10 Cheap and tasty snacks in Europe that we crave
While even the cheapest of Cheapos most likely envision their European meals as traditional sit-down affairs, sometimes hunger hits on the go.
So what’s a hungry Cheapo to do? Do as the locals do. Grab a quick and affordable snack!
More cheap travel tips in Europe:
• 10 Ways to save time and money before your trip
• 12 Tips for traveling solo in Europe
• 50 Things to do in Europe for €5 or less
10 Cheap snacks in Europe
Here are 10 favorites from our travels across Europe that typically cost €5 or less.
1. Greece: Sesame seed bread rings
Called koulouri, this street snack comes plain or stuffed with cheese. In Greece locals say it was “born” in Thessaloniki, but it’s probably a variation of the Turkish simit, a similar bread ring still prized as a breakfast staple and on sale throughout the former Ottoman Empire (think Eastern Europe and Turkey).
It’s even available stateside where it’s known as the Turkish bagel, although since this is not boiled bread, the texture isn’t bagel like at all. Just beware of the end of the day koulouri, as they tend to go stale quickly.
2. Spain: Churros
When freshly fried and sugared, this fried dough snack is the best late-night, post-bar treat around. Churros and a thicker version called porras are easy to find throughout Spain and Portugal and thought to have been brought to Europe from China by the Portuguese. Typically accompanied by a thick, nearly pudding consistency hot chocolate as a dipping sauce, they’re sure to send your hangover packing.
Pro tip: buy churros that are freshly fried while you wait.
Spanish food: 7 top contenders for the best eats in Spain
3. France: Crepes
Whether you like them straight up and sprinkled with powdered sugar or full of veggies and cheese (savory crepes that are called galettes), authentic French crepes are an inexpensive and authentic local snack. While the story goes that crepes originated in Brittany, they’re widely available throughout France, as well as larger cities throughout Europe.
Skip anywhere that proffers pre-made crepes. This is not a food that should be microwaved. Half the fun (and most of the flavor) comes from watching a pro make them from scratch in front of your eyes.
4. Hungary: Fried bread
Called langos in Hungary, this deep-fried yeast-raised dough is usually served topped with sour cream and grated cheese or just doused with garlic butter. You can also find it in Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, and even the UK, where it’s appropriately named “Hungarian Fried Bread.”
5. Germany: Curry sausage
What do you get when you combine fried pork sausage with curried ketchup? Currywurst! Invented in 1949 in Berlin, it’s become Germany’s favorite meal on the go. But if you don’t love curry, you can always order up a traditional German bratwurst (a pork sausage with a history that dates back to 1313).
Berlin Cheap Eats: Döner, currywurst, and outdoor dining
The center of an Italian rice ball is where you’ll find the good stuff. Photo: Wim
6. Italy: Fried rice balls
With a variety of shapes and fillings, the most commonly available version is arancini. This 10th-century concoction is ball-shaped in most places (although it’s cone-shaped in parts of Sicily) and filled with ragu meat sauce, peas and mozzarella. In Rome, hungry Cheapos can look for a similar cheese-stuffed snack called suppli.
Exploring Milan: Where the locals eat for cheap
7. Portugal: Marinated pork steak sandwich
Known as a bifana, in the north it’s served with the spiced juices from the slow cooked meat on a white bread roll. In the south it’s served with mustard on a toasted roll. Prefer not to eat pork? Try a prego which is a similar sandwich made with beef instead.
8. Slovenia: Carniolan Sausage
This small sausage, called kranjska klobasa in Slovenian, is traditionally served cooked in wine and baked in dough or all by it’s lonesome sliced on a plate. Because it’s a protected European product, it’s always made of 80% pork and 20% bacon prepared with only salt, water, garlic and black pepper. If you like Polish kielbasa sausage, you’ll love it.
Read more: How to visit Slovenia on the cheap
A flaky banitsa, a Bulgarian specialty. Photo: squeedler
9. Bulgaria: Cheese and filo roll
Called banitsa, this traditional spiral-shaped pastry of layered whisked eggs and sirene (a feta-style cheese) in a filo pastry is served for special occasions in Bulgaria. For New Year’s Eve, lucky charms like coins or best wishes on paper wrapped in foil are put inside it. Sweet varieties made with milk and pumpkin filling as well as more creative spins are on offer in bigger bakeries around Bulgaria.
Related: A budget guide to Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Headed to Finlan? Don’t miss out on a karjalanpiirakka! Photo: Northsky71
10. Finland: Rice pasties
Known as karjalanpiirakka, these treats are called Karelian pasties or pies in English. The most traditional versions have a rye crust with rice. They are then topped off with butter and stuffed with hard-boiled eggs as a filling although mashed potatoes or rice and carrot mixes are also common.
This dish has a protected status in Europe, and while it’s popular in neighboring Estonia and Russia, it can not be called by its Finnish name in regions that haven’t been certified. Instead, it can be found labeled as riisipiirakka (rice) and perunapiirakka (potato) pasties.
Related: The best budget hotels in Helsinki
Bonus: What’s a cheapo snack you can find almost anywhere in Europe? Keep an eye out for Middle Eastern wraps and stuffed pitas! Kebabs, shawarma and falafel are ubiquitous in Europe. Every locale has adapted what they offer to local preferences, and these sandwiches are one of the best options for cheap and filling fare on the go. That said, Berlin’s kebabs are notorious in a good way as some of the best around outside of Turkey.
Do you have a favorite cheap snack in Europe? Let us know in the comments below.
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