From special occasions to… street food?
A ranking of an international food database on the world’s “best street foods” earned buzz among Filipinos after it considered Lumpiang Shanghai or the Pinoy spring roll as such.
TasteAtlas on Wednesday shared an infographic listing the world’s “50 best street foods” according to its audience ratings.
The Lumpiang Shanghai ranked second, next to Malaysia’s traditional pan-fried flatbread, the roti canai.
The Pinoy food ranked higher than Japan’s karaage or the Japanese fried chicken, Vietnam’s bánh mì or its short baguette and Lebanon’s shawarma or wrapped roasted meat.
The ranking expectedly made some Filipinos proud, but others were bothered about how the Pinoy spring roll was considered street food.
“Food Lumpiang Shanghai here in the Philippines is prepared on special occasions,” a Facebook user wrote in the comments.
“Best in online voting talaga mga Pinoy, hahaha. Sa tanang buhay ko, ‘di ko pa nakitang binebenta sa kalye ang Lumpiang shanghai. Mas turon at lumpiang togue pa ang meron,” a Pinoy from Twitter wrote.
“Anong street food. Baka handa sa fiesta o birthday kamo hahaha,” another online user tweeted.
“Parang wala naman tindang [Lumpiang] Shanghai sa street. Cheese stick na powder ‘yung laman meron, shanghai waley,” commented a different Pinoy.
“I’m born and raised in the Philippines and I have rarely ever seen Lumpiang Shanghai on the streets or on food carts. Maybe at small eateries… Am I missing something lol?” writer Shanti Lermer said.
Others thought Lumpiang Shanghai could be considered a “street food” because it may be sold in carinderias or roadside eateries in the country.
“Baka dahil binebenta sa ibang karinderya? Dito sa Italy, we have a street food festival pero wala rin namang nagbebenta ng street foods sa mga kalsada in general,” another Twitter user commented.
The Lumpiang Shanghai is the most popular variety of lumpia, a crispy, deep-fried meal that evolved from Chinese spring rolls.
It is characterized by a savory filling that combines ground pork or beef with carrots, onions, various seasonings, and, occasionally, shrimps.
The Filipino spring roll is served as a staple dish on special and festive occasions, usually with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
It is commonly seen on birthdays, reunions, graduations and other parties in the country, along with pancit, Pinoy-style spaghetti, lechon and palabok, among others.