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Last May 15 a phenomenal event took place in Philadelphia – the Night Market Philadelphia which is the 4th year in a row that it has been held with resounding success. The event was also the jump-off point for the rest of the 2014 festivals to take place in different neighborhoods around the city.
Philadelphia is known for its diverse neighborhoods with a mix of different races such as African American, Native American, White, 8 different Asian races, Latinos, and Hispanics. The Night Market Philadelphia is an eclectic mix of these races as they are represented in food, music, and artistry. This first Night Market for 2014 was held at the Old City. The rest of the events will be held in West Oak Lane, Chinatown, and Lancaster Avenue from June to October.
Based on the success of the Old City Night Market, the street food and food trucks you can expect to enjoy in the next events are sweet potato fries, crab cakes, chicken dishes from fried to grill to chicken cooked in delicious sauces, Asian cuisine, Spanish, Cuban, and Puerto Rican fare, and good old American food.
Thousands of people packed the streets of the Old City where there were programs, live entertainment, a photo booth, raffle, and a lot of good conversation and fun times. Some of Philadelphia’s finest street foods were also present like the cheesesteak, soft pretzels, hoagies, water ice, Tastykake, and scrapple.
For those unaware of what these Philadelphia foods are, here’s a brief breakdown:
Hoagies are more popularly known as sub sandwiches in other places. It’s a sandwich that uses a long roll like French bread stuffed with deli meat, cheese, vegetables, and special sauces.
Scrapple is a pan fried loaf made from pork scraps, flour, cornmeal and seasoning. It is eaten as a side dish and served with sauce of your choice: apple butter, maple syrup, honey, catsup, or jelly.
Water Ice is a fruity Italian ice dessert very similar to sorbet. It is almost like ice cream rather than shaved ice.
Finally, Tastykake is from homegrown Tasty Baking Company with products like cupcakes, donuts, cookie bars, and other baked products.