Street foods are foods that are prepared, cooked, or sold on the street at small street side stalls or in public places by roadside vendors using locally sourced ingredients. They are usually very tasty and offer an unforgettable culinary experience. Street foods are not as expensive as restaurant food, are made for immediate consumption, and are often eaten while standing or walking. Across the world, every country has its own street food that is native to that country. Street foods are not just casual snacks but are also a marker of culture, location, and identity. If you want to learn about the culture of any country, as well as their sense of taste, savouring that countryโs street food is one of the best ways to start.
No matter the place or season, there are always different kinds of street foods that can cater to the food needs of varieties of audiences. From the vibrant street of Seoul, South Korea to the busy street of Lagos, Nigeria, these two cities and countries are home to a rich street food culture that is diverse and distinctive but at the same time equally delicious.
Some of the common street food found in different parts of Seoul, South Korea are:
1. Tteokbokki (Spicy stir-fried rice cakes): If you enjoy watching k-dramas or the reality show ‘Jinny’s Kitchen,’ you must be familiar with tteokbokki. This spicy rice cake is one of South Korea’s most popular street meals. It is especially popular as an afternoon snack and can be found anywhere Koreans gather. It was known as “gungjung Tteok-bokki” during the Joseon era and was served on the royal table. Tteokbokki can be prepared in a variety of ways, but the most common include stir-frying tteok made from rice or flour in a gochujang (red chili paste) sauce and deep-frying eomuk (fish cakes) made from a mixture of fish paste, vegetables, and flour. Although it can be spicy or non-spicy, the spicy version is the version most commonly eaten by South Koreans.
2. Sundae (Korean blood sausage): Sundae (Korean sausage) is prepared by stuffing pig intestines with a filling made of seasoned glass noodles, vegetables, and seonji (pig blood). The sausages are steamed, sliced, and served with salt on the side.
3. Bungeoppang (Korean fish-shaped pastry): Bungeoppang is one of South Koreaโs most famous street food snacks and is particularly common during winter. It is a fish-shaped pastry stuffed with a combination of sweetened red bean paste and green tea matcha pudding, or any other filling such as Nutella, cheese, or custard.
4. Hotteok (Sweet Korean pancake): Another popular street food snack found in Seoul and other parts of South Korea is hotteok, which is the Korean sweet pancake. It is made with yeasted dough stuffed with a mixture of sugar, honey, cinnamon, and chopped peanuts.
5. Dakkotchi (Korean chicken skewer): Dakkochi has chicken as its main ingredient. To prepare, small chunks of chicken and scallions threaded into bamboo skewered before being grilled and brushed with a sauce.
6. Gyeran-ppang (Egg bread): Gyerran-ppang is another popular street food sold by street vendors across South Korea. It is prepared with a mixture of wheat flour, milk, baking powder, butter, vanilla extract, salt, and sugar. A whole egg is cracked onto the batter in each slot and cooked until the egg breads are golden brown. It is usually served hot and steamy and wrapped with a cardboard paper so you can hold it even while hot.
7. Mandu (Korean dumpling): If you are a lover of dumplings, then you need to try the Korean dumpling (mandu). It varies in size and shape and can be prepared with different types of meats and vegetables. It can be boiled, steamed, deep-fried, or even pan-fried.
8. Ppopgi (old-fashioned sugar candy): If you watched Squid game, then you must know this street food snack. Ppopgi or dalgona is a South Korean candy made with melted sugar and baking soda. Although it contains just these two ingredients, you need patience, timing, and good technique to be able to make the perfect sugar candy. It is very sweet and can be made into different shapes.
9. Kimchijeon (kimchi pancake): Kimchi pancakes, also known as kimchijeon, are a popular South Korean street snack. It is frequently eaten as a snack or as a side dish. It is made in the same manner as a typical pancake, with the exception that you add kimchi to it.
10. Gamja Hot dogs: The Korean hot dog, like the American corn dog, is a popular street dish that is usually difficult to resist due to its delicious taste. The Korean hot dog is coated with French fries rather than the customary corn meal batter. The surface is normally crispy, but the inside is incredibly meaty and delicious.
Other street foods that are popular in Seoul include but are not limited to kimchi fried rice, gimbap or kimbap, skewered fish cake, tornado potato, and eomuk (Korean fish cake).
