When we started our Footpath Feasting series on street food around the globe we invited Grantourismo readers who blog to share their best street food stories. These are the delicious posts that made us salivate the most.
Footpath Feasting: the Best Street Food Stories on the Web
Tempting street food in Taipei
At Messin Around, Lily provides an introduction to the “cheap, tempting street food” scene in Taipei, Taiwan. “Carts and open-air food stalls are everywhere in Taiwan, hawking steamed buns, pillowy filled cakes, shaved ice, bowls of slippery noodles, and grilled or deep-fried goodies that you eat from a stick or out of a waxed paper bag,” Lily writes. “No need to decipher a menu or exchange words with the vendor—you can see and smell exactly what’s being offered.”
A food market in Fengyuan
Hong Kong-based Janice, who blogs at E*ting the World also posts on Taiwanese food and, in this post, a food market that she discovered on a bike trail in Fengyuan, 30 minutes from Taichung city, Taiwan, where 6-8 food stalls sell Taiwanese street food favourites, from Lu Rou Fan, a pork and rice dish, to Taiwanese sausages laced with wasabi. “One of the great things about moving back to Asia has been the street food!” says Janice.
Vancouver food truck scene
Natalie writes on Near Afar about the burgeoning Vancouver street food scene, including the proliferation of food trucks in her Vancouver Foodie Wrap Up post. She says: “What I love about it is that a lot of the carts are serving some very fresh fish, which you don’t see in other cities.”
Banh mi sandwiches to Bulgogi tacos
Johanna also loves the Vancouver street food scene, which she explored over two weeks, devouring everything from banh mi sandwiches to Bulgogi tacos, which she reviews at her blog Travel Eater. It’s a handy guide for anyone planning a food-focused trip to the Canadian city.
Salvadoran street food snacks
Jaime writes about the traditional Salvadoran snack pupusa, made of thick, hand-made corn tortillas filled with cheese, minced pork meat and refried beans on his blog Breakaway Backpacker. He loved them so much he attempted to keep a tally of how many he ate, but couldn’t keep up! Read his ode to pupusas here.
The Guatemalan pupusa and Beijing markets
Foodie International is also smitten with the pupusa – along with the chile relleno. A devotee of street-side eating, which she believes is the truest way of connecting with the living culinary history of a new place, she blogs about the Guatemalan version in this post on Antigua, Guatemala. She also blogs about everything from stinky tofu to shrimp balls in this photo essay on Beijing’s night markets.
The Gelato Festival in Sicily
And what better way to end than with dessert? Over on Nomads on the Road, Mike has posted in salivating-inducing detail about Sicily’s sweet gelato and his trip to Cefalu for the 4-day gelato festival where 31 stalls offered 31 different types of gelato. We’re guessing he tried them all!
If you’ve got a scrumptious street food post you’d like to submit for consideration for our next round-up of the best street food stories on the web, please leave the link to your post in the Comments below.
Ahh I love love love street food not only cus its cheap but beacause most of the time it taste better than a fancy restaurant. Thanks for including my post in this collection.
Thank you so much for including me in your blog post. How sweet of you! I was really surprised by the food scene (and the food truck scene in Vancouver). Toronto doesn’t have the laws to get food trucks approved, so they’ve trumped us there. We’re working on it though! I’m really flattered because your blog is one of my favourites. :)
No worries including your post – it’s a good read.
After 23 days eating in most of Sydney and Melbourne’s top restaurants (we’re working on a couple of magazine stories), I can’t say street food tastes better than food in fancy restaurants. We’ve had some of the most extraordinary eating experiences of our lives over the last few weeks.
However, I agree it can taste damn good, as well as being great value – when you taste a sublime pho that cost you a few dollars, you wonder why some dishes cost ten times as much, don’t you?
How sweet of *you*. Loved your post. Had no idea about the street food scene there. We really must get to Canada one of these days.
Thank you so much for including me in this Footpath Feasting edition! I just love how unpretentious and honest street food is – you get what you see, and not to mention it’s cheap! :)
Such a great idea! I will definitely stay tuned for more tasty stories.
Thanks for including me Lara, I’m getting hungry (and a serious case of travel lust) just reading about them!
Thanks! And do let us know if you have any Street Food stories you want included in a future round-up.
I was hungry selecting the posts!
Hope this post qualifies for Street Food! Would love you to look at it! http://atasteoftravel.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/sweet-treats-in-palermo/
Thanks Jenny
Hi Jenny – thanks for this! We’ll definitely check it out :)
As you saw in Berlin, currywurst and döner are everywhere, battling for the hearts, minds, noms, and tummies of many Berliners. :)
I wrote briefly about “the very humble currywurst” at
http://fotoeins.com/2011/08/26/the-humble-currywurst/
Thanks!
Thanks for this! We’ll go check it out! :)
A quickie, but a goodie, for any foodie. http://www.notfortourists.com/ViewRadar.aspx?city=OT&radarID=27483
These aren’t made on the street, but we did consume them on the street so I’m not sure if they count. It’s bad for you and will rot your teeth…but, boy is it good :)
http://buzztrips.co.uk/posts/scotlands-sinfully-sweet-secret-in-search-of-the-best-tablet-in-the-highlands/
Thanks, Jack! We’ll check it out. Love Scottish tablet! But you’re right, not really street food, but maybe we should do a post on best confectionary/sweets from around the world :)
Thanks, Emily! We’ll go take a look!
I sure have a VERY yummy street food story from China, here it is :))
http://www.chasingtheunexpected.com/2011/11/photo-essay-delicacies-at-qingdao-street-food-market-china/
It’s not exactly French food but Le Camion Qui Fume will definitely make the history books – Paris’s first food truck! The Californian chef and her French husband launched a gourmet burger truck in November that has achieved astounding success in only a few months time. People wait almost an hour to get their hands on these burgers which are, I can attest, absolutely spectacular. (will send link separately!)
Thanks! Send the link, that sounds good.
T
Hi guys! Great idea. We just posted about some favorite street foods in the EYW Blog section of Eat Your World: http://eatyourworld.com/blog/eyws_top_8_street_foods_so_far
Scattered throughout the site, there are many others, particularly in the Delhi and Mexico City sections. We also have a lot of pics & stories about street eats submitted by users around the globe (http://eatyourworld.com/users). Check it out if you can!
Thanks, Laura! We’ll definitely check these out. We’re trying to get the next round-up up in a week or so. Thanks again!
Yum! Thanks for this!
I didn’t really regard Madrid’s chocolate con churros as ‘street food’ till I came across this kiosk only the other day. I haven’t done a blog post about it yet, but will in the course of time. http://www.travelbloggersunite.com/photo/chocolateria-madrid?context=user