I remember travelling around Israel a couple of decades ago, I had a really tight budget as I was trying to extend my stay as long as I could, I discovered quite quickly that the cheapest and tastiest food available was the simple Falafel I was travelling with a friend at the time, and we made quite a game out of searching for the perfect one shekel falafel (which we found within the old city of Jerusalem eventually). Falafel can be considered a localised form of fast food, and ever since this revelation, I have always tried to locate similar types of food in every country I visit. Food like the falafel is cheap, nutritious, and quick to prepare, and can form the basis of a staple diet. For real budget travellers, this kind of food can reduce travel costs considerably. It seems every country or nation has some form of food that the local population treat as a form of fast food. During my time in Portugal I discovered the incredible things that can be done with the humble sardine, very tasty and cheap.

Currently I am residing in Thailand, and I am really spoiled for choice here, so much so that it is quite difficult to highlight a single food to think of as the local fast food. If I had to choose, I think it would have to be Kwai Tiew (noodle soup), which is available everywhere from street stalls and small Thai kitchens. It comes in a variety types, and can contain chicken, pork or simply vegetables. The dish is served straight from a cooking vat and you then add chili, sugar and vinegar to your own taste. The greatest challenge is eating the soup with chopsticks in your right hand and a spoon in your left, quite difficult until you get used to it, It is a cheap and tasty dish, excellent for breakfast or lunch.

I am going to be tracking down local dishes such as Falafel and Kwai Tiew for as many countries I can over the next few weeks, and I will present my findings here. If you have travelled to a country, and have already identified the local style of fast food, please leave a comment below, and I will research the food you recommend and post a blog article about it.