If you enjoy food, then in Israel you don't have to splash out on expensive restaurants, instead you can enjoy one of the many inexpensive eateries that line the streets of the country's cities and towns.

Fresh, authentic and quintessentially Mideast fare is on offer – from falafel, deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas, fava beans and herbs; to shwarma, slices of turkey, chicken or lamb shaved off a huge slab of meat rotating on a big spit; or hummus, a spread made of crushed chickpeas, tehini sauce, lemon, olive oil, salt and garlic.

For the connoisseurs, there's also sabich, a sandwich made of fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, salad and a mango pickle; shakshuka, a pan-fried casserole of poached eggs and spicy tomato sauce; or bourekas, pastry dough stuffed with mushrooms, mashed potato, spinach or cheese.

In an age when fast food has become synonymous with junk food, Israel's street food vendors are proving that fast food doesn't have to be tasteless or unhealthy.