BITES OF TALES: The best street food tells stories of culture and passion

Few know that imperial Rome was one of the first cultures to introduce the concept of Street Food into daily life: eating on the go was a custom imported from the Greeks, who fried fish in the streets. In Rome, it became a profitable business, as Romans, engaged in various activities, used to stop on the streets to eat something fast. Although it was a rich city with a million people, the less affluent population did not have kitchens and ate in the so-called tabernae, semi-open places at the sides of the streets where the poor cooked their food and the patricians snacked between mornings at the baths and breaks from work.

People ate a bit of everything, from legumes to vegetables, eggs, onions, game, skewers, dried fruit, sweets, and spices. It wasn't the Society of big eaters that we know today. Carbonara, amatriciana, lamb... all things that have little to do with that period. Rome resembled more an Istanbul or any modern oriental city: spices indicated a person's social rank, and they were used in large quantities in any dish.

Over time, the concept of street food, from a "fallback," has become a true cult of gastronomy and culture in every region and place in the world; from the markets of Thailand to Japan, passing through the United States, today it is an identifying and sought-after element. In Italy, it often retraces the customs and typical dishes but at the same time opens them to the contamination of new cultures and flavors to taste. That's why today, at Edilfar Rent, we suggest some unmissable street foods to satisfy your hunger for travel and... food!

JIAMO LAB – Rome Jiamo is a sandwich originating from Shaanxi, the northwestern area of China famous for the Terracotta Army. It has traveled thousands of kilometers and, for some years now, has landed in Rome, more precisely in Jiamo Lab on Via Bergamo. The preparation of the sandwich, since 2016, is UNESCO's intangible heritage and literally means "sandwich to be filled with meat." It is curated by ChenQiang Hu, a very young chef who, after various experiences, started his own business to let everyone taste the cuisine of his region. The sandwich might confuse; at first glance, it looks like a sfogliatella or a cloud of fried and crispy fettuccine, which actually hides a very complex artisanal procedure that manages to create a jagged shell for beef, pork, or vegetables chosen, carrying with it millennia of Chinese history. Every spice, every sweet and sour taste, tells of a journey, tells how far this concept of cuisine is and how good it is. In 2023, it was elected Street Food of the Year.

PESCARIA – Polignano Perhaps the most renowned name on the list, it is the one that more than any other has managed to upset the panorama of sandwiches in Italy: born in 2015 in Polignano a Mare, today it is in 11 Italian cities and is constantly expanding, among Padua, Milan, Bologna, Turin, Rome, Naples, Verona, and Trento. Born from the union of Bartolo L'Abbate and Domingo Iodice, in the beginning, it was a fish bar, culminating in the knowledge of chef Lucio Mele, in the famous slogan with which the company defines itself, namely the McDonald's Made in Puglia. A replicable format anywhere, keeping high standards, which has also been rewarded by Forbes, which has included it among the 50 most influential companies in Italy on Facebook: raw, tartare, tuna, salmon, sea bass, and octopus: every gift from the sea is treated with sincerity and curiosity, trying to enhance the marine taste by letting it emerge with fresh and tasty products. The pivot on which the idea is based is a sandwich that reflects the essence of Puglia and the Pugliese themselves (the ethos, as the chef defines it): turnips sautéed with garlic, oil, and chili, ricotta whipped with lemon, fried octopus, and cooked figs and anchovy sauce. Simple, curious, delightful.

GOFRERIA PIEMONTESA – Turin If you want history and tradition, you cannot fail to mention the Piedmontese gofri. Mauro Dario opened this place in 2005 in the historic center, with the intention of making known to most a frugal but tasty food widely spread a few centuries ago. Gofri is nothing more than the grandparents of waffles, born in 1800 in Piedmont on the border with France, and in fact, they resembled the Guefres from across the Alps, and had a particular "reticulated" texture from which the name derives. Eaten in sweet variation with honey and maple or savory with cheeses and cold cuts, over time, the concept has been incorporated into pastry shops, where waffles have monopolized and converted the preparation of the original dough, making it thicker and more voluminous. The original product was thin and almost crispy, which continues to live in some small reality in Turin that still spreads the story of this product that is over 200 years old.

Innovation, contamination, tradition. Food is not just about satisfying an instinct, but participating in a story, reliving sensations, or imagining places never seen. And doing it at the speed of a "bite and go" is an incredible level of synthesis reached by cuisine and the horizons it is exploring in recent years, adapting to the needs and pleasures of today's society. We really liked these three addresses, and you? If you're undecided about what to choose, we at Edilfar Rent can take you to all three with our premium cars: rent worry-free, be amazed by the drivability of our fleet, and fill your sight (and stomach) with the places you've always wanted to see. Come and visit us at our locations; you just have to decide where and when to leave: you can find us in Rome, Milan, and Modena!