Street Food Quiz
Some of the world's best meals are eaten standing up, bought from a cart or a stall.
A street food quiz with answers about the dishes sold from carts, stalls and hawker centres around the world, and the history hidden in each one, from Asia and Africa to the Americas.
Did you know?
- Mexico City's tacos al pastor were shaped by Lebanese migrants who brought vertical spits for roasting meat in the early 20th century. Local cooks swapped lamb for pork, added chilli marinade and pineapple, and the dish became one of the city's most popular street foods.
- Thailand's street food is so central to daily life that many homes in Bangkok do not cook every day. Workers often buy breakfast, lunch and dinner from stalls, and vendors specialise in a single dish they prepare hundreds of times a day.
- Naples is often called the birthplace of modern pizza, which began as cheap food sold from street stalls to workers. In 2017, the art of the Neapolitan pizza maker was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.
Why street food matters
Street food is ready-to-eat food sold by vendors in public places, and it feeds billions of people every day. It is often cheap, fast and cooked in front of the customer, which is part of its appeal. Many famous dishes began as street food for workers who needed a quick meal. Today, street food also attracts travellers who want to taste local cooking, and some cities organise night markets and food streets around it.
Food shaped by history
Many street foods record the movement of people and ingredients. Banh mi combines French bread with Vietnamese flavours, and fried snacks across Latin America use techniques and ingredients from Indigenous, European and African traditions. Migrants often bring recipes and adapt them to local tastes, so a dish can change a great deal from one city to another. Some street foods are only a few decades old, while others have been sold in the same way for centuries.
From carts to hawker centres
Cities have long tried to balance the appeal of street food with hygiene and traffic. Singapore moved its street hawkers into centres with running water and shared tables, keeping prices low while improving food safety. Other cities licence carts or set up night markets on certain streets. Food trucks became popular in North America in the 2000s, often run by trained chefs, and helped street food win new respect.
Eating safely on the street
Busy stalls are often the safest choice, because food moves quickly and is cooked fresh. Food that is served very hot, fried or boiled in front of you usually carries less risk than dishes left at room temperature. Travellers are also advised to watch for clean utensils and to be careful with raw salads and ice in places where tap water is not safe to drink. Local advice is usually the best guide, since residents know which stalls are trusted.