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Street food is sold in urban environments and, in some parts of the world, along highways: places where people are moving. It is generally convenient and cheap, and can be simple yet delicious, a good way to sample authentic local cuisine while joining locals around bustling little stalls. In some countries, the search for great street food may turn out to be among the best experiences of your trip.
A takoyaki shop in Tokyo (Ian Muttoo, CC BY-SA 2.0).
Where you find it
Street food is available nearly anywhere, but it is most closely linked with hot climates, and Asian countries above all. Markets in warm countries let you go from stall to stall sampling hundreds of dishes, spicy, sweet, salty, hot and cold, with a range of drinks. In colder parts of the world, street food usually means single trucks, carts or kiosks selling variants of one dish, such as hot dogs and sausages with different toppings, designed to be eaten by hand with seldom any seats or tables, unlike a hawker centre in Singapore. Markets and food events in those places offer more variety.
Most dishes are tied to a country or region of origin but turn up in neighboring areas, and some have gone global, as hamburgers have. Local twists make them different from place to place. Dishes also appear wherever large immigrant communities live.
A sampler by region
| Region | A few dishes |
|---|---|
| Eastern Africa | Mandazi, a triangular fried bread made with coconut milk and less sweet than a doughnut; nyama choma, grilled beef or goat; kachi keri in Kenya, raw green mango with chilli, lime and salt |
| Northern Africa | Sfenj, an oil-cooked doughnut found across the region under names such as khfaf in Algeria and bambalouni in Tunisia; brik in Tunisia, a triangular fried pastry usually filled with egg |
| Central Asia | Kabuli palaw, steamed rice with meat, carrots, raisins and nuts, the national dish of Afghanistan |
| East Asia | Baozi (steamed buns), jiaozi (dumplings) and youtiao (long fried breakfast doughnuts) in China; takoyaki, taiyaki and yakitori in Japan; gimbap and hotteok in Korea |
| Middle East | Shawarma, slow-baked seasoned pressed meat cut into strips and eaten as a sandwich |
| South Asia | Bhutta, roasted corn on the cob coated in a spice mixture, salt and lime or tamarind chutney; appam, pancakes of fermented rice batter and coconut milk |
| Southeast Asia | Laksa, a spicy noodle soup; mohinga in Myanmar, a fish soup with fritters and noodles, traditionally for breakfast |
| Europe | Pommes frites and frikandel in Belgium; kapsalon in the Netherlands, fries covered with sliced meat, cheese and salad; currywurst in Germany; pierogi across Central and Eastern Europe |
| North America | Poutine, French fries with gravy and cheese curds, from Quebec; tacos in Mexico, al pastor perhaps the most famous; tamales, masa dumplings cooked in banana leaves |
| Central America | Pupusas, Salvadoran tortillas filled with cheese, pork and beans |
| South America | Acarajé in Brazil, deep-fried black-eyed pea balls of African origin; almojábana, a corn and cheese bread |
Some local rules matter. In Japan, eating on the street is normally outside the bounds of etiquette, so stand or sit while you eat rather than walking.
Appam (KARTY JazZ, CC BY-SA 4.0).
Laksa Sarawak (Jhlam79, CC BY-SA 3.0).
Kapsalon, quite high in calories (MartinD, CC BY-SA 3.0).
Poutine (Hannahrjones at English Wikipedia, public domain).
A tamale (AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 4.0).
Drinks
Street food is eaten mostly in warm weather, so cold soft drinks, water, juice and beer are the usual companions. Some drinks are street food themselves. Kvas is a low-alcohol fermented bread drink sold from stalls in Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. Bubble tea began in Taiwan. Masala chai is sold nearly everywhere in the Indian subcontinent. Lassi is a yoghurt drink, sweet or salted. Coconut water is everywhere in tropical South Asia and the Pacific Islands. Tejuino is a cold fermented corn drink from Mexico. At Christmas markets in Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic States, stalls sell mulled wine, Glühwein.
Staying healthy
Street vendors do not necessarily meet the hygiene standard of a restaurant, and carelessly handled food can carry bacteria, hepatitis virus and other things that upset the stomach or worse. Be wary of food that has sat around for a long time. Food prepared after you order and served hot is best. A stall with many customers is more likely to have fresh produce and less likely to leave food sitting.
Manners
Watch how others eat. Otherwise the food may end up everywhere but in your mouth, or you may make a spectacle of yourself, by using chopsticks with no practice, eating with your hands when nobody else does, or using your left hand in Muslim countries, where it is considered dirty.
Sources
- Wikivoyage, Street food, by Wikivoyage contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographs are credited to their photographers under their licences, CC BY-SA 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0, or public domain. Changed here: condensed to a regional sampler and rewritten in hubnx's own words, with the full dish lists, book and film lists left out; this version stays CC BY-SA 4.0.
Licencia: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adaptado de en.wikivoyage.org
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