50 Casual Foods from Around the World

There are nearly 200 countries in the world, each with its own culinary customs, cuisines and snacks. Snacks are comforting, portable, and reminiscent of many student days, road trips, or movie marathons.

An avid traveler often seeks out a country's unique offerings, which can be street food, such as India's vada pav or Thailand's nang kai thot, or more mainstream snacks, such as South Africa's dried meatloaf or Ecuador's yuca bread. Snacks help to recall an unforgettable trip to a food market, a culinary adventure with **** or a solo stroll through a new city center.

The snacking industry continues to expand due to a growing love of snacking. According to Statista, the average American will spend more than $305 on snacks like chips, pretzels and cookies in 2020. The State of Snacking 2020 report, released by EZ International in partnership with Harris Poll, shows that consumers around the world are finding comfort in snacks during the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, many of the snacks consumers have wanted over the past year have favored comfort over health.

We compiled a list of 50 snacks from more than 50 countries around the world.

We found some snacks so tasty that they crossed over to other countries/regions, sometimes keeping their names in their new homes and sometimes adopting new names. One example is the popular bagel covered in sesame seeds. In Turkey, it is called simit. next door in Greece, this snack is koulouri. the same bagel can be found in other nearby countries under different names.

Wherever snacks are served, discovered or prepared, they will always have a special place in the collective hearts of the world's growing number of snack lovers.

Read on to discover 50 unique and delicious snacks from around the world.

Sm?rrebr?d is a popular Danish open-faced sandwich consisting of buttered rye bread and toppings including cheese, fish, vegetables and cold cuts. Meant to be eaten with a knife and fork, sm?rrebr?d's most traditional toppings include pickled herring, roast beef, avocado and prawns.

Portable, filling, flavorful meat pies are an iconic Australian snack. They can be found at lunchboxes, sporting events and takeaway counters across the country, filled with ground beef and onions.

Coxinha, found throughout Brazil, are small fried chicken and cheese empanadas covered in a crunchy breadcrumb dough. coxinha resemble chicken thighs, and are best served with hot sauce.

Pain au chocolat is a buttery, light, flaky croissant filled with chocolate. The carb-rich treat can be enjoyed at any time of day throughout France.

Vada pav is a slider that serves as standard Indian street food. Delicious treats include buttered mini-breads stuffed with french fries and served with a variety of chutneys.

Similar to the beignet that might be found in New Orleans, Nigerian puffs are a popular street food that's perfect for a snack, side dish, or breakfast. The fried dough uses a simple recipe of flour, sugar, salt, water and yeast.

Poutine's story traces the dish back to the 1950s. The fries were topped with cheese curds and drizzled with warm brown gravy to help the curds melt. Countless iterations of poutine can be found across Canada today, from the traditional to the extreme.

Biltong is dried meat cut thicker than traditional beef jerky and marinated in vinegar.Biltong was originally created by Dutch colonists who were trekking through South Africa.

Traditionally made from cod, wolffish, or haddock, Iceland's delicious har?fiskur snack is made by filleting the fish, rolling it in salt, and hanging it out to dry. Once it's dry and crispy, the fish is coated with - or dipped in - butter. har?fiskur is a good source of protein, and locals love to snack on it with chips or popcorn.

Similar to Hawaiian sweet rolls but a little denser, Jamaican cacao bread is made from flour, sugar and coconut milk, adding a bit of sweetness to the fluffy, folded, handheld rolls. Traditionally enjoyed as a snack, breakfast, or various components of a small sandwich, cocoa bread is found throughout Jamaica.

Senbei mikos are considered one of the oldest and most traditional savory snacks in Japan. These snacks can be fried or baked, and are easy to add to a variety of Japanese flavors.

The old-fashioned Polish zapiekanka is a dewy-eyed French baguette sandwich topped with mushrooms, cheese, and lots of ketchup. Today, the zapiekanka has been upgraded to offer freshly baked bread and a range of more pizza-like toppings.

