Regional street food facts for kids

Street food is yummy food or drinks sold by people on the street or in public places like markets. It's often sold from small carts or stalls. Different places around the world have their own special street foods!

For example, in Vietnam, street food is often fresh and light, using lots of herbs and lime. But in Thailand, it can be super spicy with strong flavors like shrimp paste. In New York City, a famous street food is the hot dog, but you can also find things like spicy falafel or Belgian waffles.

In Hawaii, there's a popular street food called "Plate Lunch." It has rice, macaroni salad, and a type of meat. This idea came from the "bento" meals that Japanese workers brought to Hawaii a long time ago.

Street Food Around the World

African Street Eats

Madagascar's Tasty Treats

In Madagascar, you can find many cakes and fritters called mofo. The most common is mofo gasy, which means "Malagasy bread." It's made from sweet rice flour and cooked over charcoal. People often eat it for breakfast with coffee.

Another sweet treat is koba akondro. This is made from ground peanuts, mashed bananas, honey, and corn flour, wrapped in banana leaves, and then steamed. You might also find peanut brittle, dried bananas, or fried dough strings called kaka pizon.

Moroccan Market Snacks

In Morocco, popular street foods include bessara (a bean soup), spicy sardines, and brochettes (meat skewers). You can also try Boubouch, which is a hot and spicy snail soup! In northern Morocco, Ze3za3 (a special juice) and calenté (a chickpea cake) are very famous. If you're near the coast, you'll find lots of fresh fish and seafood.

Nigerian Delights

Chin chin is a popular snack in Nigeria and west Africa. Other yummy Nigerian street foods include suya (barbecued meat), boli (roasted plantain), and akara (fried bean cakes).

South African Bites

In South Africa, you can find boerewors (a type of sausage) and other grilled foods sold on the street. In townships, you'll find special local foods.

In Cape Town, a huge sandwich called a Gatsby is very popular. It's a long bread roll filled with meat, salad, cheese, and chips! Another unique dish is Bunny chow, which is a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with Curry or pickles.

Ugandan Rolex

In Uganda, a super popular street food is the rolex. No, it's not a watch! It's a chapati (a flatbread) wrapped around eggs and different vegetables. It's a quick and tasty meal!

Asian Street Food Adventures

Chinese Street Snacks

In China, street vendors used to sell many xiaochi (snack foods). Now, many have opened small restaurants, so you often eat these "street foods" indoors.

Bing is a flatbread made from flour and fried. It can be plain or filled with meat or eggs, and seasoned with yummy sauces. One type, jianbing guozi, is made like a thin pancake on a hot skillet, with an egg cracked on top and different seasonings. It's then rolled up to eat easily!

South Korean Street Treats

In South Korea, popular street foods include spicy rice cakes (Tteokbokki), fish cakes, and Korean roll (Kimbap). The spicy rice cakes are a traditional food made with a spicy sauce and chewy rice cakes. Vendors often add fish cakes and scallions to the soup. You'll find street vendors near homes and schools, making it easy to grab a quick bite.

Hong Kong's Quick Bites

In Hong Kong, you can find tasty foods like skewered beef, curry fish balls, and dim sum. Street food vendors are called gaai bin dong. Some of these stalls become quite big businesses!

Indian Street Food Delights

Every region in India has its own special street foods. In Mumbai, you can try vada paav (a potato fritter in a bun), panipuri (crispy hollow balls filled with spiced water), and pav bhaji (a mix of vegetables with bread).

In New Delhi, you'll find sabzi kachauri (spicy potato curry with fried bread) and different kinds of chaat (savory snacks). Some street food vendors in Old Delhi have been selling food for generations!

Singapore's Hawker Centers

Singapore's street food has dishes from many countries because of its diverse history. Popular dishes include chicken rice, chili crab, and laksa (fish soup with noodles). There are about 78 "hawker centers" in Singapore, where many food vendors gather around a market, each selling their own special dishes.

Indonesian Street Eats

In Indonesia, street foods are sold from carts, bicycles, or roadside stalls. You can find Indonesian foods like nasi goreng (fried rice), gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce), and satay (grilled meat skewers).

You'll also see Chinese dishes like bakpao (steamed buns) and bakso (meatballs), often changed to fit Indonesian tastes. For example, pork is rarely used since most Indonesians are Muslims.

Nepalese Snacks

Nepalese street foods include momo (dumpling) (dumplings), fried potato, and alu-paratha (flatbread with mashed potato inside). You can also find panipuri and chatpate (spicy puffed rice mix).

Pakistani Street Treats

In Pakistan, common street foods include bun kabab sandwiches, samosas (fried pastries with savory fillings), kulfi (ice cream), and sugar cane juice. You'll also find grilled chicken, french fries, and lahmacun (a type of flatbread with meat).

Philippine Street Delights

Popular Philippine street foods include squidball, fishball, and kikiam (a processed chicken and pork product). These are served hot with different dipping sauces.

