Favorite Snacks Around the World

Snacks, especially street food snacks, are such a fun way to explore a new cuisine and eat like a local. So I thought, why not devote a whole post to our favorite snacks around the world. This is the content that I love to read and I hope that you do too!

Here we go… My favorite snacks around the world!

ALMOST A MEAL

SIMIT - A staple in Istanbul and Greece (known as koulouri), this pretzel/bagel like bread is a common street food. Kids eat it as a snack at school, locals pick up one while commuting and it’s also served with breakfast. The sesame seeds on top really takes the flavor up a notch. I loved getting one to share to tide us over until our next meal. I recently came across this King Arthur recipe for Simit and I’m going to have to give it a try! (Find out more about our favorite dishes in our Destination Guide : Athens & Istanbul.)

LANGOS - This is the drunk/hangover food of Budapest. Yet, it’s also delicious while sober! Or maybe with just one beer. I enjoyed a bit of an upscale version of langos that was topped with red bell peppers from a food truck at Karavan, a food truck lot right next to Szimpla Kert (another must visit!).

TAKOYAKI - Also known as “octopus balls”, takoyaki makes for great street food in Japan. We tried it, and so many other kinds of Japanese street food, at the street market outside of Fushimi temple.

SUSHI ROLLS - Sushi rolls and onigiri (rice balls with filling) from Family Mart or Lawson’s in Japan is the perfect, almost a meal snack. Paired with some pre-made salads from the convenience store and a tea or highball, perfection! Yes, that was a normal afternoon snack/dinner for us in Japan.

AJVAR - A roasted red pepper dip popular throughout Croatia and Slovenia. It’s perfect on its own as a side dish or as a dip paired with hummus and some crackers.

CHIPS

PRINGLES - I have definitely never eaten more Pringles in my entire life total than the amount I ate while traveling. We found Pringles all over the world and ate them so often that we could tell slight differences in them country by country! What can I say, we are a chip loving family.

CRUNCHIPS - We found these Paprika Crunchips all over the world. From Hungary to Cambodia to Morocco. They are so addicting and I got my sister hooked on them when she came to visit us in Croatia. When she came back to visit us in Morocco, I surprised her with a bag upon arrival. Keep an eye out for them.

SINGAPORE CHIPS - Before I tell you about these chips I need to warn you, I only found these in Singapore. And once I tried them, I was devastated that they don’t exist around the world. (If you have seen these somewhere in the U.S. then I need to be notified immediately.) Easily the best flavored chips that we had during our travels. Chili Crab, Mala Hot Pot, and Tom Yum chips. Ugh, worth the plane ticket back to Singapore alone! (More about our favorite Singapore eats in our Destination Guide : Singapore.)

BATATA FRITA - This chips in Portugal maybe the most perfect potato chip ever. Not greasy, but crispy. Perfect salt ratio. We loved buying these and a bottle of Rose from the market at Aldeia da Praia in Sintra to enjoy while watching our kids play at the playground. If anyone has ever questioned why we want to move to Portugal, I think that should answer your question! (All of our other favorites from Sintra can be found here!)

M&S PRAWN COCKTAIL CRISPS - My first venture into “crisps” (aka chips) around the world during our year of travels. I wish I could shop weekly at M&S in England. These crisps would land in my cart on the regular. (More about our road trip through England here where we ate many chips along the way!)

OTHER “NOT CHIP” SNACKS

OLIVES - The practice of serving olives and little crackers or chips with your cocktail in Europe should be a worldwide tradition. Nothing makes your drink taste better than something salty. These marinated olives from Le Deux Magots was a perfect start to a special meal with my little boy. Plus, he doesn’t like olives so they were all mine! (Here’s our Destination Guide : Paris!)

POPCORN - Popcorn is great and all, but popcorn from Disneysea is a cult craze! Visit and you will see an hour long wait… for the popcorn line. The flavor selection is what makes this popcorn special - from savory: garlic shrimp, black pepper, or soy sauce & butter to sweet: strawberry, matcha white chocolate, or honey. (For all, and I mean all, about our two days at Tokyo Disneysea, read this post!)

CAMBODIAN SPICY PEANUTS - Roasted peanuts with lemongrass, lime leaf, and bird’s eye chilis. These were our favorite paired with a Angkor beer. We begged the cook at our accommodation to give us the recipe on our last meal with them. (Destination Guide : Siem Reap here!)

GREEK PRETZELS - Are they a grocery store version of koulouri? I don’t know, but they are delicious! Pretzel rods with a tahini/sesame coating. We were served them in bars and they make a great airplane snack! (More Greek food favorites in our Destination Guide : Athens.)

ROPI - A classic Hungarian snack. I tried them when we made our way through the Foodapest Bingo Card. And they were… pretzel sticks! Ha! But good ones at least. So they made the list.

GRIGNOT GOUT FROMAGE - Translates to “nibble cheese taste” and so our family’s name for these chips (“Cheesy chips”) was not too far off! Our daughter loved these and even made up a song about them.

SNACKABLE DESSERTS

JAPANESE CONVENIENCE STORE FINDS - Pocky sticks, little cookies, Kit Kats… these treats make for a great snack in our book! (You can find our Kid Approved : Tokyo guide here.)

CROISSANTS - There were a few foods that we found almost everywhere we traveled (fish and chips, Pringles) and add to that list: croissants. We ate them in our Cambodian hotel breakfast, bought them at grocery stores and at so many airports. But truly, they don’t lie, none could compare with the ones we ate in France.

CHIMNEY CAKE - During our two weeks in Budapest, we loved our tradition of walking up the hill to Fisherman’s Bastion to watch the sunset and eat a chimney cake. My kids laughed (and then repeated me mercilessly) when I said it was like a doughnut and a churro had a baby. But it’s true! They are so delicious. Get the cinnamon one.

PALMIERS - As someone who doesn’t love sweets, Palmiers are the perfect French bakery pick. Flakey pastry with just a hint of sweetness.

MACARON - A great, no too sweet treat, to get your kids to walk those last 20 blocks back home to your Parisian flat. Our kids will always pick the raspberry or vanilla flavors, while I love the lemon.

SLOVENIAN WALNUT ROLL - With a walnut filling similar to Potica, a traditional Slovenian bread roll, this cinnamon roll-equse pastry was always my first pick when visiting the “bread guy” in Lake Bled. (All about the “bread guy” and camping on Lake Bled in this post.)

Alright, favorite snacks around the world? Put them all in the comments below!