Brunei

The national dish of Brunei is almost a dare. Ambuyat is a glossy, near-flavourless paste of sago starch that you can't chew and shouldn't try to — instead you twirl it around a two-pronged bamboo fork called a chandas, then drop the bundle whole into a sharp, sour cacah dip and swallow. It is a communal, hands-on meal, the kind you eat slowly with a full table, and it comes straight from the sago palms and rivers of Borneo.

The everyday food is easier to love. Nasi katok — 'knock rice', named for the late-night knock on the vendor's door — is a cheap parcel of rice, fried chicken and fiery sambal that has become a national habit. Head to the Gadong Night Market in Bandar Seri Begawan as the sun drops and the stalls fill with satay, murtabak, grilled fish and trays of sticky kuih. This is a dry country, so there's no beer with dinner; the meal runs instead on sweet, pulled teh tarik and strong local kopi, poured while you decide on a second helping.