I've decided to archive the food finds that I see along the way. Many are things that I've tried; others are interesting things I've seen along the way...
Turkey
Apple tea (which tastes a bit like apple cider)
Corn stands on the street
'Turkish delights' which, more or less, are candy that are fruity and gummy. Flavors such as rose, lemon, mint and orange. Some also had nuts (pistachios, walnuts, almonds, etc.) but my preferences were the delights with no nuts. These are locally called lokum.
Cheetos flavored like hamburger
Doritos in 'ala Turco' flavors: one in tomato flavoring and another one in a sesame and cheese flavor...both are delicious!
Watching the flatbread be made right in front of us when I ordered a falafel wrap
Pistachios
Turkish ice cream (which they throw around like pizza dough and it stretches almost like taffy)
Grilled fish sandwiches at the bridge in Istanbul (2 YTL)
Big stuffed baked potatoes in Ortakoy with choices of at least 12 toppings...including caviar, hot dog pieces, etc.
Bread sold everywhere that looks like a cross between a sesame bagel and a Bavarian pretzel.
There is a fruit that translates to a 'mendlar'. These are found throughout the Middle East. There are a few very smooth pits in the middle and the skin should be peeled off. They are the same color as apricots but are only eaten when they're overripe; therefore, they don't look very appetizing (there are often brown spots) but they taste delicious!
White berries: I'm not sure what they're called so I'm calling them Turkish Berries for now. They look like albino blackberries. And they're delicious.
Gozlemeci: They roll dough to be extremely thin and then fill it with your choice of fillings. Options are potato, a meat mixture, cheese or spinach. It's like a really thin calzone. They're great!
Lebanon
Pastries, pastries, pastries!
A variety of dough-filled savory treats. I had one stuffed with chicken, one stuffed with beef and one stuffed with chicken-- they cost me a total of sixty cents!
Giant beans served with seasoning along the Corniche and served with toothpicks to eat them with.
A dinner at a restaurant with great atmosphere in downtown Beirut with a glass of wine, excellent hummus, dolmas (at least 10) and an eggplant dish (along with olives, assorted nuts, warmed pitas and pita crackers) for only 11 uSD.
Manaeesh
Syria
Fatta
Fruit juices
Egypt
Fuul - pita filled with a bean mixture
Fresh mango juice - sooo good!
Israel
Rugelach
Challah rolls
Varieties of hummus
Huge array of cookies
Falafel
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Ice Blendeds!
Poland
Pierogis (variety of cheese, spinach, meat, etc.)
Czech Republic
Goulash
Sausages (on the street)
Apple strudel
Dumplings
Slovenia
Kremina Rezina - the cream cake that Bled is known for
Strukji - filled dumplings
Croatia
Grilled calamari is everywhere!
Plavac wine (red) and Posip wine (white)
Hungary
Goulash (duh!)
Fruit soups (absolutely delicious!)
'Bull's Blood' wine from Eger
South Africa
Rusks (almost like biscotti)
Ostrich and crocodile meat
Monkeygland sauce (sounds gross but it is basically a chutney - really, really good)
Chutneys
Wines (they are known for Pinotage, but they have excellent Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays)
Seychelles
Creole -style food
Tropical fruit that I have never even heard of before - soursop, starfruit in addition to passionfruit, mango and papaya
Banana jam
Fish (inc. lobster and octopus)
India
Breads such as naan, chapati (like a tortilla) and roti
Southern Indian food (which is almost always vegetarian even if ordering it in Northern India) - A variety of dosas are available and they are served with several types of sauces.
The main meats found are chicken, fish, mutton (goat) and lamb
Tikkas, masalas and curries are common preparations for meats and vegetables
Briyani - a rice dish
The sweets here (such as barfi and ladoo) are a bit of an acquired taste. They are extremely sweet. I never quite got on board.
Lassis are the popular yogurt-based beverage served in many fruity flavors. Delish!
A couple of common street foods appeared to be samosas and poori.
Restaurants serve sonfi at the end of the meal. This is a combination of aniseed and sugar crystals.
In Kerala, they have a crepe-like thing filled with coconut and brown sugar and then steamed in a banana leaf
Fish curry (in Southern India)
Paratha - an excellent tortilla-like thing
Maldives
Some of the most unique tropical fruit
Nepal
Dhal bhat (a mixture of rice and lentil soup)
Momos (steamed Tibetan dumplings)
Russia
Blinis - crepe-like things that are served a number of ways. At the train platforms, they are filled with cheese. I also had them served wtih smoked salmon.
Drinks: vodka galore and Baltika beer.
Pieroshkies - they sell these at the platforms; they resemble raviolis.
Savory pastries filled with mashed potatoes.
Smoked fish.
Mongolia
Mutton is the meat of choice. And they prepare it in every form - dumplings, stew, sausage, Mongolian barbequed, stir-fried, etc.
They also seem to be fans of cabbage. Every salad was some concoction of what we know as cole slaw.
Fruit seemed pretty abundant on the streets. Everything was beautiful and colorful - and summer is long gone out here!
China
Peking Duck in Beijing - served with pancakes, plum sauce and thinly sliced fruits and vegetables to put into the pancake.
Baked sweet potatoes on the street.
