This subject, the best all world healthiest street foods, is one of great interest to me, and many people. Especially those of us who love ethnic foods of all kinds. Often the best ethnic foods are sold right on the street by vendors whipping up some wonderful taste treats to enjoy while walking through the marketplace.
But which kinds of street foods are the healthiest for you? I did a bit of research on the topic, and found out some rather interesting facts. So let’s get right into it, and which ethnic groups on the planet have …
The Best All World Healthiest Street Foods
(Photo Attributed to Author: Takeaway)
In Thailand you can buy on the streets a yummy and super healthy treat called Som Tam Thai.
(Photo Attributed to Author: Takeaway)
The traditional version will include ingredients like: dried shrimp, garlic, bean sprouts, shredded papaya, peanuts, red chilis and tomatoes, and will be seasoned with fish sauce, lime and tamarind juice, and a tad bit of cane sugar.
What makes Som Tam Thai one of the best All World Healthiest Street Foods? Several good reasons:
- High in fiber, but low in fat
- Lots of antioxidants from the chilis
- The peanuts provide a healthy dose of monounsaturated fats – the kind that are good for your heart.
One word of caution, though, about Som Tam Thai: the fish sauce is very high in sodium, so if you chow down on this taste treat early in the day, take it easy on highly salted foods for the rest of the day.
Next up, in our quest for the best all world healthiest street foods, let’s take a flight over to Beliz, and have some Ceviche.
(Photo Attributed to Author: Yogma)
If you like sushi and sashimi, you’ll just love this little tastebuds treat, because it is basically raw fish, usually barracuda or red snapper, acidically marinated in citrus fruit juices, like lemon and/or lime, spiced with chili peppers and seasoned with herbs, traditionally cilantro, and others of the local vendor’s choice. Here’s why Ceviche is good for you:
- Bioflavonoids from the citrus “cooking” of the fish with citrus juices
- Antioxidants from the chilis
- More antioxidants from the herbs
Now let’s hop over to Morocco, take a stroll down into the marketplace, and have a helping of Lamb Kabobs with Couscous – yummy!
(Photo Attributed to Author: rochelle hartman)
There are several reasons why this street food, luscious, tender, marinated chunks of lamb, topped with mint, the skewered and grilled, served with couscous spiced up with nuts, fruits and mint, and also with a side dish of spiced yogurt dipping sauce, is super healthy for you:
- Lamb meat is among the most lean, and highest in protein meats in the world, and is also high in Vitamin B12
- This “appetizer” is a complete, balanced and healthy meal, with the combination of lamb, couscous, yogurt, dried fruits and nuts, providing a good amount of all your daily requirements of protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals
- It has very low, to sometime no salt!
Now we’re off to Indonesia, where we can walk up to a locally popular street vendor who is grilling up some Beef Satay.
(Photo Attributed to Author: Gunawan Kartapranata)
Basic in its goodness, not a complete meal, but the lean beef, marinated in a rich, creamy, spicy cashew sauce, then char-grilled to perfection, provides your body lots of protein, and a whole lot of antioxidants. And, it is very low in calories and sodium. Have some!
Now we are going to hop in our jet and fly over to the villages of Punjab provinces in Pakistan and North India.
Once we land and get into the marketplace, we will stroll up to a street vendor offering the tremendously healthy and exquisitely textured and tasting drink, called Mango Lhassi.
(Photo Attributed to Author: Gupchup)
This healthy drink is also one you can make at home, by combining fresh mango and Kesar Mango Pulp in your blender. What makes Mango Lhassi one of the best all-world healthiest street foods? It’s all in the mango, man, which is chocked full of omega-3 and 6, polyphenols, vitamins galore, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and more good stuff for you. To top it off, Mango Lhassi flat out tastes great!
(Photo Attributed to Author: Uwebart)
Off we go now, to Mexico, where we’ll take a walk down into the central village Zócalo, and have a splendid evening treat, Mexican-style, called Tacos de Cerdo Piña (Pineapple Pork Tacos).
(Photo Attributed to Author: William Neuheisel)
Chipotle chiles, pineapple, cilantro and pork, grilled perfect and wrapped up in a warm taco, folks, it just doesn’t get any tastier and healthy at the same time! Here’s why these tacos are counted among the best all world healthiest street foods:
- As long as the pork is a lean cut, it provides lots of protein
- The natural sweetness of pineapple is relatively low in sugars, so your sweet tooth is satisfied without guilt
- Cilantro, peppers, and spices give your body a whole boat load of good-for-what-ails you antioxidants
Definitely counted among our list of All World Healthiest Street Foods!
So there you have it, our first six offerings of all world healthiest street foods. Trust me, there are hundreds more, and please stop back in here at Ethnic Foods R Us often, we will be posting list after list of the top, tastiest …
All World Healthiest Street Foods!
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Chow Y’all, and please be sure to leave a comment. We are always interested in feedback, suggestions, questions, and will respond to and engage with anyone who drops us a comment, okay? And if you have a dish in mind that we should cover here, in the all world healthiest street foods category, please let us know, we will for sure post it!
