If you go to Paris without crepes, Hong Kong without eggs, or Jamaica without grilled chicken, it will be a trip you will regret later. Trying street food completes the trip. It’s a window into a new culture and a way to taste the local human history. From Vietnamese baguettes to bratwurst bread, we’ve compiled a list of 10 iconic street foods from around the world. Some of them may be familiar to you, while others are totally unfamiliar, but they’re all worth a visit.
1 Vietnamese baguette.
Where to eat: Ho Chi Minh City.
Baguette is a catch-all term for all bread in Vietnam, but it has become synonymous with the (very delicious) Vietnamese jumbo sandwich.
Baguettes are a legacy of France’s colonial past in Southeast Asia and are a perfect blend of western and Eastern ingredients. Filling options are available. A standard baguette contains stuffed meat (perhaps roast pork, meatballs or cold cuts), sliced cucumber, cilantro, pickled radish and daikon, foie gras and mayonnaise.
The trend for baguettes continues unabated in Vietnam, and it’s also easy to find (just not as authentic) in Western countries. The most authentic baguettes are found on the streets of Saigon.
2 Meat roll.
Where to eat: Istanbul.
Meatloaf is a roll with a thin crust. The burrito is filled with the typical ingredients of Turkish kebab: spiced meat — usually lamb, sometimes chicken or beef. The meat is roasted in a vertical rotation, then sliced and served with tomatoes, Onions, cucumbers, lettuce, vanilla yogurt and chili sauce.
If you’ve ever wandered around a European city late at night, chances are you’ve eaten barbecue with wine. It is considered by some to be the most popular street food in Germany. The Turkish version is the crispest.
3 Kill daddy pork.
Where to eat: Bangkok.
You’ll find that throughout Southeast Asia, there’s a lot of beef and chicken in satay, but only in Thailand is pork the most popular satay. Thin slices of pork are marinated with coconut milk, turmeric and other spices, then grilled over charcoal. But pork is only part of the dish, traditionally served with cucumber salad and sweet and spicy peanut butter in Thailand.
Satay originated in Indonesia, but its popularity in Thailand makes it a Thai dish the world over, and it’s found at almost every barbecue.
4 Sausage Bread.
Where to eat: Buenos Aires.
Sausage sandwiches are a staple on the streets of South America, popular in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and other countries. Argentina’s sausage bread is the easy version: it starts with a beef and pork mixture of sausages, cut down the middle, placed on crusty bread and topped with a garlic-infused Argentinian chilli sauce.
Sausage buns are popular in sports arenas and are often served as an appetizer before barbecues.
5 Belpuri.
Where to eat: Mumbai.
Indian street food, collectively known as chaat, varies widely from region to region, but Belpuri can be found in most parts of the country. Still, the most authentic Belpuri is to be found in Mumbai.
Bairpuri is a combination of puffed rice, noodle-like vermicelli called SEV, with vegetables, spices and chutney. The resulting mix contains intense sweet, salty and spicy flavors in a thrilling balance. This snack is often associated with the beaches of Mumbai, but it can also be found at roadside stalls.
6 Skewers.
Where to eat: Rio de Janeiro.
In Portuguese, espetinho means “small string.” On the streets of Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities, these charcoal skewers can be found everywhere.
The most common varieties are spiced beef and spiced chicken, in addition to anything that can get stuck on the grill: sausages, hot dogs, shrimp, fish and even a non-melting cheese called queijo coalho.
Vendors have a variety of hot sauces to spice up the skewers, as well as a sprinkle of crispy, crunchy flour (farinha). Brazilians love to sprinkle all kinds of things on their meat.
7 Curry Sausage.
Where to eat: Berlin.
Although currywurst has only been around since 1949, it has been a symbol of German pop culture for decades. The pork sausage in this snack is steamed and then fried, served with tomato sauce and curry powder, and eaten with chips and bread.
Currywurst is found in every part of Germany and about 800 million currywurst are consumed every year. Currywurst is particularly popular in Hamburg and Berlin. Generally, sausages are eaten whole, but in some places they are sliced and served.
8 Falafel.
Where to eat: Tel Aviv.
The origins of falafel (falafel) are controversial: Egypt, Palestine, Israel, and a few other countries all claim falafel as a national snack, but none can be verified. However, there is no doubt that falafel has a strong influence on Israeli cuisine, widely regarded as the national dish.
Falafel literally means fried chickpea croquettes, as well as a sandwich with a fried filling. Falafel can be topped with salad, pickles, hot sauce, condiments and tahini, and wrapped in pita bread.
While falafel can be found all over the world, the falafel you can eat on the streets of Tel Aviv must be like nowhere else.
9 Pickled raw fish with tangerine.
Where to eat: Lima.
Ceviche is widely considered the national dish of Peru because it has a holiday and is becoming increasingly popular around the world. The recipe is simple: fresh raw fish cubes marinated in lime juice and mixed with shredded onion, chili, salt and pepper. Because freshness is key, ceviche is usually ready to eat within minutes of making it.
Bass is the traditional ceviche of choice, but sole is a better choice in Lima. Other common ingredients for ceviche include sweet potatoes, lettuce, corn and avocados.
10 Hello Hello Shaved ice.
The direct translation of Halo-Halo means “mix and match”. It’s the craziest sundae in the world, perfect for the sultry Philippine weather.
Where to eat: The Philippines.
The main ingredients are shaved ice and evaporated milk, but all kinds of ingredients can be added to the shaved ice. Here is an incomplete list: poached kidney beans, chickpeas, sugar brown fruit, coconut, banana drizzled with caramel, durian, sweet potatoes, crushed rice, custard pie and ice cream. This may seem like an odd snack, but similar desserts can be found in East and Southeast Asia, among other places.
