The very best of European street food

When you think of fantastic street food, with locals hard at work preparing delicious, cheap, and hearty food by the sides of the road, Europe isn’t the continent that first springs to mind. The delicious curries, papaya salads and moreish noodle dishes of Southeast Asia are well documented, as are the samosas, puris and masala chai of India. The European street food isn’t written about nearly as much, but is just as tasty. The next time you’re on the continent, look out for these delicious treats on the side of the road.

Germany’s currywurst

It’s all in the name: a delicious mix of sausage and curry, invented by the country that knows its way around the sausage more than any other. If you want to try the best steamed and fried sausage, covered in spices and ketchup, make sure you head to the German capital and birthplace of the currywurst, Berlin, where this delightful mix of meat and curry has taken on iconic status, according to the BBC.

France’s crepes

No list of European street food would be complete without mention of the delicate Parisian delicacy, the crepe. Any walk around the streets of Paris, and indeed many other cities and towns in France, will lead you to a crepe stall. While in Britain, we choose to decorate our crepes with lemon and sugar, in France the tastes are all that more adventurous. On the beautiful streets of Paris you will be able to find crepe sellers providing fillings such as strawberries and whipped cream, Grand Marnier, and even savoury options such as mature French grated cheese on their crepes.

The Czech Republic’s syr smazeny

Syr smazeny is the definition of comfort food. Calorific it may be, but the delicious syr smazeny, or cubes of Czech fried cheese that are sold all over the streets of the Prague, are melting, comforting, and perfect street food treats for a winter day. The fried cheese in breadcrumbs is typically served with a tangy tartar sauce to offset the creaminess and heaviness of the cheese. Perhaps not something to eat every day if you are concerned about your cholesterol, but delicious all the same.

Turkey’s stuffed mussels

At the mention of Turkish street food, you may immediately think of the popular-after-a-pint doner kebab. Of course, the kebab is an important part of the Turkish diet, but a less documented Turkish delicacy is the stuffed mussels sold by street vendors on the streets of Istanbul. The mussel shells are stuffed with a delicately spiced and fragrant pilaf rice, and at around 10 mussels for 1 euro, it doesn’t get much better value, or indeed much tastier, than that.

Enjoying the local street food from somewhere you are visiting is about so much more than finding a cheap meal. Often the food is prepared by highly skilled cooks, and when you purchase from a cart on the side of the road you feel that you’re really experiencing a location rather than just passing through as a tourist. Cheap UK flights to destinations such as Paris and Prague can be found by visiting the Flybe website. What’s more, there are flights to exciting European destinations from many UK airports, such as Southampton airport. Now there’s truly no excuse not to make your next European break a culinary adventure. 🙂 – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.