When you travel, you should prepare your eyes for the scenic tourist spots and taste buds for the country’s authentic food. Street foods should be your priority in a new country because you can never go wrong with them.
Best Street Foods in the World
Below are the most famous street foods you should know and where they came from. Various tastes can cater to everyone’s taste preferences, from spicy to savory to sweet.
1. Lumpiang Shanghai (Philippines)
This dish is an evolution of the Chinese spring rolls, but instead of being served in a fancy restaurant, you can buy this on the streets. Filipinos pair this crispy lumpia with vinegar, onion, and chili. There’s also a vegetable version of this, which is just as popular in the streets!
2. Empanada (Argentina)
An empanada is your favorite if you love fried bread with meat or vegetable stuffing. This street food is very popular in Argentina, especially in the Salta region, where they use chili/hot sauce. Try making it in your kitchen!
3. Meat Pie (Australia)
Australia offers a variety of street food for locals and tourists, but the most popular one is the meat pie. You can see vendors selling it all around the country. You can choose from different types of meat, but there is also a vegetarian-friendly option.
4. Kokoretsi (Greece)
Do you want to eat something aside from pork meat? Try this street food made of lamb meat. It’s a skewer with olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Locals associate kokoretsi with Easter Sunday, but you eat this all year long.
5. Tacos Arabes (Mexico)
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Are you in Mexico and would like to try out authentic street foods? Go outside and look for a tacos arabes vendor nearby. It’s a traditional taco made of pita bread wrappers with pork marinated in cumin and different spices.
6. Pisang goreng (Indonesia)
If you want a sweet and light snack when touring Indonesia, try pisang goreng. It is a fried banana wrapped using a thin wrapper for a soft bite. You can find this dish among other street foods that are also deep-fried.
7. Pupusa (El Salvador)
Not only is this the country’s national dish, but it is also a favorite of tourists visiting El Salvador. Pupusa is a corn tortilla cooked in a skillet and served with coleslaw or tomato salad.
8. Vada pav (India)
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You will love this sandwich because of the different flavors it has. The vada is a mashed potato seasoned with spices that will linger on your tongue. It is then deep-fried after coating it with chickpea batter.
9. Pizza al taglio (Italy)
You can always buy this dish on the streets if you’re currently in Italy. This Italian pizza is sliced into squares for easier holding when eating outside. The cheese and sauce are perfectly incorporated into the pizza.
10. Scallion Pancake (China)
Do you like to eat cheap but tasty street food? Try scallion pancakes which are flatbreads that have minced scallions inside. You can eat them with or without the soy sauce mixture from the street vendor.
11. Espetada (Portugal)
Another skewered street food dish is found in Madeira, Portugal. They grill big chunks of beef marinated in garlic and salt overnight. When they cook espetada, they put it on top of hot coals and slowly turn the bay leaf stick every few minutes.
12. Nikuman (Japan)
If you love eating buns, you will also get crazy about nikuman or pork buns. The leavened dough wraps around ground pork with seasoning and is steamed. You can often see students and workers going to and from school and work eating this.
13. Khachapuri (Georgia)
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One of the best bread-type street foods is Khachapuri. This cheese bread is versatile because you can top it with cheese, eggs, and butter. The bread has unique flavors because of the various spices used to make it.
14. Shawarma (Lebanon)
Even if shawarma has been introduced as a street food worldwide, it originated in Lebanon. You can choose pork, beef, lamb, or chicken as your meat of choice. But what makes this tasty is the marinade used on the meat.
15. Dondurma (Turkey)
Craving ice cream while staying in Turkey? Try dondurma and get familiar with the unique texture of being dense and chewy. They use two thickening agents to achieve the standard ice cream density in making this ice cream.
16. Beguni (Bangladesh)
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If you like aubergines or eggplants, this street food dish might make you love them even more. Street food vendors coat the eggplant slices with a mixture of gram flour and spices like chili, turmeric, and cumin.
17. Espetos (Spain)
Grilled sardines is one of the most famous street food dishes in Spain. They don’t drown the fish in a concoction but only season them with salt before grilling them on an open flame. To balance the taste, you can add lemon juice after cooking.
18. Tteokbokki (South Korea)
Have you watched Korean dramas and found out about this spicy dish? Tteokbokki, or spicy rice cake, is the most famous street food in South Korea. You can see this being sold everywhere. It is also a staple food when eating in authentic restaurants.
19. Chicago-style Hotdogs (U.S.A.)
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A street food list will only be complete with the most famous hotdog in the United States. Its layers, from the buns to the toppings and sauces, make this dish unique and popular.
20. Arepa (Colombia)
Are you allergic to gluten or don’t like gluten? Arepa is an authentic Colombian street food made of cornmeal dough and is pan-fried to perfection. You can eat it as it is and, at the same time, turn it into a side dish.
21. Spiced Fava Beans (Iran)
If you want to rest your stomach from eating meat, you can try these spiced fava beans sold in the streets of Iran. You can pair them with red pepper for a kick and vinegar to balance the taste.
22. Or Lam (Laos)
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This street food dish is perfect for days when you want something hot. It is a stew in Laos with eggplants, meat, and mushrooms. You can add chilis if you like it spicy or leave it as it is.
23. Pad Thai (Thailand)
You can always go right with pad thai when visiting Thailand. It combines meat and different kinds of vegetables seasoned with spices and topped on flat rice noodles. There are various versions of pad Thai, but starting with the class sounds right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Country Is Most Famous for Street Food?
Thailand is famous for the street foods they have all around the country. You can choose among the popular ones like pad thai, braised pork, sticky rice with mango, boat noodles, papaya salad, and more.
Why Is Filipino Street Food Popular?
Filipino street food is popular primarily because of its price. Hundreds of dishes are sold on the streets, all within the same price range. You can eat as much without breaking the bank.
What Street Foods Are Popular in Your Country?
There are tons of street foods in the world that are yet to be noticed by other countries, so it is hard to decide what the top dish is. However, whatever the ranking, it is a pleasure to eat popular street foods from the countries you travel to.
Remember to explore not just places or tourist attractions when visiting a country. Interact with the locals and get to know their culture and traditions.
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