaches and sunny seaside resort towns. For others, it’s music echoing out of a salon de mariachi. Fiestas, art, and ancient temples — Mexico is a kaleidoscope of culture, natural beauty, and wonder.
Greece, a land of ancient wonder, mythology, and serene islands. The thing that brings it all together? Food. Specifically, olives and olive oil. There’s no better way to experience a culture than through food, and Greece is an excellent example. The olive tree, its branches, its fruit, and the oil derived from its fruit all play a part in making this inconspicuous flora a vital part of Greece. In fact, the Mediterranean diet from this region, which includes olives and olive oil, is so essential to the planet that it’s recognized by UNESCO for its intangible cultural heritage. The etymology for the English word oil shows it actually comes from Ancient Greek and Latin words for olive tree and olive oil.
There are many reasons to look forward to calling on Cuba. From music and dance to cigars and Hemingway, the island has so much to offer. One aspect of Cuban culture we’re most excited to explore is cuisine. You’ve heard the phrase “the way to the heart is through the stomach”. Well, we believe the way to the heart of a culture is through food. When you cruise to Cuba with Azamara, you’ll experience the island as a local would – and that includes tasting delicious Cuban dishes!
We’re counting down the days until our return to Greece, and there’s no doubt about it — we’re really excited! The sights, the sounds, the history, we can’t wait to take it all in again. But above all this, there’s one thing we’re definitely looking forward to most — the food! And we’re not alone, our very own Chef Robert also has a love for Greek food. In fact, when we sat down to talk with him recently, Greece and its culinary delights quickly came up.
They say variety is the spice of life, and it’s certainly true when it comes to a cruise along the legendary Spice Route. Connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia, the Spice Route certainly offers plenty of variety across its ports. There are lush, green rainforests teeming with wildlife, dusty, pink desert rock with ancient tales to tell, and everything in between — all waiting for you.
These days, we can’t think of a better way to spend an evening than by enjoying a romantic dinner with someone special. And we’re not the only ones — our very own Chef Robert has the same idea! Recently, we caught up with Chef Robert, and he was very excited about his upcoming dinner plans. “I’m planning a nice romantic dinner for my wife and I,” he said. “It’s going to include some favorite dishes that we both will enjoy.” Of course, we simply had to know more, and lucky for us, Chef Robert was happy to share.