World's Most Delicious Beach Food (Slideshow)

Many hungry Hawaii beach-goers have lauded the delights of the locally produced fish tacos on Maui's sandy shores. Whipped up fresh by curbside vendors and food trucks that set up along the beachfront, traditional choices of mahi mahi, ono (the Hawaiian cousin of the king mackerel), and ahi (yellowfin tuna) are sure to be super fresh. It's all topped off with crisp shredded cabbage, cilantro-flecked rice, and a salsa-and-sour cream sauce. They don't skimp on size either... a large fish taco can come as long as a person's arm for a full day of beach feasting!

It's a common street food in Puerto Rico but alcapurrias, fried green banana and yucca fritters filled with crabmeat (traditionally) or seasoned ground beef, is also extremely tasty and popular beach food. 

Thai beach food makes the most of the delicious local ingredients on offer, the most plentiful of those being coconuts! Sip on coconut water straight from the coconut itself (vendors usually walk up and down the beaches with big bags of them and will chop the top off with a machete and pop in a straw right in front of you if you buy one) while snacking on a delicious coconut donut. A thin layer of battered, shredded coconut and coconut cream is lightly deep-fried and each mouthful is slightly chewy and crispy.

There is a broad swathe of plantain-based beach foods available in Costa Rica for hungry beach-goers. A big favorite are patacones (aka tostones). They're sliced and fried plantains that are used as chips to scoop up a delicious black bean dip or even chunky guacamole that is mixed with all manner of local ingredients. 

Thousands of tourists flock to Virginia Beach every year to enjoy the sun, sand, surf, and delicious seafood... and the food offerings don't disappoint. From crab legs to crawfish, there's an awful lot of tasty treats to enjoy. The spicy and barbecue shrimp skewers, though, are a definite must-try. You can get them from vendors, beachside restaurants, and food trucks all across the boardwalk.

This flavored, icy, and slushy treat is really something between a refreshing drink and a dessert you eat with a spoon. It's served in little bowls as shaved ice with flavored syrup, fruit preserves or purée, and even coffee and almonds. It's eaten all year-round and each beach has its own special variety on offer... from lemon, to honey, peach, blood orange, and even spicy fig. 

There are few things better than lounging on a white sandy Jamaican beach and feasting on authentic jerk chicken. Most of this spicy dish eaten on the beach is grilled right in front of you by a vendor and at beachside cafés across the island.

A favorite summertime snack on beaches along the East Coast of South Africa is a sweet pineapple and mango skewer dusted with spicy curry powder and salt. The region, Durban in particular, is well-known for its big Indian population whose spices and cuisine have influenced much of the local food there. These skewers are hot, sticky, sweet, delicious, and on offer from vendors during all hours of the day.

This popular Brazilian dish is made from peeled black-eyed peas that are mushed-up into a ball and deep-fried in palm oil. The balls are then cut in half and stuffed with shrimp, sauce, and trimmings. It's a popular street food but also eaten widely on the country's gorgeous beaches.

Also known as a Mumbai burrito, the frankie is an Indian wrap made from roti that gets wrapped around various fillings. Unlike a kati roll, frankies are also egg-washed before cooking, making them extra buttery-soft. Frankies are a Mumbai beach favorite that is fast being exported to beaches across the world.