Taiwanese cuisine

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Several Taiwanese snacks bought from food stalls at the Shilin Night Market, Taipei. The item on the bottom left is a spring roll that became too soggy.

The Cuisines of Taiwan have several variations. In addition to the following representative dishes from the Hoklo ethnicity, it also encompasses aboriginal, Hakka, and local derivatives of Chinese cuisines (one famous example of the last is beef noodle soup).

Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern provinces of China (Canton, Fujian, etc., due to proximity) along with Japan (due to Taiwan's time under Japanese rule). Traditional Chinese food to be found in Taiwan, alongside classically Taiwanese and Hakka-style dishes, includes dishes from Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Hunan, Sichuan and Beijing.

[edit] Ingredients and culture

Pork, rice, soy, are very common ingredients. Beef is far less common, and some Taiwanese (particularly the elderly generation) still refrain from eating it. This is in part due to a traditional reluctance to slaughtering precious cattle needed for agriculture, and an emotional attachment to such beasts of labour.

Taiwan's cuisine has also been influenced by its geographic location. Living on a crowded island, the Taiwanese had to look aside from the farmlands for sources of protein. As a result, seafood figures very prominently in their cuisine. This seafood encompasses many different things, from large fish such as tuna and grouper, to sardines and even tiny fish the length of a thumbnail. Crustaceans, squid, and cuttlefish are also eaten.

Because of the island's sub-tropical location, Taiwan has an abundant supply of various fruit, such as papayas, melons and citrus.

Some of Taiwan's agricultural products in general are rice, corn, tea, pork, poultry, iguana, fish, and other fruits and vegetables.

The scarcity of natural resources has made for hard living on the island. As the Taiwanese had to make do with very little, they show remarkable adaptiveness and creativity when it comes to preparing food.

From many of their dishes, the Taiwanese have shown their inventiveness in the selection of spices. Taiwanese cuisine relies on an abundant array of seasonings for flavour: Soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, Black beans, pickled radishes, peanuts, chili peppers, parsley, and a local variety of basil ("nine story tower"). The resulting dishes thus combine and form interesting tastes which make Taiwanese cuisine simple in format yet complex in experience.

[edit] Famous dishes and snacks in each of the main cities

[edit] Chiayi

Turkey Rice Bowl (Ch: 火雞肉飯; MTL: hoefkef baq png).

[edit] Hsinchu

Pork spheres (pork balls), often eaten in a soup.

[edit] Dasi

Dasi dried tofu (大溪豆干), a snack

[edit] Taichung

Suncake is the most noted pastry in Taichung. It is baked layered pastry with a sweet center that is often made with honey or molasses.

[edit] Tainan

Pork knuckles (Traditional Chinese: 豬腳肉, POJ: ti-kha-bah), Tainan noodles (Traditional Chinese: 台南擔仔麵, POJ: Tâi-lâm tàⁿ-á-mī), shrimp and meat dumplings (Traditional Chinese: 蝦仁肉丸; pinyin: xiārénròuwán, POJ: hê-jîn-bah-oân), and shrimp crackers/biscuits are among the most notable local dishes.

Coffin Bread (Chinese: 棺材板; pinyin: guāncáibǎn) is similar to French Toast, but filled with savory fillings, such as Black Pepper Beef or Curry Chicken. Thick cut bread is dipped in egg, deep fried, cut along three sides, opened and filled, and eaten.

[edit] Typical dishes

Oyster omelet.

Blood pudding (豬血糕) on a stick

Many flavors of Taiwanese sausages are sold at a night market vendor.

• jiû-hî keⁿ (Chinese: 魷魚羹; pinyin: yóuyú gēng) - thickened soup with cuttlefish wrapped in fish paste.
• miso soup - similar to Japanese miso soup, but with Taiwanese local flavor.
• ô-á-chian (蚵仔煎, kézǎi jiān) - omelet made with tiny oysters.
• ô-á mī-sòaⁿ (蚵仔麵線, kézǎi miànxiàn), or oyster vermicelli
• o· bí-ko (烏米糕, hēimǐ gāo [黑米糕]) - a dish made from pork blood and rice. It is usually cut into a rectangular piece and served on a stick, topped with peanut paste, hot sauce, and cilantro.
• ló·-bah-pn̄g (魯肉飯, lǔròu fàn) - minced fatty pork served on rice.
• sashimi - raw fish slices served with white radish slices.
• tōa-tn̂g pau sió-tn̂g (大腸包小腸), or small sausage in large sausage
• Sān bēi jī (三杯雞) - a chicken dish which literally translates as "three cups chicken", named because the sauce is made of a cup of rice wine, a cup of sesame oil, and a cup of soy sauce. Alternately, the sauce can also be made of a cup each of rice wine, sugar, and soy sauce.

