The Hidden History Behind These Popular Sidewalk Snacks

From hot dogs to ice cream, street food has always been there when we needed something fast, cheap, or after dark. Let’s see how these sidewalk snacks turned into a cornerstone of our culture.

#1: Charleston Hucksters: In the early 1700s, enslaved people would use street trade to survive. And after emancipation, food vendors, also known as hucksters, remained a common sight on the streets of Charleston, selling seafood, cakes, pies, and other foods. Today, the city celebrates street food every spring by hosting the Black Food Truck Festival.

#2: New Orleans Calas: In the 1700s, the recipe for calas, enslaved Africans brought the recipe for fried rice cakes to New Orleans. This delicacy soon became a street vending tradition, and remains a New Orleans favorite.

#3: NYC Black Oysters: In the 1820s, most oystermen in the country were Black, and with New York once being the world’s oyster capital, Black men were able to capitalize, making a living from selling oysters, New York City’s first street food.

Street food shows how we’ve been able to thrive in our own communities, when the streets were all we had. So no matter what street you live on, let's hold on to our traditions, because they can navigate us towards a liberatory future.