One of the absolute best things about going to a foreign country is being a bit of a foodie. Eating your way through Europe is exciting and sometimes daring – especially when you’re not 100% sure what you’re about to put in your gob. But that’s all part of the fun of experiencing new cuisines and traditional foods, taking on that risk and it (hopefully) paying out.
So we gathered together some of the best street food to mung on while you’re seeing the sights across different countries. Some you might be aware of, because there’s a few treats that have made their way over to Australia.
Börek – Turkey
Bloody delish little pastries from Turkey (and a lot of the countries in what was once the Ottoman Empire), these guys come in both sweet and savoury styles.
They’re a flaky, light pastry with fillings layered in, which include ingredients like custard, fetta cheese, minced meat, spinach, and spices.
Smažený Sýr – Czech Republic
Prepare your heart for this one, because it’s literally crumbed molten cheese. Think about a soft, gooey cheese friend to perfection, on a plate with some chippies, or oozing out of a fresh roll. That’s smažený sýr.
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Souvlaki – Greece
Surely you’ve had one of these when you’ve had a few beers and you need something to soak up the booze. Souvlakis hail from Greece, so you can believe that the creme de la creme of souvas are going to be pumping through the streets of Thessaloniki.
Sometimes they come all wrapped up and ready to go, and other times the meat’s still on the metal skewer that it was cooked on and you gotta assemble it yourself.
Babka – Poland
Traditionally baked for Easter Sunday celebrations, it’s a dense and sweet cake – kinda like brioche – and can be filled with fruit, nuts, and rum (if you’re lucky.) Babkas apparently get their name because the cake shape looks a lot like a pleated skirt that grandmothers/babkas in Poland wear.
A variant on the traditional babka is the loaf-pan bakes on made by Jewish families. They’re normally a big chocolate or cinnamon twist, and end up looking like a marbled beauty.
Borscht – Ukraine
In the blistering winter months (or any time it gets a little bit fresh), a really good go-to soup is a borscht. A heartwarming beetroot-based dish that usually has some kind of meat in it (chicken, pork, or beef) and any veggies that are ready to be chucked in with the soup. Hell, sometimes its even served in a hollowed-out cabbage.
Though recipes and ingredients vary depending on where you are in the country, one thing’s for sure – a good borscht will always be that deep red beetroot colour.
Currywurst – Germany
An absolutely European classic and total must-have street food is the German currywurst. The glorious pairing of pork sausage, fresh hot chippies or crispy roll, and a healthy dose of tomato curry sauce is impossible to go past. And don’t worry if you’re plant-based – there’s plenty of good veg varieties of currywurst around, too.
Sometimes the most basic of meals are the best ones.
Kürtőskalács – Hungary
You’ll probably know these bad boys as chimney cakes. Yeah, these things are the shit. Sweet dough is wrapped around a baking spit, and then cooked over hot coals until the outside is browned and the inside is soft and fluffy. The cake is then coated with cinnamon, sugar, sprinkles or ground nuts and you can eat it like that.
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Better yet, stuff it with lots of yummo treats like ice cream, chocolate, cherries, and other heart-stoppingly good things.
Gelato – Italy
What kind of food-worshipping yarn would this be without praising the king of all European desserts (don’t argue) – ITALIAN GELATO.
These guys 110% know what they’re doing when it comes to frozen treats. There is absolutely nothing better than sitting back in the Italian sunshine giving a big lick to a deliriously-creamy gelato.
They say it’s impossibly easy to eat your way across Europe and tbh, I’m only packing my comfy eating pants.
Wanna get the hell outta here with your best mate? You could win the ultimate bestos trip to Europe with Student Flights – enter over HERE and good luck.
