11 Popular Street Foods From All Over the World

Quick, name something delicious that you can put in your mouth and eat. If you answered with anything other than, “food” I’m going to go ahead and slowly nod my head and back away. One of the beautiful things about traveling is the opportunity to try the local street food. First, it’s a perfect way to fill yourself up without blowing a hole in your budget. Second, it’s served up quickly, which means you can get it without having to take a pause from exploring the city. Third, it’s an authentic culinary experience that cannot be replicated elsewhere. If you find yourself in any of the countries below, definitely check out these famous street food offerings.

1. Falafel – Israel
Although it is thought to have originated in Egypt and is popular all over the Middle East, Israel is where this deep-fried ball made from ground chickpeas, fava beans or both. It is often served on a pita with hummus, yogurt or tahini sauce.

2. Currywurst – Germany
The invention of the currywurst is attributed to Herta Heuwer, who in 1949 opened a food stand to feed hungry construction workers who were rebuilding a devastated Berlin, this German dish consists of a pork sausage that is first steamed and then fried, cut into slices, and topped with curry ketchup. It’s usually served with French fries or a bread roll. While you’ll find it all over Germany, Berlin and Hamburg are the two cities where this is especially popular.

3. Gimbap – South Korea
Gimbap is basically South Korean sushi, with the main difference being that the rice in the Japanese version is mixed with rice vinegar, sugar and salt while Gimbar is seasoned with salt and sesame oil. The rice and ingredients such as shrimp, spicy tuna, kimchi and squid are rolled in gim, which are dried sheets of nori seaweed, and served in bite-sized slices.

4. Pyrizhky – Ukraine
The nice thing about these puff pastries – typically made by elderly ladies with a real knack for baking – is the different types of fillings that they can be made with. You can get them with beef, potato, cabbage, cheese, and even buckwheat.