Trying local food is one of the greatest joys of traveling. The smell of a night market in Bangkok, a plate of fresh ceviche by the Peruvian coast, or a bowl of steaming noodles pulled from a street cart – these moments stay with you long after you’ve returned home. The trouble is, so can the stomach cramps. By some metrics, gastrointestinal infections related to food or water affect somewhere between 30 and 70 percent of all travelers during or immediately after their trips, according to a 2015 study in BMJ Clinical Evidence. That’s a staggering number, and yet most tourists still dive headfirst into whatever looks good without a second thought. Here are six widely popular dishes that have earned a reputation for sending travelers to bed – or worse, to the hospital – when tried in the wrong place or at the wrong vendor.
1. Raw Oysters and Fresh Shellfish
Some kinds of Vibrio cause an illness called vibriosis, and most people become infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters. Ordering a plate of freshly shucked oysters at a beachside restaurant abroad feels like the ultimate travel indulgence. The reality, however, is that shellfish are filter feeders – they pull water through their bodies constantly, which means they also concentrate whatever contaminants happen to be floating in that water. Poisoning from ingesting marine toxins is an underrecognized hazard for travelers, particularly in the tropics and subtropics, with climate change, coral reef damage, expanding international trade and tourism, and growing seafood consumption all contributing to an increasing risk.
The data on shellfish-related illness has been particularly alarming in recent years. In January 2024, local health jurisdictions and the California Department of Public Health identified two concurrent norovirus outbreaks across eight Southern California local health jurisdictions, describing approximately 400 cases of gastrointestinal illness among people who consumed raw oysters. More recently, a total of 80 people infected with a Salmonella outbreak strain were reported from 23 states, with illnesses starting between June 21 and December 22, 2025, and roughly half of those with available information being hospitalized. Consuming raw or undercooked shellfish increases your risk of foodborne illness, and eating cooked shellfish can reduce this risk significantly.
2. Steak Tartare
It looks elegant on the plate – a carefully formed mound of raw minced beef, topped with a raw egg yolk, capers, and herbs. Steak tartare is one of France’s most iconic dishes and has spread across European menus as a mark of culinary bravado. Tourists order it because it feels adventurous and sophisticated. One of the primary concerns when eating raw or undercooked meats abroad is safety: while such dishes might be considered delicacies in some cultures, they can pose serious health risks, as bacteria and parasites such as E. coli, salmonella, and trichinella thrive in improperly handled meats.
Raw meat and seafood are considered a “big no-no” by registered dietitians, as rare steaks, tartare, sushi, ceviche, or inadequately prepared meat and fish can increase your risk for consuming bacteria, parasites, or viruses. The key issue with ordering tartare abroad is that food safety standards, cold chain management, and the quality of beef inspection vary enormously between countries. As registered dietitian Leah Silberman explained, traveling exposes you to new food sources, local food handling procedures, and different cleanliness standards, which raises your chances of coming into contact with infections or pollutants against which your body may not have built protection. What a Parisian kitchen handles flawlessly may be an entirely different story at a roadside bistro in a country with looser food regulation.
3. Ceviche from Unverified Vendors
Ceviche is undeniably one of the world’s most celebrated dishes, particularly across Latin America. The idea is straightforward: fresh raw fish “cooked” by the acidity of citrus juice, mixed with onion, chili, and cilantro. It’s bright, zingy, and deeply refreshing in a hot climate. The problem is that the acid in lime juice does not technically cook the fish the way heat does, meaning pathogens are not necessarily eliminated. The CDC explicitly advises travelers to avoid eating raw meat or seafood, including items “cooked” with citrus juice, vinegar, or other acidic liquid, such as ceviche.
Raw seafood such as sushi, oysters, and ceviche can carry harmful bacteria, parasites, and viruses if improperly stored or handled. In coastal regions of Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico, ceviche from trusted, high-volume restaurants is generally prepared with the freshest catch and proper cold storage. The danger rises sharply when tourists order it from beach stalls or smaller unlicensed vendors where refrigeration is inconsistent. Shellfish in particular can be contaminated by polluted waters or algae blooms, which lead to food poisoning, and the ceviche served at a charming roadside shack may have been marinating at ambient temperature for far longer than it should.
4. Hotel Buffet Spreads
The all-inclusive resort buffet feels safe. It’s inside a big hotel. There’s air conditioning. Everything looks fresh and plentiful. Yet travelers are consistently surprised to find that buffets are among the most common culprits behind holiday sickness. Food left out too long – hot or cold – can become a health hazard regardless of how luxurious the hotel may be. The sheer volume of guests cycling through a buffet means that dishes are often replenished rather than fully replaced, and temperature control on long-running trays is frequently inadequate.
Buffets are risky if food is kept at unsafe temperatures, allowing bacteria to multiply rapidly. Buffets are popular in many hotels and restaurants worldwide, but they pose risks if food is not handled and stored properly – it’s advisable to avoid dishes that have been sitting out at room temperature for an extended period and to opt for freshly prepared items instead. Cold meats, cream-based salads, and mayonnaise dishes are particularly problematic. Cold meat platters, cheese, buffet foods, and unsealed mayonnaise are often home to rampant bacteria. The safest approach is always to choose items that are visibly hot and freshly placed.
5. Street Food from Low-Turnover Stalls
Street food is one of the defining pleasures of international travel, and in many cities it represents the most authentic, affordable, and delicious eating around. The issue isn’t street food itself – it’s specific stalls operating with poor hygiene or slow turnover. Street food from vendors lacking refrigeration or handwashing access is a common cause of foodborne illness. A cart that has been sitting in the midday sun with a pot of lukewarm curry that hasn’t been refreshed in hours is genuinely hazardous, regardless of how good it smells.
Traveler’s diarrhea strikes between 30 and 70 percent of travelers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Poor hygiene practice in local restaurants is likely the largest contributor to the risk for traveler’s diarrhea, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Local crowds and long lines are a good sign – stalls with high customer turnover are likely to serve fresh food, reducing the risk of contamination. If a food stall has no queue and food appears to have been sitting out for a while, tourists are far better off walking to the next one. The golden rule remains simple: when in doubt, stick to piping hot dishes such as grilled meats or fried fritters, and avoid raw seafood and lukewarm stews.
6. Unpasteurized Dairy Products and Fresh Local Cheeses
In many parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Central America, raw milk cheeses and freshly made dairy products are sold at open-air markets and considered artisanal delicacies. Tourists are often drawn to them precisely because they seem authentic and handcrafted – the opposite of supermarket uniformity. What they don’t always realize is the genuine microbial risk that comes with dairy products made outside of regulated pasteurization processes. Unpasteurized milk and dairy products can harbor dangerous bacteria such as Listeria, Brucella, or Salmonella, and these products are more commonly found in rural or traditional markets.
Soft cheeses like Brie and feta, when made with unpasteurized milk or left unrefrigerated, become breeding grounds for Listeria. Listeria is a particularly dangerous pathogen because it can survive and even thrive at refrigerator temperatures, meaning even chilled soft cheeses are not automatically safe. It’s strongly advisable to steer clear of unpasteurized dairy products, including cheese and yogurt, when traveling abroad. Tourists who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised face the highest stakes here, since those most at risk for foodborne illness are the pregnant, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. A beautiful cheese bought at a village market can be a wonderful memory – or a very unpleasant one, depending entirely on how it was made and stored.