[edit] Desserts

• bubble tea, also known as boba milk tea or pearl milk tea
• grass jelly (仙草, xiāncǎo, sian-chháu) - jelly of the Mesona procumbens
• ò-giô-peng (愛玉冰, ài yù bīng) - a gelatinous dessert made from the seeds of a fig-like fruit, probably Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang. Served on ice.
• ō͘-á-peng (芋仔冰, yù bīng) - a dessert made of frozen taro root paste.

Many of the non-dessert dishes are usually considered snacks, not entrees; that is, they have a similar status to the Cantonese dim sum or the Spanish tapas. Such dishes are usually only slightly salted, with lots of vegetables along with the main meat (or seafood) item.

Vegetarian restaurants are commonplace with a wide variety of dishes.

There is a type of outdoor barbecue called khòng-iâu (焢窯). To barbecue in this manner, first build a hollow pyramid up with dirt clods. Next, burn some charcoal or wood inside until the temperature inside the pyramid is very high (the dirt clods should be glowing red). Finally, place some taro, yam, or chicken in cans in the pyramid and topple the pyramid over the food. Keep the items under the hot dirt clods until they are thoroughly cooked.

Taiwanese people also eat a lot of fruit, both local and imported.

[edit] Night market dishes

A partitioned Taiwanese crepe (潤餅; po bian) whose wheat-based wrapper is unfried.

Surrounded by ocean on all sides, seafood has been an important staple in the Taiwanese diet. Here is grilled squid sold at a night market vendor.

Taiwan's best-known snacks are present in the night markets, where street vendors sell a variety of different foods, from finger foods, drinks, sweets, to sit-down dishes.In these markets, one can also find fried and steamed meat-filled buns, oyster-filled omelets, refreshing fruit ices, and much more.

• Stinky tofu (臭豆腐, chhàu tāu-hū, chòu dòufǔ) - the aroma of stinky tofu is intimidating at first but can be an acquired taste.
• Ba wan (肉圓, roù yuán, lit. "meat circle"}}) - a sticky gelatinous dough filled with pork, bamboo shoots, shiitake, and served with a savory sweet sauce
• Grilled corn - a more recent appearance on the night market scene.
• Taiwanese sausages - fatty pork sausages with a sweet taste. It is served on a stick with many different flavors and condiments of choice. Sometimes, it is wrapped in a glutinous rice sausage (大腸包小腸).
• Scallion pancakes - flour pancake with many thin layers, made with scallions.
• Candied Crabapples - red candy coated bite-sized fruits served on a stick. Sometimes the crabapples are stuffed with preserved plums, and then candied.
• Squid or fish on a stick - often marinated, then grilled
• Shaved ice - popular dessert consisting of shaved ice and a variety of toppings to choose from: red beans, green beans, pineapple, condensed milk, grass jelly, lychees, peanuts, rice balls, etc.
• Tempura - made from starch and minced meats.
• Oyster omelet - made from eggs, glutinous rice, oysters, and Garland chrysanthemum leaves. It has a soft, sticky texture, and is eaten with a sweet and mildly spicy sauce, topped with cilantro.
• Taiwanese Crepes - crispy flour crepe filled with a variety of choices, such as seafood crepe.
• Fruit or bean smoothies - milk or ice is blended on the spot with fresh papaya, mango, watermelon, red bean, or green bean
• Fried glutinous rice balls - slightly sweet in flavor
• Fried chicken pieces - small chunks of chicken sprinkled with peppers and basil flavor
• Shawarma (沙威馬, shāwēimǎ) - usually made from chicken and is served on a leavened, white flour bun with julienned cabbage, a slice of tomato, sliced onions, ketchup, and mayonnaise. Brought over from Turkey decades ago.
• Blood pudding- pig's blood rice cakes, pig/goose's blood soup
• BBQ duck's head

[edit] See also

• Cuisine
• Chinese cuisine
• Cooking

[edit] External links

• Popular Food Culture in Taiwan