Street food is more than just comfort food—it’s a window into the soul of a culture. The kinds of food that people grab from a street vendor speaks to the most primal element of their appetites, the things they want to eat on the go. Here are the fifteen best street foods from around the world!
Churros
This is the one you probably expected to see when you read the title of this article. Churros originated in Spain and are also popular in Central and South America, where you can find them sold during big events or just in populous areas. Who doesn’t love fried donut sticks? We don’t need to convince you that churros are amazing.
Baozi
If you’re on the move and need a quick burst of calories, you need a baozi (or bao) bun. It’s a cute, soft little dumpling stuffed with either meat or vegetables and loaded with flavor. It’s easy to see why these became so popular as street food in China!
Chimney Cake
Chimney cake is a popular street food in parts of Central Europe like Hungary and the Czech Republic, both of which claim to have invented the dish. It’s a rolled donut with warm Nutella, coated in various flavored sugars. It’s unsurprisingly excellent.
Ceviche
Ceviche (pronounced “seh-vee-chay”) is a fresh Peruvian dish made from white fish marinated in lemon or sour lime juices. It’s served cold and spiced up with chili peppers, making it a Peruvian cousin of sushi. It’s a one-of-a-kind culinary experience on its own, though.
Dango
A Japanese street food, dango dumplings are cooked over an open fire and served on skewers. They’re soft rice dumplings that are equal parts chewy and sweet, and they’re often offered by street vendors during festivals and other major events.
Poffertjes
Poffertjes (pronounced “poffer-chess”) are Dutch batter cakes, not dissimilar from pancakes. When served as street food, they’re similar to donuts—often served with butter, powdered sugar, and even syrup. Some vendors offer a savory variety of poffertjes with gouda cheese!
Pav Bhaji
The Indian dish pav bhaji is a variety of vegetable curry often served from street carts. Cooks line the streets of markets in India, freshly dicing up veggies to go into this scrumptious dish. When you order one, you’ll probably get a buttery dinner roll on the side.
Malva Pudding
This South African dessert is beloved for its warmth and comforting flavors. Malva pudding is a sponge cake made from apricots and topped with either custard or a creamy sauce, served warm. For the curious, South Africa can get downright chilly in the winter months, especially in high-altitude regions far from the coast.
Arancini
Italian food is beloved around the world, and that goes for the country’s street food, too. Arancini is a dumpling-like food that consists of deep-fried breadcrumbs filled with ragu, mozzarella, and rice. And yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds.
Halo Halo
Halo halo, a popular dish in the Philippines, is so nice they named it twice. It’s a dessert dish comprised of fresh fruit, ice cream, puffed rice, and evaporated milk. It’s as heavenly as it sounds and you should definitely order one if you ever find yourself in the Philippines.
Baklava
Baklava is an enduringly popular dessert dish from Ottoman cuisine and has proliferated throughout many Mediterranean cultures. Its origins might be disputed by historians, but the dish’s delicious combination of layers of honeyed nuts and thin breads are undeniably heavenly.
Pastel de Nata
Portugal’s unique pastel de nata dish is the kind of food you don’t want a small portion of. Eating one of these sweet, buttery egg yolk confections will make you reach for another handful! If you ever see a vendor selling these, order a few more than your first instinct tells you to.
Pupusas
A beloved street food from El Salvador, pupusas is a hardy, filling dish that will keep you going even when you’re starving. Pupusas is essentially a thick corn tortilla (not unlike pita bread) stuffed with meats and other savory foods and paired with tomato salsa and curtido.
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Bliny
Pancakes are popular as street foods. Case in point: the Russian dish bliny, a pancake made from buckwheat flour (or sometimes wheat flour) and served with toppings like caviar, tvorog, butter, and smetana. It might sound daunting to those unfamiliar with Russian cuisine, but it’s genuinely excellent.
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Pad Thai
This Thai dish is so good that you’ll want to order it in a sit-down restaurant. Pad Thai is essentially stir-fried noodles with some combination of meat, veggies, and tofu added to the mix, along with delicious Thai spices. It’s uniquely delicious.
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