Istanbul, Turkey

Balik ekmek (grilled mackerel sandwich) from the boats at Eminonu for 50 lira. Lahmacun rolled with sumac onions from a hole-in-the-wall in Fatih. Kokoreç — lamb intestine wrap — that divides the city into fanatics and refusers. Istanbul sits at the literal crossroads of Europe and Asia, and its street food reflects 600 years of Ottoman culinary evolution distilled into portable form. The simit carts alone — selling sesame bread rings since the 1500s — are a masterclass in simplicity.