Second street helping
Call it the second helping of street food. Smart nosh sold from trucks is back in vogue. Food that once used to satiate the hunger pangs of millions today also occupies pride of place on the Instagram accounts of the society’s crème de la crème.
Once unheard of in the UAE, food trucks are now quietly but unquestionably becoming an integral part of the local food scene. Street vending is, finally, coming of age in the UAE.
Not only does it offer gastronomical delights in pocket-friendly prices, street food is also a boon for dreamy-eyed entrepreneurs. For, setting up a street food stall takes little else than dollops of passion and a knowledge of whipping up the food you intend to serve. But what exactly is it that makes people eat out of the chefs’ hands? Khaleej Times spoke to 10 global chefs to find out.
From crispy churros of Colombia to the tangy tom yum soup of Thailand, from India’s spicy aloo-tikki chaat to the Middle Eastern shawarma, from the American hot dog to the Japanese shioyaki, there’s something about the lure of street food that transcends gender, religion, culture, countries and every other human divide.
The humble street food doesn’t just satiate the hunger pangs of millions of low-wage earners around the world, but it is also the staple of countless office executives while regularly gracing the Instagram accounts of the society’s crème de la crème. But what exactly is it that makes street food click? What adds spice to the universal appeal of street food? Khaleej Times’
Sunita Menon spoke to global chefs who were in town for the annual ‘Eat the World DXB’ food festival to find out.