Street food reaching for the stars in Cambridge 

This month our Cambridge Foodie, Gerla de Boer, takes a look at the street food scene in Cambridge 

Star dusted street food? Yes, indeed two street food vendors have now been awarded the prestigious Michelin stars for the excellence in eating last year. Unfortunately, you need to head off to Singapore to sample this delicious street food, but our local street food scene in Cambridge is pretty hot too!

When we think of street food, we often think of local hawkers in Asian countries. The origins actually lie in ancient Pompeii. It became popular in countries like Rome and the Ottoman Empire and travelled to the East. Food travels well and I am often amazed where the actual roots of many types of food lie.

Street food in our society has seen a huge surge due to the unfortunate decline of local markets and the demand for casual eating. The fresh produce stalls had to fight a battle with the big supermarkets and this resulted in empty spaces. This wasn’t the only reason though. Times were changing. Women, who tended to do the shopping have now their own career too. This even resulted in the closing of some markets in big cities such as Rome.

In Cambridge, we can find street food in quite a few places. Pop ups at Thirsty Cambridge, Calverley Brewery, Stir Cambridge, Thirsty Riverside, Hot Numbers and pubs outside Cambridge. Permanent spots are the station, the local market and FoodPark at various locations around the city.

On the market particularly you can find a huge variety of international street food. We always include a selection of this on our food tours. One of the most popular ones is the Falafel. The offering is constantly increasing and the local market management has a pretty tough selection procedure; 1. the quality has to be very good 2. they have to be good on social media.

What can you look forward to on a rotating schedule at the Cambridge Market?

Mediterranean – Falafel

Brazilian – Stews, snacks and Pastel del Natte

Venezuelan – Arepa (filled roll)

Nigerian – Stews

American – Hamburgers

Belgium – Waffles

Spain – Tapas, Churros and Bocatas ( rolls)

England – Scotch eggs

Indian – Curries, Dosas and Pakoras

English – Chocolates in the winter and ice cream in the summer

Italy – Pasta and Panzarottis (deep fried pizzas)

Japan – Sushi

China – Various warm food and dumplings

English – Fresh juices