15 Different Types of Street Food Every Traveler Should Try
When traveling abroad, street food not only can help you discover the culinary identity of a place, but it can also be a good way to get quick, cheap meals if you’re on the go or simply trying to save money to make the most out of your trip.
5-Minute Crafts has compiled some of the most popular types of street food dishes around the world.
1. Anticucho (Peru)
Anticucho consists of small pieces of grilled meat threaded on a skewer. Originally from Peru, this dish has become popular in South and Central America. The most popular type of anticucho is called “anticucho de corazón,” which is made of beef heart.
2. Baozi (China)
Baozi is one of the most popular breakfast foods and snacks in China. Usually called bao, it consists of a steamed bun made with mantou bread and filled with a wide range of ingredients that can range from salty to sweet. However, baozi often includes different meats, vegetables, or seafood.
3. Choripán (Argentina)
Choripán is basically a kind of sandwich made of a crusty bun with chorizo sausage and a wide range of different condiments. It’s often eaten “on the go” as it’s mostly found at street stands. The name of this typical food comes from 2 words: “chorizo,” the sausage, and “pan,” which means bread in Spanish.
4. Churros (Spain)
A churro is elongated, deep-fried yeast dough flavored with sugar. It has a crunchy texture and is very fragrant. Churros are usually eaten for breakfast accompanied by coffee or hot chocolate. They’re a popular morning food not only in Spain but also in Latin America.
5. Currywurst (Germany)
German currywurst is a well-known street snack that has 2 main ingredients: boiled and fried sausage and smooth tomato sauce spiced with curry. This preparation can be accompanied by a kaiser roll or French fries. It’s typically dusted with a light layer of yellow curry powder.
6. Fish and chips (England)
This traditional dish consists of a fried fish fillet and large, fried potato slices. The most common types of fish used in this preparation are flounder, haddock, and cod, the latter being the most popular alternative among diners.
Fish and chips include fish fillets that are dipped in batter and fried in beef drippings, lard, or oil together with the potato slices.
7. Gyros (Greece)
Gyros are considered one of the most popular street foods in Greece. It consists of pork or chicken meat grilled on a vertical spit. After that, the meat is cut into thin shavings and tucked in a piece of pita bread with sauces and vegetables, such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers.
8. Meat pie (Australia)
Australian meat pie consists of flaky pastry filled with a mixture of minced meat and gravy. Since there are many variations of this dish, some recipes can include onions, mushrooms, chicken and asparagus, crocodile meat, vegetables, cheese, or seafood.
9. Pad Thai (Thailand)
Pad Thai is a stir-fry dish made of rice noodles, dried shrimp, eggs, tofu, and bean sprouts. When it’s prepared with meat, the most common choices are pork and chicken. The flavors in this recipe are a mixture of salty, sweet, and sour that comes along with a variety of well-balanced textures.
10. Pho (Vietnam)
Pho is a noodle soup made with beef or chicken broth, herbs, and spices, for which the stock is prepared by simmering bones for more than 3 hours until reaching the desired flavor.
Pho is considered one of the most popular dishes in Vietnam and, although it’s a soup, it’s eaten as the main course.
11. Samosa (India)
Samosas consist of triangle-shaped, deep-fried pastries filled with different ingredients, including lentils, peas, spiced potatoes, or ground meat. They have a crunchy texture and are usually eaten hot along with yogurt, chopped onions, or homemade chutneys made with coriander, mint, tamarind, and other ingredients.
12. Simit (Turkey)
Turkish simit consists of a circular bread, usually eaten for breakfast either with fruit preserves or pastirma (cured beef), cheese, and vegetables. It’s often accompanied by tea or a salted-yogurt beverage called ayran.
13. Taiyaki (Japan)
Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake usually eaten as a snack. It’s made of flour with a sweet filling of azuki bean paste. It’s often served warm and is characterized by its crisp shell, which is baked until it gets to a golden brown color.
14. Tamales (Mexico)
A tamale consists of a corn dough filled with either savory or sweet ingredients, then it’s cooked and wrapped in corn or banana leaves. It’s typically accompanied by atole, a masa-based drink. Although Mexican food is usually eaten with different salsas, tamales are often consumed plain, without any sauces.
15. Tteokbokki (South Korea)
Tteokbokki is a spicy, stir-fried preparation typically made of a sweet red chili sauce, cylindrical rice cakes, and fish cakes. It’s a very popular dish in Korea and is usually sold by street vendors called pojangmacha.