Food trucks boom: street food and old traditions are in vogue.

The crisis of 2009 in the United States and the subsequent one that also lingered here in Europe have had consequences on people's eating habits. In the food sector, a new trend has emerged: the fashion of food trucks, street food, is nothing more than an evolution of a more essential lifestyle in search of simplicity. 

Italy, in particular, knows the meaning of street food, and the south has always revealed its value. The bombette cooked on a spit among the streets of Puglia, the bread with panelle, and the sfincioni along the alleys of Palermo are not news. The sandwiches with porchetta from Ariccia are a constant along the shaded roads of the pine forests in the Castelli Romani area. The sandwich with lampredotto among the noble streets of Florence and the piadine on the seafront of Rimini are part of Italian culinary history and tradition. 

Today, the main city where food trucks are found is Milano, which is honestly a novelty, but also a sign that this ancestral way of eating has become a trendy fashion. Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont, and Lazio are the regions with the highest number of Ape Cars, caravans, and vans equipped to produce simple foods. 

Food truckers are mostly men, single, with a high level of education, and backgrounds ranging from truck drivers to university professors. The most consumed foods at food trucks are increasingly diverse. While sandwiches in all their variations dominate, very interesting gourmet proposals are emerging, both based on fish and meat. Many Vegan and vegetarian options are also available. Choco kebabs and tasty recipes to be wrapped in a sandwich. Fried foods of all kinds and ready-to-eat risottos, as well as fried tortellini cupcakes are the latest innovations. But the world of food truckers is in continuous and rapid evolution. 

Today, there is also a strong focus on the aesthetic value of the vehicle, with designs and decorations becoming increasingly fun and sometimes provocative. Once, eating from a food truck was something to do after a night out on Friday or Saturday; today, it is a gourmet event to enjoy alone or with company. 

Events and fairs dedicated to this trend are emerging, meetings in the squares. Expo has dedicated a space to it, and Cibus has praised its potential this year as well. We are facing another trend, but this time it is very interesting because it picks up on ancient traditions and ways of presenting food with simplicity and creativity. 

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M