Forget ritzy restaurants and fine gourmet dining. If you want to taste the real essence of a place, you need to hit the streets and see what’s cooking. These eats are more than just for locals and budget travellers, they’re also a sure-fire way to get straight to the heart of a country and its people. Just look for the busiest pushcart, stall or street hawker you can find and say hello to the tastiest and cheapest, although not necessarily healthiest, grub of your trip.

Rachael co-owns and operates Cardboard Box Travel Shop, a local travel operator in Namibia. I am married to a typical Namibian male. His idea of a decent meal includes a large hunk of steak with not a single green substance in sight! Fifteen years ago, when I first arrived in Namibia, I did not really…