Street food is food sold by vendors on streets, in markets, at fairs or in parks, usually from a booth, cart or truck and meant to be eaten right away. Most street foods are finger food and fast food, and they are typically cheaper than restaurant meals. Their styles vary widely between regions and countries, though many have travelled far beyond where they started. A 2007 Food and Agriculture Organization study estimated that 2.5 billion people eat street food every day. In many developing countries it provides affordable daily nutrition and income for vendors, and in some cultures eating while walking is considered rude.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.