Food truck: trendy street food

Traditional pizza vans and hot dog stands had better watch out! Food trucks (trucks converted into mobile kitchens) now offer sandwiches and hamburgers, salads, Asian and Tex Mex food, bagels, ice cream, and a whole lot more … Some of them even serve gourmet hot meals now.

The food truck concept itself is nothing new. It originated in the United States where Charles Goodnight, a rancher, came up with the idea of the chuckwagon, a mobile canteen for cowboys and migrants around the time of the American Civil War. During the 19^th century, lunch wagons started springing up all over large towns in America, with The Owl leading the way. Their target? Night shift workers, who could therefore get a meal even after restaurants had closed. Following in the footsteps of the mobile canteens of the 1950s, the idea of food trucks really took off in the late 2000s with the Kogi Korean BBQ that cruises the streets of Los Angeles.

Food trucks open up a whole new vista of culinary experimentation by promoting tasty, inexpensive, innovative food that can be eaten "on the run". Kimchi Taco treats the whole New York with its Korean fusion cuisine with dishes such as the tofu salad or the edamame falafel. Another trend is the ultra-specialization of the food trucks. In Paris, Italian food lovers can enjoy Mozza & Co’s delicious mozzarellas served with arugula or a young spinach salad.

Lastly, since the beginning of the year, the food truck concept has been making its first forays into the gastro food scene. In Norway, the Bocuse d'argent winner in 2005, chef Tom Victor Gausdal  just opens his retaurant Hitchhiker in Oslo in which you can savor street food dishes from around the world. During the event Smak for Alle, his food truck runs in Oslo! In France, the food truck 'Mes Bocaux' has been launched by the Savoyard chef Marc Veyrat. This innovative food truck serves organic meals or dishes made using ingredients sourced at integrated farming outlets, all served hot in glass jars. You can bet that it won't be long before food trucks start springing up everywhere ...

Photo : Mozza & Co http://www.mozzaandco.it/