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I’ve just eaten but am gonna eat again!
Som Tam Thailand – it’s like a national dish but so healthy. Any wonder they are so petite.
People are often scared of street food in the developing world as the stalls don;t appear to be as well kept as western style standards.
The amazing thing is that the food is always fresh and gives you a much more authentic experience that you could find in any restaurant.
Fairweather, thanks for the comment, and I agree totally. While it is true, in some 3rd world countries, there is a risk of bacterial ingestion that a foreigner is not used to and susceptible to, if you have a native friend coach you on what and where to buy your street food, you are for the most part safe, and the food is “out of this world!”
Hello,
Geez! Your article made me hungry! All those tasty looking food seem to be awesome!
I wish I could find stuff like that here ai my hometown.
We do have street food, but not of high quality, unfortunately.
All the globetrotter analysis is great fun, particularly regarding the Brazilian part, since Brazil is my country.
Great job!
Cheers!
Thanks Caito, for the kind comments. Street food can be lots of adventurous fun and so tasty, too. You have some good ones right there in Brazil!
Hi Marvin,
I’m delighted to see beef satay, my country delish cuisine is listed here. Yes, satay is definitely delicious and mouth-watering.
But watch the consumption of the peanut sauce (usuallly satay is served with this sauce). Coz I think peanut sauce is full of fat and cholesterol (pls correct me if I’m wrong, though).
Rina, so glad you noticed your country’s great dish! So you are Indonesian, I take it? Very cool. And thanks for the comment. I would agree that you CAN overdo the peanut sauce, because yes, peanuts are very high in fat and cholesterol. As with any very yummy food that is high in “goodies” that are not that good for you, temperance is important. But the satay itself is safe to eat to your tummy’s content, lol.
Very interesting article indeed. Amongst all, I have tried Mango lassi and lamb kabobs. Both are awesome. I would love to try the thai dish. I have probable eaten something similar in malaysia but I’m sure this is somewhat different. I have great interest in all kinds of food and really enjoyed this article.
Glad the article was of interest. You seem to be a lot like me, with a flair for trying and tasting new and different foods. Thanks for the visit and comment. 🙂
I just love your article. Just reading and looking at the pictures makes me want to travel and try out some of these street foods.
It seems that many more people are becoming aware of street food and this is a very good thing.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading more of your work.
Thanks, Roland. Yes, I agree, the allure of exotic street foods makes you want to travel to those exotic places.
Very interesting post. I am going to try each one of those when I visit those countries. I think I will like Som Tam Hai. I am a fan of shredded papaya and bean sprouts. Seeing all ingredients makes me crave for it. I also want to try the lamb kabobs from Morocco, it looks really healthy. I will probably try Indonesia’s beef satay but I think too much of it is not good because of the carcinogens. The Brazil street food you have here looks really healthy. I love fruits and nuts. 🙂
Chris, thanks for the visit, comment, and feedback. I want to try most of these too. Shredded papaya and bean sprouts, eh? That sounds yummy and healthy!
Hi Marvin- Wonderful images of some very delicious looking healthy food! This post is very well laid out and researched, with some very interesting foods from around the world. Some of these dishes I have never heard of but they look and sound delicious. I really enjoy foods from the Mediterranean region, especially kabobs. This was a pleasant read. Well done!
~Tom
Thanks so much Tom!
Hey Marvin,
Love the pictures and the descriptions. Everything sounds delicious. Such a terrible site to look at when I am actually hungry. It is good to know that there are very tasty treats out there that aren’t terrible for you.
There is a Moroccan place across the street from my house that has lamb kabobs with couscous. They were absolutely fantastic. Though I have not traveled to any of these places I should probably make more of an effort to stop by different restaurants to at least check some of the food out.
I see ceviche on the cooking shows ALL the time. I have still never eaten it but I have never run across it on a menu. I think that will be my next goal. Go find me some ceviche.
By the way, great job with all the little nutritional facts. Made it easy to see how each part of the dish adds to its healthiness.
Jean
Jean, thanks so much for the kind words, and you are lucky, with a Moroccan store right across the street!
This is a cool idea as you’ve almost allowed us to “taste” the food without travelling the miles! I love Mango Lhassi though… yum, yum! I’ve often had that one.
When travelling overseas it is a little scary just to eat the food from the street vendors. We went to Egypt and were very cautious, but they always smelled good. 🙂
Marilyn, it is a little scary, but hey – we only live once, right?
Haha… yes we do! We were just so warned before we went there… don’t drink their water…. don’t eat anywhere you’re unsure of.
Oh well, next time. 🙂
Now I’m hungry. 🙂
I can’t travel to all those places but living in southern Arizona there are numerous street vendors who setup shop in empty lots around town. And, of course, if you cross the border into Mexico there are even more. I love the stuff, even though some of my friends are afraid to try it. I’ve never had a bad experience with street food.
Gary
Gary, you sound a lot like me, lol
These all sound so delicious and uber-healthy? Do you have recipes for all of these, Old Silly?
Margo, thanks, and glad to see you back again. I don’t have recipes for all of them yet, but trust me, I will get them and post them soon!