Nigerian Street Food
Like South Korea, Nigeria is known for its rich culinary heritage and boasts of a wide variety of appetizing street food. Some of the prominent street foods found in Lagos, Nigeria include:
1. Puff-Puff: Over the last few decades, puff-puff has grown to become the king of street food in Nigeria. There is almost no part of Lagos that you will go to without encountering a vendor selling puff-puff in the street. In fact, it is also being served as part of small chops at parties and other occasions. You cannot go wrong with the Nigerian puff-puff as its taste is heavenly and can be eaten at any time of the day. Puff-Puff is made with a mixture of flour, yeast, sugar, pepper (optional), and water, which is then deep-fried in hot vegetable oil until it is fluffy and golden brown.
2. Ewa agoyin (Boiled mashed beans and Yoruba pepper sauce): In Lagos, you cannot talk about street food without mentioning ewa agoyin and beans. Ewa agoyin sauce is a perfect choice for lovers of spicy food. It is made with tatashe (dried red bell peppers), Cameroon pepper (chili), and onions, all of which are blended and fried with palm oil as a stew sauce with salt, crayfish, and other seasonings. The beans are boiled till it becomes very soft and tender after which it is mashed together. It can be eaten on its own, with soft bread, or fried plantain, among other combinations.
3. Akara (Bean Cake): Akara is one of the most popular street foods in Nigeria. It is a deep-fried bean ball prepared with ground beans combined with pepper, salt, onions, and other optional seasonings. It can be deep-fried with either vegetable oil or palm oil. This street food can be eaten on its own or with options like pap, custard, oat, fried yam, and fried plantain, among others. It is usually sold in the morning or at night.
4. Suya (Smoked Spiced Meat Skewer): Originally from Northern Nigeria, Suya has become a major street food in Lagos and in other parts of Nigeria and is usually sold on the roadside as an evening or night snack. Suya is made by roasting thin beef strips over an open flame and seasoning them with pepper, yagi, onions, and other spices. It is usually sold by a Hausa vendor and often wrapped in an old newspaper or pepper. It can be eaten on its own or with other food and goes well with either soft drinks or alcoholic drinks.
5. Boli or Bole (Roasted Plantain): Boli is a roasted plantain snack available in Lagos as well as other parts of Nigeria. To make boli, uncut ripe, unripe, or showripe plantains are grilled/roasted. It can be eaten at any time of the day as a standalone meal or served with groundnut (peanut) or with different kinds of sauce.
6. Roasted Yam: Roasted yam is like a twin brother of boli since they are prepared and consumed in the same manner, and also almost sold by the same vendor. Like boli, it is roasted on a grill and can be eaten either on its own as a snack or with sauce.
7. Roasted or Boiled Corn: Because corn is harvested only at particular periods in a year, this street food is seasonal and not readily available. However, during its peak season, it can be eaten with coconut, ube (local pear), or on its own.
8. Fried yam, plantain, and potato: Another delicious street food found in Lagos as well as in other parts of Nigeria is fried yam, potato, and plantain. It can be eaten as a standalone snack or with a combination like akara (bean cake), fried pepper sauce, or fried fish.
9. Moi-Moi: Like akara, moi-moi is made from grounded beans but unlike akara which is deep-fried, moi-moi is made by cooking the ground beans with either palm oil or vegetable oil and garnished with spices, fish, crayfish, egg, or any other protein. To prepare moi-moi, the peeled beans are grounded together with the pepper and onions till it turns into a smooth paste. Then, you can add your protein and spices to this paste and pour in small oil and water, and mix to form a batter, which is ten poured in small or desired portion into a nylon, plantain leaves, or in small bowls, and then steamed in boiling water till it becomes fully cooked. Moi-moi can be eaten at any time of the day and goes well with rice, pap, oat, custard, and can also be eaten on its own.
10. Abacha (African Salad): Originally from the Eastern part of Nigeria, Abacha has become a common street food in Lagos. It is made from cassava and usually served alongside fresh vegetables (utazi), garden egg, onions, ugba (African oil been seed), palm oil sauce, and a range of protein options such as meat, smoked fish and ponmo (cow skin).
Other popular street food found in Lagos, Nigeria include kuli kuli, boiled or roasted groundnut (peanut), okpa, pasties (buns, doughnut, eggroll, fishroll, meatpie, fishpie), ugba, okpa, and indomie and egg, to mention but a few
Conclusion
If you reside in one of these countries or plan to visit one of these two locations, you should definitely try out any of these street foods. However, it is important to be cautious of cleanliness and food safety, especially in locations with insufficient sanitation and food laws.