Street Food
The subject of Street food recently is right on the spotlight and everybody is talking about. We all know that Camden Town, Borough, or Spitalfields markets could experience first-hand the wide range on offer out there. The East, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, middle eastern, Turkish. The West, American burgers, hotdogs, Jamaican patties. Let not forget the African. And of course European, French cuisine, German or Spanish is also almost always present and always in the first spot. However, despite on how subtle it could be there is one kind of kitchen and style that is always present. You will always find the longest que and I am sure that you have got it already, I know, that is the Italian Street Food.
Here in the UK Pizza, Pasta, Salads and sandwiches are always out there, available to the crowd and most of the time is the tastiest out there. However, as restaurants have its own speciality for each region, so the Street Food has been developed in the same way and so every region groomed their own speciality of Street Food.
With this article we would like you to enjoy the multitude of variety of different dishes of Street Food that the country as whole has to offer. When we start writing we thought that we could manage to describe the whole Italian specialities in one article. However, after the few research and the poll done here in the office we find out that this is not possible.
We than decided to divide it within the South of Italy and the North of Italy. Here are the speciality of the south
Spoiler alert: Do not read this near Lunch or Dinner Time!!!
Sicily
As we reckon you must be hungry, or in any case looking for idea, we thought that starting with the region that has the most to offer in term of Street Food. We are not sure why, maybe because this was once the land of both Greeks and Romans, but also French, Turkish, Africans Spanish or even Germans once ruled here. Maybe because the warm climate makes it easy to cook and to eat “on the go” the facts remains that the wide cultural background it is also reflected into the dishes that can be eaten “in the street” of the island.
You have might come across already, but Arancina is for sure the prom queen into the competition. A rice ball, filled with many different fillings but traditionally with Ham and cheese or Bolognese sauce. Coated in a egg, flour and breadcrumbs, deep fried to assume the aspect of an orange. Any Sicilian would have had at least once this week, there is even a regional Arancina day on the 13th December.
Next One in the competition is “Panino con Panelle e Croquè”. A bread roll filled with a deep-fried potato dumplings (Croquè) and a sliced and also deep-fried polenta made of chickpeas flour (Panelle). Dressed in a pinch of salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime.
Pizza you will find it all over Italy, but in Sicily they have their own version. Is called “Sfincione” made of a tall pizza dough covered in tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, onion, oregano and anchovies. Set to cook in a tray with a thin layer of olive oil so that the bottom part is fried while the remaining is wood cooked.
Another one of the Sicilian Street Food delicacy is “Pani ‘ca Meusa” (Sicilian Spleen Sandwich) served with a pinch of salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of grated caciocavallo or Dry ricotta cheese.
Rather than on the street stand shop, but in the bars, you can find the “Rosticceria Piece” they are generally small portion of Calzone filled with all different fillings. Very popular with the locals.
It seems that Sicilians likes their bread as they managed to create also a sandwich with ice cream “Brioche con Gelato” many time in the summer used as a lunch treat. Staying still on the sweet tooth, the Sicilian Cannolo is the worldly famous pastry crust filled with a ricotta cheese mixed with sugar and chocolate drops.
Puglia
We can start with Sgagliozze. This is a polenta sliced made of maize flour, deep fried and served with different sauces or used as substitute of bread during the “Antipasti”. The big Street Food protagonist in Apulia is for sure the Panzerotti. This is made from the same dough of pizza but made with a half-moon shape, filled with different fillings, folded and also deep fried. Legend say that the recipe come from the poor neighboured where they can only use the left over from the bread pasta dough.
Now back for the sweet tooth taste, on the menu we can offer the “Pasticciotto”. It is a type of filled Italian pastry. They are traditionally filled with either ricotta cheese or egg custard. They are also known in the USA as “pusties”.
Within the same food brackets as the latter we have the Zeppole. Similar to beignet nowadays can be found in many different fillings.
Naples
This is the city where the “Pizza reign” began, so any corner can offer any kind of pizza. However, if we want to be more specific, Naples can offer another delicacy. Is called “Cuoppo” and is basically a sea food platter, deep fried and served in a paper cone (this is what is called “cuoppo”) a bit as they used to serve the fish & chips here in England.
Calabria
This region would offer us another sandwich. But not one that you would actually imagine. Is called “Morzeddhu” Is made with cow’s interiors, cocked as a stew with tomato paste, chilli peppers and spices. It is than placed in the bun that for ease we can describe as a French baguette. This is a dish very typical from the city of Catanzaro and has a long history behind, almost as a legend. It is considered the traditional dish for the builders break at half morning or for the lunch break. The legend tells that a maid from a rich family in town had trouble with her finance, so she started to use the parts of the cows that the cook for the rich family usually was discarding.
Please do not stop here and have a look also on the article about the Street Food From the North………………………………………..
