Feature Article |
Street Fare
By April White
Empanadas
When a food becomes available in a cheesesteak version, you know it has arrived in Philly. Witness the cheddar-y cheese-steak empanada at Good Dog Bar in Center City. But more authentic versions of South America’s take on the stuffed turnover can be found throughout the city. Visit the Italian Market, which in recent years has seen an influx of Mexican spots like Molcajete Mixto, with its classic huitlacoche-stuffed empanada. (That’s mushroomy corn fungus.)
Potato Chips
Cruise any area supermarket’s snack food aisle and it’s obvious that Pennsylvania loves its spuds: Locally produced Herr’s, Utz and Snyder’s dominate. But the region also has a strong tradition of small-batch potato chips — and a crunch-addicted underground that trades tips on where to score Good’s (blue-bagged original recipe or red-bagged home-style), Kay and Ray’s, and Dieffenbach’s. Lancaster has long been chip central, but recent scouts have spotted these haute chips as far east as New Jersey. Try your luck at non-chain convenience stores or the Reading Terminal Market.
Churros
The city remains obsessed with all things Spanish. That’s easy to understand when there are churros to be eaten. This long, ridged, sugar-dusted Spanish doughnut is traditionally fried until the exterior is brittle and the interior is delicately cakey, but in Philadelphia renditions, the batter is extruded more thinly and fried until the pastry is crisp all the way through. Find them at Northern Liberties tapas spot Bar Ferdinand and Graduate Hospital’s Café Apamate. One tradition we can thank the Spanish for: rich, often spicy chocolate for dipping.
When a food becomes available in a cheesesteak version, you know it has arrived in Philly. Witness the cheddar-y cheese-steak empanada at Good Dog Bar in Center City. But more authentic versions of South America’s take on the stuffed turnover can be found throughout the city. Visit the Italian Market, which in recent years has seen an influx of Mexican spots like Molcajete Mixto, with its classic huitlacoche-stuffed empanada. (That’s mushroomy corn fungus.)
Potato Chips
Cruise any area supermarket’s snack food aisle and it’s obvious that Pennsylvania loves its spuds: Locally produced Herr’s, Utz and Snyder’s dominate. But the region also has a strong tradition of small-batch potato chips — and a crunch-addicted underground that trades tips on where to score Good’s (blue-bagged original recipe or red-bagged home-style), Kay and Ray’s, and Dieffenbach’s. Lancaster has long been chip central, but recent scouts have spotted these haute chips as far east as New Jersey. Try your luck at non-chain convenience stores or the Reading Terminal Market.
Churros
The city remains obsessed with all things Spanish. That’s easy to understand when there are churros to be eaten. This long, ridged, sugar-dusted Spanish doughnut is traditionally fried until the exterior is brittle and the interior is delicately cakey, but in Philadelphia renditions, the batter is extruded more thinly and fried until the pastry is crisp all the way through. Find them at Northern Liberties tapas spot Bar Ferdinand and Graduate Hospital’s Café Apamate. One tradition we can thank the Spanish for: rich, often spicy chocolate for dipping.
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