There are all kinds of Turkish bores. They can be baked, fried, cooked on a pan or boiled. The paper-thin lasagna dough is wrapped around savory fillings such as cheese, spinach, minced meat or potatoes, resulting in a dish that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

One of the simplest and most flavorful tapas found in Spain is pan con tomate, where raw tomatoes and garlic are rubbed on fresh, crunchy bread and finished with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Served with a can of sangria, this simple and delicious tapa will be perfect for Spanish tapas.

Fried chicken skin or nang kai thot is a delicious street food in Thailand. The skin of the chicken breast is first boiled, then seasoned or sprinkled with flour and then placed in hot oil. Common seasonings include cilantro, soy sauce, garlic powder and chicken seasoning powder. nang kai thot is usually served with sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea, sushki resemble small, hard bagels made of flour, eggs, water, sugar, and salt. The snack is popular throughout Russia, Belarus, Poland and Ukraine, where they are traditionally dipped into tea to soften their appearance.

Sold by Dutch street food vendors - and served by many European airlines - the word stroopwafel translates to "syrup waffle" in Dutch. ". The traditional recipe calls for two round, crunchy waffles or wafers, which are then sandwiched around sticky caramel. Placing the stroopwafel over a warm drink is a common practice to soften the waffle and caramel center.

Kuih cara berlauk, or Malaysian savory snack, is a small savory cake with coconut milk added and topped with ground meat. The batter is cooked in a special decorative mold and added to the cake during the cooking process.

Originally named arancini because they resemble oranges ("arancia" in Italian) in appearance, the delicious arancini have Sicilian roots. These stuffed fried rice balls can be savory or sweet, but are traditionally filled with bolognese and peas, or butter and relish.

A popular Greek breakfast, koulouri are bagels rolled in sesame seeds. While the recipe may be simple, bagels are still a bestseller on the streets of Greece.

Xiaolongbao are said to have originated in Shanghai in the late 19th century and are popular in China and major cities in the United States. Soup dumplings are made using gelatin cubes that are mixed with a filling (traditionally pork), then folded and twisted between thin sheets of dough with a top knot. The dumplings are then steamed in wicker baskets in order to melt the gelatin into soup.

Mexican street corn, or elote, is so popular in Mexico that it has spread to other parts of the world, including the United States. Fresh corn on the cob is topped with a dollop of mayonnaise, then squeezed with lime, sprinkled with chili powder, and finished with a drizzle of Cotija cheese.

A famous German pub snack is halve hahn, which is both simple and delicious when paired with German beer, and consists of a rye roll with thick slices of Gouda cheese and butter. Traditional accompaniments include onions, sauerkraut and mustard.

Colombian almojábanas, or cheese bread, are pillowy rounds of cheese bread made from a mixture of cornmeal and cuajada cheese. When cuajada cheese is not available, some recipes use queso fresco or white cottage cheese.

For those who like their food with "work," the full Italian dish of Chile is a must. The traditional hot dog is coated with avocado puree, chopped tomato and mayonnaise. Many fans of pasta will flavor it with mustard, ketchup or green chile sauce.

Soft, chewy alfajores start out as buttery Argentine shortbread cookies with a hint of lemon flavor. They are then sandwiched around a dulce de leche filling and rolled into coconut flakes, making the popular cookie even more decadent and sweet.

The Egyptian version of falafel ta'ameya is made with dried fava beans instead of the traditional falafel chickpeas. This handheld street vendor food comes with pita bread, tomatoes, onions and sesame sauce.

Found in stores throughout Israel and much of the Middle East, halvah is a basic sweet recipe that requires just four ingredients: honey, vanilla extract, sesame paste, and pistachios (or almonds). Endless colors, flavor infusions, and ingredient blends abound, providing a rich experience for this delicious and nutritious dessert.

Pizza lovers will love the khachapuri from Georgia, which is like a small canoe filled with cheese and a fried egg in the center. The surrounding bread can be dipped into the gooey center.

Chicken fingers (also known as chicken fingers, nuggets, or strips) are a popular grab-and-go, hand-held, dip-able snack in the United States. Chicken fingers appear on a large number of restaurant menus across the country, including chain, quick-service and full-service.

