Food of the Week: Local specialities

Thankfully, says Andy Lynes, great places to sample the local specialities are in no danger of dying out

We can no longer afford to take the natural world for granted. Global warming, coastal erosion and extreme weather conditions are all helping to change the face of the planet - here are some places to ponder its fate.

The luxury resort of Anjajavy Hotel, Anjajavy, Madagascar (00 33 1 44 69 15 00; anjajavy.com) is the perfect base from which to explore Madagascar's threatened rainforests - home to 32 different species of lemur.

A stay here also offers the opportunity to try the local cuisine such as spicy fried zebu (beef) with new green beans.

American superstar TV chef Emeril Lagasse was serving andouille-crusted Texas Redfish with grilled vegetables, shoestring potatoes and Creole meunière sauce at his reopened flagship restaurant Emeril's New Orleans, 800 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans (001 504 528 9393; emerils.com), only four months after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city.

Rising sea levels could ultimately threaten the very existence of the Maldives, but for now it remains the quintessential tropical holiday destination. At Celsius, Huvafen Fushi, North Male Atoll, Republic of Maldives (00 960 6644 222; huvafen- fushi.com) specialities such as traditional Maldivian tuna curry, paratha bread, condiments and steamed rice reflect the resort's setting in the Indian Ocean.

The mission statement at the Kapawi Ecolodge, Urbanización Santa Leonor, Manzana 5 Solar 10, Ecuador (00 593 422 857 11; kapawi .com) is to provide "a successful alternative to the traditional destruction created by enterprises in the Amazon rainforest". Ecuadorian specialities such as ceviche and caldo de patas (cattle hoof soup) are on offer in the resort's al fresco dining area.

The historic centre of Mexico City appears in the World Monument Fund's current list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites, due to "seismic activity, air pollution and the continued depletion of the city's freshwater aquifer". Better arrange that visit to Café de Tacuba, Calle Tacuba 28, at Allende, Mexico City (00 52 55 5518 4950) sooner rather than later for traditional Mexican treats such as enchiladas and tamales.

You can dine on roasted Shetland salmon with chorizo potatoes at The Squire, Fairmont St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews, Scotland (01334 837000; fairmont.com), after a round on its famous links golf course which has, so far, been successfully protected from the ongoing threat of coastal erosion.

If recent reports prove accurate, global warming could make some of Australia's traditional wine growing areas too hot for the successful cultivation of grapes. Best head for Upstairs at Hollick, Hollick Winery, Riddoch Highway, Coonawarra (00 61 8 8737 2752; hollick.com) for rabbit and veal terrine with nectar poached prunes and a glass of the winery's own sparkling merlot.