Not only hot dogs and shawarma. 8 fast food cultures worth developing in Russia

1. Swedish: fried herring

This is one of the popular snack foods in Sweden. Herring is fried in breadcrumbs until golden brown and served on crispbread with butter. You can complement the dish with pickled onions, lingonberry jam, jacket potatoes or mashed potatoes. Sometimes fried herring is marinated. To do this, the fillet is placed on a plate and poured with a marinade of sugar, vinegar, allspice, bay leaf and red onion. The finished dish is cut into pieces and eaten cold.

2. Korean: pyanse

These are pies made from yeast dough with a large amount of cabbage-meat filling. In Russia, they are well known in the Far East, but in the European part of the country, pyanse are not so common.

The filling is made from minced meat and white cabbage. You can add kimchi - these are spicy pickled vegetables (most often Chinese cabbage). Korean pies are steamed, which makes them tender and juicy. The size of one serving can be up to 300 grams, so pyanse can replace a full-fledged second course.

3. Italian: panzerotti

Panzerotti is also a type of pies, which is sometimes called a smaller version of the closed calzone pizza. But, unlike pizza, they are made from soft dough and fried in a pan. Most often, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese are placed inside the pie. There are other filling options, such as fried onions in olive oil, salted anchovies or capers.

Panzerotti should be eaten hot, and no utensils are needed - a small pie is convenient to hold in your hands.

4. Vietnamese: spring rolls

This light and hearty dish is loved in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and other Asian countries. Ingredients and methods of preparation differ depending on the region, but the principle is always the same: some filling is wrapped in a wrapper, such as pork, shrimp, chicken, vegetables or fish. In Vietnam, rice paper is used as a casing, and in China, thin flour pancakes are used. You can also experiment with seasonings: peanut powder, soy sauce, sesame seeds and even powdered sugar are added to spring rolls. Before serving, the rolls are fried until golden brown.

5. Israeli: hummus

In the Middle East, a cafe where you can try different types of hummus is called "hummus". Now such institutions are found in other countries. Hummus is served as a classic appetizer of chickpea puree, as well as variations with additives - herbs, tomatoes, fried eggplant, grated cheese.

They eat hummus with a pita bread: they pinch off a piece, fold it like a spoon and scoop up a snack. You can offer visitors other options - for example, eat hummus with pita bread or corn chips.

6. Czech: trdelnik

Twisted buns, popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are good because you can put both sweet and savory fillings inside. Ice cream, salted caramel or custard are placed in trdelniki, pastries are decorated with berries and fruits. But you can experiment with the filling as you like. For example, if you cook trdelnik with cheese, olives and bacon, you get a hearty option for lunch.

The bun itself is served with sprinkles. The classic version is a mixture of cinnamon, ground nuts and powdered sugar. But you can use coconut, poppy seeds or colored confectionery topping.

7. German: currywurst

Currywurst is a sausage fried to a crispy crust, poured with tomato sauce and seasoned with curry powder. You can eat it plain or add french fries. This appetizer was invented in post-war Berlin.

Most often, pork sausages are used for currywurst, but you can also make it from beef. There is a vegetarian option - with plant-based sausages. In Germany, the finished dish is usually served in paper trays, generously pouring sauce over it.

8. Greek: gyros

A popular national dish of spit-roasted chicken or pork. French fries, red onion and Greek yogurt tzatziki sauce are added as a side dish. Served in a round pita bread or pita bread.

The dish resembles shawarma. Difference in meat: gyros is often made from pork, but it is not used in oriental shawarma. Another feature is seasonings. So, shawarma meat is marinated in turmeric, cardamom, cloves and garlic. And in Greece, herbs are preferred: rosemary, oregano and thyme.