People all over the world love their street food. Light on the pocket, made with love and excites the taste buds, street food embodies the culture of the city.
Here is a list of street foods that are a must try from around the world:
Singapore – Chicken Rice
- If you visit Singapore, you can’t miss the hundreds of hawkers all over the city. The beauty lies in the simplicity of the dish.
- The dish consists of chicken slices served over rice cooked in a flavorful broth. It comes with a side dish comprising of sliced cucumber and hot sauce.
- Basically the chicken is poached in a broth consisting of various spices and then the same broth is used to cook the rice.
- Singaporean’s swear by their chicken rice, also known as Hainanese rice.
India – Pani Puri
- This country has a variety of street food to offer. However, the street food favorite that I found all over India is paani puri. It is also called as golgappa. A crispy thin hollow wheat ball is half filled with spicy mashed potatoes and then dunked in spicy mint water. It should be consumed as soon as it’s dunked in the mint water.
Germany – Currywurst
- Currywurst consists of sausages drowned in a spicy thick tomato curry sauce and dusted generously with curry powder. It is served with a side dish of French fries and mayonnaise.
- This dish is said to be the invention of a housewife, at the time of post war Berlin, who had a street stall frequented by construction workers and soldiers.
Indonesia – Satay
- All the streets in Indonesia will have a hawker or street stall selling chicken satay. These juicy bits of chicken are marinated in various spices and soy sauce and later grilled on bamboo skewers over charcoal or wood fires. It is served with a spicy peanut sauce or sweet soy sauce.
Mexico – Quesadilla
- Authentic quesadilla’s are made by stuffing Oaxacan string cheese, potato’s, sausage, mushrooms or even corn fungus in a ground corn flat bread laid on a girdle. The fillings one can enjoy at a Mexican street stall are endless. It is served with a side dish of salsa and grape fruit juice.
Middle east – Shawarma
- This dish has originated from the Turkish Doner Kebab and adapted itself all over the Middle East. Shawarma is pita bread filled with shaved chicken, meat or beef cooked over a spit fire, with vegetables, sauces.
Vietnam – Banh Mi
- Influenced by the French colonization, Banh Mi is a sandwich that is a blend of both France and Vietnam on a plate. Banh Mi consists of a freshly baked baguette stuffed with spicy Vietnamese style pork or meat balls, topped with pickled vegetables and slathered with mayonnaise and chili sauce.
Jamaica – Jerk Chicken
- Jerk Chicken is a smoked chicken dish and is usually prepared in large pits. The jerk chicken is marinated with a dry rub consisting of scotch bonnet peppers, allspice berries, green onions and fresh ginger, which is then smoked on the native pimento wood, that gives it a special extra falvor.
- This smoked chicken is served with a side of Jamaican rice and kidney beans.
Israel – Falafel
- A favorite with vegetarians, these crispy fried chickpeas balls are now found in all the corners of the world. Falafel can be eaten on its own. But it is commonly eaten stuffed in pita bread topped with tahina sauce and pickled vegetables.
Gelato – Italy
- This form of frozen egg custard has invaded the hearts of people all over the world. It is considered to be low fat and comes in every imaginable flavor you can think of.
- If you are traveling around the world, don’t forget to get a taste of the food available on the streets. You may get these street foods in your country, but street food tastes best if eaten from the country of origin.
Bon Appetite!
Written by: Rasha Ashraf