Is that hot dog safe to eat? Experts share their street food smarts.

In more than 20 visits to India, Colleen Taylor Sen hasfallen ill from street foodtwice. In both cases, she blames herself. I violated the number...

In more than 20 visits to India, Colleen Taylor Sen has fallen ill from street food twice. In both cases, she blames herself.

“I violated the number one rule of eating street food, which is it has to be hot and freshly made,” said Taylor Sen, who has written and edited several books about street food and Indian cuisine. “The minute anything is sitting around, you’re in trouble.”

Wherever you go around the world, you’ll probably find the street food that locals consume for fast and affordable sustenance. Vendors work from stands, stalls, carts and food trucks, setting up at bus stops, markets, plazas and subway stations.

Some street food dishes have taken on almost mythical proportions: hot dogs in New York and Iceland, tacos in Mexico, merguez in Morocco, chaat in Mumbai, crepes in Paris. Singapore’s hawker centers and Taiwan’s night markets have become cultural attractions on par with museums and monuments.

Ansel Mullins, co-founder of Culinary Backstreets, a global food tour company, said the portable meals fit into the “rhythm of daily life.” They also provide travelers with an opportunity to experience “a deeply local world that they may never come close to otherwise,” he said by email.