Ainsley Eats The Streets

Istanbul bridges Europe and Asia but what does that mean for a traveller looking for great places to eat?

Ainsley has family roots in Barbados and has come here many times on holiday but up to now hasn't seen much of the real food of the island.

It's minus 10 degrees in Reykjavik the world's most northern capital city and it's snowing! So where's the street food? Ainsley sets out to find how the food loving people of Iceland cope with living in an extreme climate and what he discovers is a truly exciting traditional and modern cuisine.

Bypassing Tokyo and Kyoto Ainsley travels to Osaka. It's not usually on the tourist trail but it's irresistible for Ainsley, even the Japanese call this city Japan's Kitchen.

Ainsley discovers that this stunningly beautiful, ancient city still struggles with its history and organized crime. Ainsley meets the mafia fighting Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando and has a bizarre chat about the mayor's love of Sicilian food in a market street once controlled by the mafia. Luckily, they were surrounded by armed guards throughout the interview!

Taipei was a bit of a mystery for Ainsley, he was always going to be a bit lost here and definitely on a bit of an adventure but this is a place that truly delivers. By day he discovers the Mazu Temple market, a warren of street food shacks that have formed a food village serving fragrant braised fish, Chilli Pork stir-fries and soups with titles that would seduce an Emperor!

Ainsley arrives in the Moroccan city of Fes a few days before the festival of Eid. The streets are full with families shopping for the festival and that means buying a live sheep to take home.

Grilled Chorizo, Paella and Tortilla are now some of the staples of global street food but not here, in Madrid. In fact you can't find any street food in Spain's capital city because it's banned!

Lying in the Straits of Malacca is the Malaysian island of Penang. The capital Georgetown is a mosaic of cultures with Chinese, Malay and India Towns that preserve their traditional dishes but also embrace the love of fusion food.

It's often the case that the best Street food can found in places where different cultures are drawn together to share their love of food and eating. Amman is definitely such a place, it's an oasis in the Middle East, a destination that people have come to by choice or necessity.