A street food that starts with a crepe, then they crack an egg and spread it so that there is a very thin layer on the crepe. It is flipped and a few different sauces are thinly spread onto the crepe, then some chopped green onions, then a crispy thing is put into the middle and the pancake is folded and wrapped around it. And only $.25!
Steamed buns and dumplings galore!
Noodle dishes everywhere. A very common street food.
Taro is used in a lot of dishes (including pie at McDonald's) because it is so cheap and takes whatever flavor of what you are cooking it with.
They have packaged sweets that are very similar to crunchy rice krispie treats. I absolutely love these!
There is tropical fruit here that I grew to love in the Maldives (dragonfruit, in particular).
Candied 'haws' and other fruits on sticks that are sold from vendors on the street.
'Beer fish' in the Yangshuo area.
Yangshuo is known for a delicious ginger candy that comes in many flavors ('hot', peppermint, etc.).
Hangzhou is renowned for its Lingjing tea.
Hong Kong
Food options here are just like at home. You can find any type of food/restaurant.
Loads of 'nice' dining options here.
Cambodia
I had a phenomenal 'fish in palm sugar' in Phnom Penh (they seem to be known for sugar out here).
Summer rolls with shrimp and mint (or other herbs) is common on menus. Oh-so-good!
Many nice cafes with great coffee and pastries.
Fruit smoothies are very common out here.
Amok fish or chicken is a famous dish of this country. It is basically a light coconut curry sauce.
I had a banana leaf and squash blossom salad that was phenomenal.
Green mango salads with dried fish are common on menus.
Thailand
Mango with sticky rice.
Papaya salad.
Steamed or fried whole fish.
Different curries.
Fruit 'shakes' (just blended fresh fruit with ice)
Khao soy (in Chiang Mai) - a curry soup with noodles and fried noodles and you can add the amount of each condiment that are to your liking.
Tropical fruits galore.
Things are SPICY if you ask for something 'hot'! Foreigners should probably never go hotter than 'medium'.
Vietnam
Every region has different cuisine
Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls (in rice paper and served cold with a dipping sauce)
Lots of herbs used - fresh flavors versus being really spicy
Shrimp served on sugar cane skewers
Fish steamed in banana leaves
Small cakes and waffles served on the side of the street in Saigon
'White roses' in Hoi An (steamed dumplings with shrimp inside - delish!)
Lots of tropical fruits
Overall, my favorite type of food that I have had!
Singapore
Black pepper crab (a Singaporean staple)
Authentic Lebanese, Indian and Chinese food
'Hawker stalls' are huge here - they are basically clean food courts serving every type of Asian food.
Australia
Kangaroo is on menus all over the country
Lots of fish including barramundi
Sushi that is sold in pre-cut rolls that are eaten like wraps
No free bread and butter before meals - it will always be on the appetizer menu
Lots of things made with pumpkin
Fish 'n chips
Savory pies
Excellent wines and cheeses
Great produce at markets
Incredible fresh Greek yogurt stands (in an array of flavors) that resemble gelato stands
Honeycomb is big out here. They put it in cookies and ice cream.
Fiji
Fried pieces of coconut
Roasted pig
Fish and seafood
Tropical drinks
New Zealand
Lamb is everywhere
Fish is everywhere
Savory pies
Fish 'n chips
Kamuras (sweet potato fries)
Excellent wines and cheeses
Pavlova
'Hokey Pokey' (i.e. honeycomb)
Greenshell mussels (huge and delicious!)
Argentina
Patagonia chocolate is wonderful! It is served in small bars. Try a variety (I enjoyed the ones with dulce de leche, coffee, mint, and calafate).
Alfajores (somewhat of a sandwich cookie that is often filled with dulce de leche) are great! My personal advice is to buy them from some of the swankier chocolate shops as you truly are paying for the quality.
Dulce de leche - served just about everywhere and used on toast, in crepes or in chocolate.
Malbec wines (even the sixty-cents ones) are consistently very good wines.
'Lomo' (i.e. steak)! Any non-vegetarian has to take advantage of such high quality at such minimal prices.
Chile
Manjar is practically identical and served just as widely as dulce de leche in Argentina.
McDonald's serves a manjar-flavored soft-serve. Truly incredible. A must have!
Empanadas are great. They tend to be a bit more like calzones (since they're more doughy and baked vs. being fried). I tried seafood ones and tuna with onion ones. I also had an apple one for dessert.
Santiago is a great 'food' city. Fun sushi rolls can be found (I highly recommend trying some with the 'queso crema').
Pisco sours are the country's signature drink.
Bolivia
Salteñas are delicious street food. A cross between empanadas and little pot pies.
There is stuff that looks like a cross between popcorn and packing styrofoam. It tastes like kettle corn. I really liked it!
They sell empanadas on the street.
You can find llama on menus out here.
They have a great fruit from a cactus here called 'tuna'. It comes in three colors. Just swallow the seeds. Really good stuff.
Try the fresh-squeezed juices that are sold on the street in La Paz.
Peru
Ceviche! (My favorite)
Pisco sours
Coca flavored things (candies, chocolate, tea, etc.)
Suspiro de limena
Guinea pig
Alpaca
Black corn on the cob
Ecuador
Sugar cane candy (that is kind of like taffy) in Banos
Jugo de mora (blackberry juice)
Tree tomatoes - more like a fruit than regular tomatoes - the juice is great!