Roadside stands also sell barbecued pork, chicken, and even interesting parts like chicken heads (helmet) and chicken feet (adidas).

Taiwanese Night Market Food

Taiwan's street food, especially from its famous night markets, is well known in Asia. In Tainan, you can find unique foods like oyster omelets, fried squid, and Taiwanese hot dogs.

Thai Street Food Scene

Thailand is famous for its street food! Noodle dishes like pad Thai and rat na (flat noodles with meat and vegetables) are very popular. You can also find tom yum kung (a spicy soup), khao phat (fried rice), and different kinds of satay (grilled skewers).

In Bangkok, you might hear of a "plastic-bag housewife" – this means someone who buys food from street vendors, which is often packed in plastic bags.

Japanese Street Snacks

The most popular street food in Japan is takoyaki. These are fried batter balls filled with octopus, onions, and ginger. They are cooked in a special pan with round holes and often topped with fish shavings and sauce. Takoyaki started in Osaka. In Japan, it's more common to eat street food while sitting down, rather than walking and eating.

Vietnamese Street Food

Pho, a famous Vietnamese noodle soup, was originally sold from special carrying poles. Vendors would carry two wooden cabinets, one with a pot over a fire and the other with noodles and spices. Today, pho is usually sold at fixed stands with tables and stools.

European Street Food Favorites

Balkan Bites

Street food in the Balkans is influenced by the Ottoman Empire. You'll find different kinds of burek, a flaky pastry with fillings. Ćevapi (a type of kebab) and Pljeskavica (a grilled meat patty) are also very popular.

Belgian Fries and Waffles

In Belgium, thick-cut french fries (called frieten or frites) are very popular. They are often sold by street vendors from small places called frituur. These fries are traditionally cooked in beef fat, but oil is also used now.

Liège-style waffles are another sweet street snack. They are served warm and are richer and sweeter than other waffles.

Danish Hot Dogs

In Denmark, you can buy sausages and hot dogs from "sausage wagons" (Pølsevogn). These are like popular food trucks and are a favorite quick meal.

French Street Snacks

In France, sandwiches are a common street food, often made with baguette bread and fillings like ham and cheese. Crêpes are another popular choice. A savory crêpe complète might have ham, cheese, and an egg, while sweet ones are sold with Nutella or fruit. You can also find pizza slices, kebab sandwiches, and grilled panini. In winter, roasted chestnuts are a warm treat.

German Street Food

Germany is famous for its many types of sausage, like Bratwurst and currywurst (sausage with curry sauce). French fries are also popular, served with ketchup or mayonnaise. In northern Germany, you might find rolls with pickled or smoked fish. You can usually buy beer at street snack stands too.

Italian Street Eats

The most famous Italian street food is pizza, sold in slices from bakeries. This pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice) is usually baked on large square trays and has a thicker crust than restaurant pizza.

Other Italian street foods include farinata (a thin chickpea-flour pancake) and lampredotto (ox stomach cooked in broth, served in a bread roll) in Florence. In Rome, try supplì (fried rice balls with cheese). In Palermo, Pani ca meusa (bread with cooked pork spleen) and panelle (fried chickpea flour batter) are popular.

In Naples, friggitorie (fried food stalls) sell deep-fried pastries and other foods. During summer, vendors sell watermelons, and in winter, roasted chestnuts. Gelato (ice cream) and granita (shaved ice) are also commonly available.

Polish Street Snacks

Popular street snacks in Poland include zapiekanki, which are like Polish-style French-bread pizzas with different toppings. The obwarzanki krakowskie from Kraków are similar to bagels. Lody (ice cream) is also very popular, with long lines outside ice cream shops. You can also find waffles with whipped cream or fruit, and kebab stands.

Spanish Street Food

In Spain, eating in the street is a big part of the culture. In winter, roasted chestnuts are sold. During festivals, churros (fried dough pastries) are popular. The bocadillo (a sandwich in a baguette) is a common snack for kids and workers, filled with things like ham, cheese, or tortilla de patatas.

Swiss Street Snacks

In Switzerland, street foods are often like sandwiches, such as grilled panini, pretzels, grilled chicken, or hot dogs. The traditional Bratwurst (sausage) is served with a slice of bread and mustard. Raclette (melted cheese) is also served as street food, especially in winter. Sweet treats include ice cream and crêpes.

UK Street Food

In the United Kingdom, food vans sell kebabs, baked potatoes, hamburgers, and chips. Individual portable ovens sell baked potatoes with fillings like cheese or chili. At fairs, you can find candy floss (cotton candy) and doughnuts. During winter, there are stalls selling hot chestnuts. fish and chips are a classic British street food, often eaten out of paper.

Ice cream vans are a sign of summer, playing well-known tunes as they drive around.

North American Street Food

Canadian Specialties

Most big cities in Canada have lots of street food. Poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese curds) is available almost everywhere, with many different flavors. Hot dog stands are also common.

