Top 10s Twinned towns and their polar opposite cuisine

Date Published:

28/05/2009

Most of us have no idea who our town is 'twinned' with but the fact is, Britain is extremely well connected. Nick Gulhane investigates the flavour of the gastronomic delights that await visitors - in either direction

Undoubtedly the coolest twin in Britain. It’s true locals weren’t sure if it really existed, but Hay was picked because it matched Timbuktu's love of literature. There's a well known Malian phrase for a long journey, 'From here to Hay On Wye', and anyone undertaking it will be rewarded with great Welsh lamb. In Mali, millet, corn or rice porridge form the basis of most meals.

Out on the winding, windy moors is Haworth or Brontë Country as it’s known now. A very good match then for Machu Picchu, the famous Incan city hidden high in the Andes. The twinning is associated with the Fair Trade Foundation and travellers to the city should note that chillies are believed to have originated in the foothills. Haworth, on the other hand, is home to teashops – and lots of them.

Gloucester’s has a strong Jamaican connection that dates back hundreds of years and in 1987 the city was twinned with St Ann. What with Double Gloucester cheese and Old Spot pork here and the Jamaican national dish of ackee and salt fish there, both places have a rich food heritage - but only one has great beaches.

Support for the Sandinista struggle was a key factor behind this particular twin and from it came a range of projects to help local people, including an iguana farm (apparently it really does taste like chicken), and now a prawn farm. The perfect accompaniment? A drop of Bristol sherry.

You can’t move in Northern Ireland for people sitting down drinking tea. A good enough reason for Belfast to have a Chinese sister city. Hefei is the capital of Anhui province, home to one of the eight most important cuisines in China. Steamed stone frog and stewed soft shelled turtle are high on the list of 'must eats'. Chinese visitors may find the UK wide habit of adding milk to tea bordering on the nauseating, but should try the potato farls.

Long before Borat dragged Kazakhstan into the global spotlight, Stevenage was twinned with Shymkent, the second largest city in the ninth largest country in the world. Guests in the country are extremely well looked after and Stevenage’s council elite would be offered specialities such as fermented camel milk, fried dough balls and sheep's head. Stevenage, on the other hand, was a 'new town' with few culinary traditions - apart from the Braughing sausage.

So important is car manufacturing in Japan that Toyota have their own city. They also make them in Derby, hence the twin. Derbyshire, too, can boast a famous global brand, the Bakewell pudding - not to be confused with the Bakewell tart, which is probably the equivalent of a Skoda.

There is the occasional connection that is too good to be true. Imola, location of one of the great Formula 1 circuits, twinned with Colchester, home of the boy racer. Perfect. A trip to the Italian side will have you indulging in legendary delicacies like Parma ham and Parmigiano Reggiano, while Colchester is famous for its oysters.

Local boy, Captain James Cook, was an early visitor to Tonga and that relationship was formalised 210 years later by twinning with their capital Nuku’alofa. Those heading to the South Pacific can indulge in a tropical fruit fest while islanders visiting our shores should easily feel at home in the North East with excellent fish and chips and ice cream – vanilla being one a key Tongan export.

Let’s not completely neglect UK French twins. One of the more intriguing sees Lyon, packed full of Michelin-starred restaurants, and Birmingham, home of the balti. One offers delicacies such as quenelles, andouillettes, boudin blanc and some of the best wine in the world - the other, curry.

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