Breadfruit is similar to potatoes, as it is in Haiti. Suppliers peel, slice and fry the breadfruit, and when it's brown and crispy, serve it to hungry customers. If made at home, breadfruit can be cooked like potatoes: boiled, mashed, baked or roasted.

Moroccan pumpernickel cookies harcha look similar to English muffins, but their main ingredient is pumpernickel flour. The cookies make a tasty snack on their own, or can be made more substantial by cutting them up and filling them with sweet or savory accompaniments.

A popular snack for Austrian road trips and picnics, mohnzelten are a specialty of Lower Austria. The recipe for making potato dough calls filled with a combination of poppy seeds, butter, honey, sugar, cinnamon, crushed lemon zest, and a dash of rum.

From Scotland, scotch scotch pies are small, round, deep-dish pies stuffed with minced lamb, perfect for a soccer game, a running snack, or a bit of between-meal protein. The crust around the circumference is purposely left higher than the top crust so that the pie can be topped with gravy or mashed potatoes if desired.

Found everywhere in Ukraine, salo is raw pork fat. This fat can be enjoyed in sandwiches or even served for free with rye bread in restaurants when ordering food or ordering vodka.

The national food of Iceland is the hot dog, or as they call it, the pylsa or pulsa, which is made of pork, lamb and beef, and is so popular that it has been featured on a commemorative postage stamp. Suggested toppings for the "works" include ketchup, fried and raw onions, mustard and relish.

Similar to Latin American ceviche, conch salad is a refreshing dish that uses citrus to "cook" raw shellfish. The Conch Salad from the Bahamas combines tenderized conch from local conch shells with chopped onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalape?os.

Popular throughout the Middle East, kdaameh is a sweetened chickpea dish that originated in Lebanon. Parents are said to encourage their children to snack on it because it's a relatively healthier option compared to other, more sugary foods.

Giant popcorn, or pasankalla, is a favorite snack that can be bought anywhere in Bolivia. Corn is heated at high temperatures until it pops and then coated with sugar.

Mariquitas (or plantain chips), made from thinly sliced and fried green plantains, are a favorite Cuban snack. Green plantains are starchy, like potatoes, and are perfect for this chip-like food.

Quesillo stands are easy to find all over Nicaragua, serving tortillas topped with Nicaraguan cheese, pickled onions, sour cream, and salt.Quesillos are usually packaged in a plastic bag so that no ingredients are lost.

As a snack, breakfast, or part of a meal, yuca bread (or cassava bread) is a staple in Ecuador. Made from the root of the filan plant, which has a texture similar to that of potatoes, filan bread is also made with grated cheese and sometimes coconut milk, depending on the recipe.

Finland's kalakukko, a fish and bacon snack baked inside a rye bread crust, is a favorite snack that was originally used among workers who wanted to make it easy to transport their meals. kalakukko dates back to the Middle Ages, and today there are a number of different recipes to choose from.

Romanian fried pastries or pancakes pl?cint?can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. Favorite fillings range from cheese to potatoes to sour cherries.

A common pub snack in the United Kingdom, Scotch eggs require a peeled, hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Traditionally, Scotch eggs are served chilled with salad and beer.

Maltese pies are most often stuffed with ricotta or curried pea puree, like Maltese calzone or mincemeat burritos, except that they use light and fluffy puff pastry in their recipes.

Hungary's cone-shaped chimney pastries, or kürt?skalács, are buttered, covered in sugar, and baked over a spit fire. Found throughout Hungary, the chimney-shaped snacks can be filled with whipped cream or ice cream for added enjoyment.

Fruit dumplings or ovocné knedlíky are a popular snack or dessert in the Czech **** and country. They are made by wrapping fresh fruit (such as blueberries, strawberries or plums) in dough and boiling it. After boiling, the dumplings are sprinkled with melted butter, sugar and/or crumbled quark cheese.

The Filipino version of the omelet lumpia is an omelet that is thinner than the American omelet. They are filled with vegetables, meat (usually pork) and/or seafood. Chinese sweet and sour sauce is served with the lumpia.

Served hot or cold, Iranian kuku is a fried vegetarian omelette. Different versions of kuku contain eggs and herbs, potatoes and in some cases even meat.