Eating street food is arguably one of the best ways to soak up the local culture wherever you travel. Get amongst it with the locals in China and try this centuries old popular street food.

Street food - I love it! Yet I know many people shy away from eating street food due to fears of getting food poisoning.

I've eaten street food in almost every town I've travelled to in China. As well as Thailand, Indonesia, Fiji, Europe, Canada and Australia, and it's never made me sick. I did, however, have the worst case of food poisoning after eating at a 5-star hotel restaurant in Fiji; but that's another story for another day. But you get my point.

Eating street food is arguably one of the best ways to soak up the local culture wherever you travel. Getting amongst it with the locals, eating what they eat, and where they eat it is a huge step toward better understanding a foreign culture. It's also a great way to meet the local people.

I'll be the first to admit I have a few favourite street foods, but Jian Bing is possibly the best for me.

Originally from Shandong Province in Northern China and traditionally eaten for breakfast, you can now find this popular street food in almost all Chinese cities and cities worldwide.

What I love most about Jian Bing, it's cooked fresh to order every time, and watching it made is all part of the fun.

They start by pouring mung bean, or wheat flour, batter on a circular hotplate. After spreading it thinly, it's topped with an egg, soybean paste, chilli-garlic sauce, pickled vegetables, green onion, coriander, lettuce and crispy fried wonton and then wrapped to go. What could be better?

I've heard that cooking Jian Bing can take years to master. Being able to make the crepe as thin as possible but still be able to hold all the ingredients is the key.

And the key to eating Jian Bing? Eat it from the paper or plastic bag it's wrapped in, or you'll get incredibly messy.

In China, you'll find Jian Bing vendors in many side streets tucked into tiny alcoves or doorways. You could be lucky and come across a Jian Bing cart outside a subway station. Either way - I recommend you give Jian Bing a go.

Have you had Jian Bing before? Let me know in the comments if you liked it.