By: Noemi Gamel

When it comes to eating, Americans are used to two choices: eating at home or going to a restaurant. The idea of walking up to a cart on the street and grabbing a bite to eat is scary. Is it safe? What if I end up in the hospital? I could die!

Street food is a huge part of the culture throughout much of the world, especially in South America. While restaurants are fine, avoiding street food would have meant missing out on two Bolivian delights: papas rellenas and salteñas. Both of these delicacies are traditional Bolivian mid-morning snacks. In other words, you have to snatch them by noon or they will be gone!

Papas rellenas are “stuffed potatoes.” Think fried ball of mashed potatoes stuffed with meat, cheese, or a hard-boiled egg. Chris and the kids would often have a papa rellena for breakfast from a vendor that literally operated from an open window on the wall of a building.

Salteñas are heaven in a pastry pocket. They look like football-shaped empanadas. Originally made by a family exiled to Bolivia from Salta, Argentina (which is how they got their name), these snacks consist of sweet dough filled with either meat or vegetable stew. We ate our salteñas from an “upscale” street vendor. They actually had indoor seating, but all they served were saltenas and fresh fruit juice. These little pockets of goodness were the most delicious food I have had in Bolivia.

While eating street food is a fun way to experience the local cuisine and tend to be much less expensive than tourist restaurants, you should not throw caution to the wind. Here is a little secret: eat where the locals eat. If lots of locals are eating at a street vendor, it is a safe bet that it is safe to eat there.

What are your favorite street foods? Let us know in the comments below.