Some unique Canadian street foods include:

• Poutine
• Montreal hot dog (a steamed hot dog)
• Donair (a special version of the doner kebab with a sweet sauce, popular in Halifax)
• BeaverTails (a fried dough pastry, often topped with sweet things)

Mexican Street Eats

In Mexico, there's a huge variety of antojitos Mexicanos (Mexican snacks) sold by street vendors. You can find tacos, tortas (traditional Mexican sandwiches), quesadillas, tamales, and aguas frescas (refreshing fruit drinks). These are available any time of day or night!

Puerto Rican Cuchifritos

In Puerto Rico, street foods are often called cuchifritos. Popular items include pinchos (meat skewers, often fried), and Empanadas (fried pastries filled with chicken, meat, cheese, or seafood).

You can also find papa rellena (fried potato balls stuffed with meat or cheese) and Alcapurria (a fried dough made from taro or green banana, filled with meat). Dishes made from plantains or green bananas are also very popular.

Trinidad and Tobago's Doubles

In Trinidad and Tobago, you'll find roti wrap and shark and bake stands. Roti is a thin flatbread served with curried chicken, pork, or beef. The most popular street food is Doubles. It's made with two flatbreads called baras filled with channa (chickpeas) and topped with different chutneys.

United States Street Food

In the United States, hot dogs are perhaps the most common street food, especially in big cities like New York City. Roasted nuts and gyros are also often sold. In Philadelphia, Cheesesteaks and soft pretzels are popular.

Food trucks and food carts have become very popular. They offer many different types of food, from Korean-Mexican fusion tacos to gourmet ice cream with unusual flavors! You can find pizza, falafel, burritos, and crêpes from vendors all over the country.

Oceanian Street Food

Australian Sausage Sizzle

The most common street food in Australia is the sausage sizzle. It's a thin sausage cooked on a barbecue and served on a slice of bread, often with fried onions and sauce. These stalls are usually run by local groups to raise money.

You can also buy soft-serve ice cream from vans that drive around playing music. In Melbourne and Sydney, kebabs and souvlakis are popular late-night snacks. Recently, Banh mi (Vietnamese pork rolls) have also become popular.

New Zealand Food Vans

In New Zealand, food vans selling burgers, New Zealand hotdogs (a battered sausage on a stick), toasted sandwiches, and chips are very common. The White Lady food van in Auckland is a famous landmark. Coffee carts and vans are also popular.

Like Australia, ice cream vans and sausage sizzles are common. Mr Whippy soft-serve ice cream is a well-known symbol of summer for many Kiwis.

South American Street Food

Argentine Street Snacks

In Argentina, vendors sell choripan, which is a barbecued sausage served in French bread. Pizza is also very popular, thanks to Italian immigrants. You can find fugazzeta (pizza with mozzarella and onions) and fainá (a chickpea flour pizza).

Empanadas (fried pastries with different fillings) are also common. For sweets, you might find caramel apples, cotton candy, and pochoclo (sweet popcorn).

Brazilian Street Delights

Pão de queijo (meaning "cheese bread") is a popular street snack in Brazil. Hot dogs are often sold with many toppings like grated cheese, corn, bacon, and mashed potatoes! Hamburgers are also offered with lots of toppings, like the "X-Tudo" (meaning "cheese-all"), which is a super loaded cheeseburger.

You'll find popcorn carts everywhere, selling both savory and sweet popcorn. Churros (fried dough filled with caramel or chocolate) are also common.

In the state of Bahia, you can try acarajé (deep-fried black-eyed pea bun filled with shrimp and other creamy ingredients) and sweets like cocada (candied coconut).

On the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, vendors sell iced tea, biscoitos de polvilho (sour manioc flour puffs), and queijo coalho (grilled cheese on sticks).

Colombian Street Food

In Colombia, the empanada (a deep-fried meat-filled pastry) is very popular. Different types of arepa (corn cakes) are also common street food. You can also find chuzo (meat skewers) cooked over charcoal.

A common treat is corn on the cob cooked over charcoal and buttered. During Christmas, Buñuelos (fried dough balls) and natilla (a custard-like dessert) are popular.

Peruvian Street Eats

In Peru, anticuchos (a type of kebab) are often sold by street vendors.

Venezuelan Arepas

In Venezuela, the arepa is a common fast-food meal. It's a flattened cornmeal bun, split open and usually filled with soft cheese. Other fillings include shredded chicken salad or shredded beef. Cachapas, which are flat cakes made from fresh corn, are also popular. Empanadas are also eaten, made from corn flour and filled with similar ingredients as arepas.

Images for kids

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  Tanghulu for sale on a street in Tianjin, China

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  A fish taco served on fry bread in Alaska

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  Street food packaged in plastic bags in Bangkok, Thailand

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  Nikuman in Japan

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  Shave ice is a traditional street food in Hawaii

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  A German currywurst vendor