Street Food around the World

December 1, 2013

Quick and easy, street food has rolled into the spotlight of popular culture and the media. While there are numerous recipe books, television shows, and works on specific topics, this volume is the first to provide a broad view of street food worldwide. It begins with a brief introduction to the fare that includes the World Health Organization's five keys to safer food and regulations. The heart of the work is its more than 70 country and region entries. Organized alphabetically, the entries, at minimum, include a brief synopsis of street food in the region. Of particular note is the inclusion of places that are less well known for such food, such as Suriname. The title discusses how, as part of the Caribbean Basin, Suriname has a fascinating history demonstrated through the variety of cultures that influenced the area's street cuisine. For instance, Indian workers brought roti (a kind of bread) to the country in the 1800s, and it is still one of the country's most popular street foods. And who could have guessed that the hot dog was the most popular street comestible in Iceland? Also included is a section of recipes, a short selected bibliography (each entry has further readings), and a thorough index. Aiding in navigation is a list of entries, a list of recipes, and another list of recipes by country. VERDICT A solid overview of street food worldwide for travelers and researchers.--Lisa Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
The American experience of street food might be primarily limited to hot-dog vendors, although, recently, American street food has seen an upswing in terms of visibility with food trucks popping up across the countryand even the Food Network is hopping on the bandwagon with a reality competition show. Internationally, though, street food varies from country-to-country, a difference that this volume attempts to break down. The book is well-researched and thorough and contains a lot of informative material. Sections begin with an overview of the region and are then broken down into countries, with information on the socioeconomic makeup and how that might influence the food found in that particular country. With roughly 10 reviews per country, including desserts and drinks, readers will get a good idea of the flavor profile and what kinds of foods are expected in each region of the world. However, Street Food around the World would greatly benefit from the inclusion of color photographs, as the few black-and-white ones scattered throughout don't do justice to the scenes or the food items. The descriptions of the food from various countries are detailed, but sometimes the writing feels as though something is lacking, doing little more than stating ingredients. Simply reading about a Chicago-style hot dog, for example, doesn't do much to entice readers to hunt one out in the Windy City. Although the included recipes are a nice touch, they feel a bit out of place in a book that is meant to describe an experience in a country. (Sure, you could make mohingaa spicy noodle soup from Myanmarat home, but it might taste better eaten amid the hustle and bustle of its homeland's busy thoroughfares.) Overall, this is a secondary purchase for most libraries. It's a bit of a misfire because it doesn't know what it wants to bea travel guide or a cookbookbut it might inspire budding on-the-road foodies; for large collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)