African street food —
From grilled kebabs in northern Africa to boerewors in South Africa, the continent has some of the most delicious and varied street food on the planet. We asked you to send us your iReport photos of the tastiest -- and most unusual -- African street food. Here are some of the best.This photo was taken by Douglas Bardwell from Ohio, who was visiting Harare, Zimbabwe, in 2013. "The woman roasting the corn always sells it at this street corner -- a popular bus stop area," said Bardwell, who also sampled some less familiar dishes. "I tried Mopani worms twice and that's probably enough."
African street food —
"Moroccan street food is incredible and has a broad appeal to those who enjoy more adventurous ingredients or more familiar ones," said Estin Yang after his trip to the country with his wife in June 2013. He took this photo at the Jemaa el Fna market place in the Marrakech medina. "The dish which I keep reminiscing about is shebakia -- deep fried pastries soaked in honey and sesame seeds. The ones we had were also infused with rose water, which was a clever touch."
African street food —
"The marketplace was kind of chaotic, with everyone trying to get you to try their food, shouting funny things to lure you in, and it smelled like a mix of fried foods and spices." Megan Smith from Texas describes her experience of Jemaa el Fna, whichs she visited in November 2013. "I tried a variety of foods -- bread with Moroccan salsa; curried olives; fried shrimp, calamari, and fish; chicken couscous; orange juice, and cookies. My favorite was the chicken couscous -- it was the most flavorful couscous I had in my two weeks in Morocco."
African street food —
"Scrumptious" is how Muntaka Chasant from Accra, Ghana, describes these grilled tilapia fish. "I try them out about twice in a month at my favorite joint. It can be eaten alone or with 'banku' a whitish paste made from fermented corn or cassava dough, and red/green grinded pepper and onions. This late-night eat is a common street food in the southern part of Ghana." He took this photo of his favorite meal in November 2013 in Accra, but wants to move onto something more adventurous soon: "I would like to try grilled spicy snails. They are not usually found in Accra, so I haven't had one yet," he said.
African street food —
Adam Cohn from Seattle captured this image in Uganda in April 2011. "Beef and lamb skewers grilled over small charcoal stoves are a common street food. Guys were selling skewers at a small junction town on the Kabale-Mbarara Road, near Kandago. The grill is made of a motor vehicle wheel with legs welded to it, which is very common," he said. The street food in Uganda was so good that Adam has tried to recreate it at home. "I miss 'Rolex' the most. Rolex is a flour chapati wrapped around scrambled eggs, shallots and cabbage. In fact I made it for dinner last night!"
African street food —
"While working in Lugazi, Uganda, in the summer of 2012 I ate some of the finest, yet simple, foods," said Jerry Comyn from Ireland who took this picture of a "Rolex." "From grilled chicken on a stick to fried egg wrapped in chapati (called a Rolex) to plain rice and beans, it was all delicious," he said.
African street food —
Sara Ruedy Quigley from Richmond, Virginia, took this photo on a business trip in October 2011 at a souk in Marrakech, offering a huge choice of different olives. Despite the variety of food on offer, Sara also enjoyed something quite ordinary: "It may seem simple, but bread is a great street food in Morocco. The breads are used to dip into tagines, olive oil dishes, or enjoyed alone with Morocco's famous mint tea. Steamed sheep head is a very popular street food, but I don't want to go anywhere near that."
African street food —
This photo of sheep's heads at a food stall in Marrakech was taken by Julee Khoo, who lives in Maryland, in December 2011. "I will try everything at least once," she said. "I believe that food reflects a country's culture so it's important to give it all try if you want to understand how the people fill their bellies and satisfy their taste buds. Eating is a great way to connect with the locals."
African street food —
Khoo took this photo of a stall selling goat meat as she was traveling in Mali's Dogon region in September 2010. "We were at this eatery specifically to have a meal of goat barbecue ... for breakfast," she said. "One look at the goat leg hanging up in the blazing sun and I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant to try it but eventually I did take a few bites. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad -- the meat was fresh, simply grilled and lightly sprinkled with a spice mix of some sort."
African street food —
iReporter Obaroakpo took this picture of roasted plantain or "bole" as its called locally, in Benin City, Nigeria. "Plantain is very rich in iron and can be prepared in different ways, one of which is roasting," he said.
African street food —
Edidiong Uwemakpan took this photo of "Akara" at a street vendor's stall in Lagos, Nigeria, in October 2013. He said: "One of the best things about work mornings is the smell of Akara few blocks away from my office. It is the easiest traditional breakfast you can pick up."Akara is made of beans which are ground, mixed with pepper and deep-fried. It is usually had with bread, and it tastes delicious. I have it as often as once or twice a week. Some folks have it everyday."
African street food —
Jerry Comyn also took this picture of market day in Moshi, Tanzania, while working there in the spring of 2013. "The dishes I ate were always delicious," he said. "On market day you can buy everything from fruit, live chickens, dried fish and vegetables, all local and organic. Because there's little to no refrigeration all meats are killed and cooked the same day."
