Taiwanese cuisine

Taiwanese cuisine includes a rich range of dishes.

Cuisines in Taiwan (traditional Chinese: 台灣菜; simplified Chinese: 台湾菜; pinyin: Táiwān cài; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-oân liāu-lí) have several variations. In addition to the following representative dishes from the people of Hoklo (Hō-ló) ethnicity (see Taiwanese people), there are also 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 Mainland China, most notably from the province of Fujian (Hokkien), but influences from all of Mainland China can easily be found. A notable Japanese influence exists due to the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Traditional Chinese food to be found in Taiwan, alongside Fujian and Hakka-style as well as native Taiwanese dishes, includes dishes from Guangdong, Jiangxi, Chaoshan, Shanghai, Hunan, Sichuan and Beijing.

Ingredients and culture

Pork, seafood, rice, and 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 the considerations of some Taiwanese Buddhists, a traditional reluctance towards slaughtering precious cattle needed for agriculture, and an emotional attachment to animals used for their labour. Curiously, the Taiwanese version of beef noodle soup remains one of the most popular dishes in Taiwan, in spite of this traditional aversion.

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 prominently in their cuisine. This seafood encompasses many different things, from large fish such as tuna and grouper, to sardines and even smaller fish such as anchovies. 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, starfruit, melons, and citrus fruit. A wide variety of tropical fruits, imported and native, are also enjoyed in Taiwan. Other agricultural products in general are rice, corn, tea, pork, poultry, beef, fish, and other fruits and vegetables. Fresh ingredients in Taiwan are readily available from markets.

In many of their dishes, the Taiwanese have shown their creativity in their selection of spices. Taiwanese cuisine relies on an abundant array of seasonings for flavour: soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, fermented black beans, pickled daikon, pickled mustard greens, peanuts, chili peppers, cilantro (sometimes called Chinese parsley), and a local variety of basil (九層塔, literally "nine storey pagoda"). The resulting dishes thus combine and form interesting tastes which make Taiwanese cuisine simple in format yet complex in experience.

Regional specialities

Chiayi

Turkey rice bowls (火雞肉飯 hǔo jī ròu fàn) are bowls of rice with shredded turkey layered on top, often accompanied by pickled daikon radish. The rice is drizzled with a kind of gravy made from the turkey drippings and soy sauce.

Hsinchu

Hsinchu, 新竹 （Xinzhu, literally "New Bamboo"） is famous for its pork balls, 貢丸 （gongwan）, which are often eaten in soup， 湯 (tang).

Rice vermicelli, 米粉 (mifen), are another Hsinchu specialty. They are often eaten 'dry', 干 (gan, not in a soup) with mushroom and ground pork.

Dasi, Taoyuan

Dasi dried tofu (大溪豆干 dà xī dòu gān), of which there are two basic kinds, plain dried tofu and flavored dried tofu. People eat dried tofu as a dish or snack in Taiwan.

Taichung

Suncake is the most noted pastries of Taichung. It is baked layered puff pastry with a sweet center often made with honey or molasses. Nagasaki-style Castella and nougats (牛軋糖) are other highlights of this city.

Tainan City

Tainan dan zai noodles (台南擔仔麵 Tâi-lâm tàⁿ-á-mī), shrimp and meat dumplings (蝦仁肉丸 hê-jîn bah-ôan), and shrimp crackers/biscuits are among the most notable local dishes. Another popular dish originating in Tainan is "oily rice" (台南油飯 Tâi-lâm iû-pn̄g), a rice dish containing savoury oils and shredded pork meat, mushrooms, and dried shrimp.

Coffin Bread (棺材板 guān cái bǎn) is similar to French Toast or bread bowl soups, but filled with savory fillings, such as black pepper beef or curried chicken. Thick cut bread is dipped in egg, deep fried, cut along three sides, opened and filled, and eaten.

Changhua

Changhua is famous for Ba-wan, literally meaning 'meat circle'. They are a kind of large dumpling made from a gelatinous dough and stuffed with pork and vegetables, most commonly mushrooms and bamboo shoots.

Nantou

Nantou is famous for Yimian, which is tasty, soft noodles in soup, and Rou-yuan (肉圓), which is similar to Ba-wan. Rou-yuan's exterior is made of tapioca starch and is filled with mushrooms, thin shredded bamboo, and a meatball. It is eaten with a reddish sweet and sour sauce

Danshui

Ah gei (阿給), which are deep fried tofu that have been stuffed with crystal noodles and sealed with fish paste and drizzled with spicy sauce on the outside.

Danshui fish ball (魚丸), because Danshui is near the ocean, therefore, it is a good place to try their fish balls, which are balls of fish paste stuffed with meat and garlic cooked in light broth.

Iron eggs (鐵蛋), are eggs that have been repeatedly stewed in a mix of spices and air-dried. The resulting eggs are dark brown, chewy and full of flavor compared to normal boiled eggs.

Typical dishes

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 covered in fish paste.
• ô-á-chian (蚵仔煎, kézǎi jiān) - Oyster omelet made with eggs, oysters, tapioca starch, and Garland chrysanthemum leaves. It has a soft, sticky texture, and is eaten with a sweet and mildly spicy sauce, topped with cilantro. This dish is very common in night markets as it is the most popular snack in Taiwan.^[1]
• ô-á mī-sòaⁿ (蚵仔麵線, kézǎi miànxiàn), or oyster vermicelli, a thickened soup containing small oysters and Chinese vermicelli.
• o· bí-ko (烏米糕, me shai [米血], 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, dipped in soy sauce, with the option of adding hot sauce, then topped with powdered peanut and cilantro.
• ló·-bah-pn̄g (魯肉飯, lǔròu fàn) - minced, cubed, or ground fatty pork, stewed in soy sauce and spices, then served on rice.
• tōa-tn̂g pau sió-tn̂g (大腸包小腸) – small sausage wrapped in big sausage. A Taiwanese snack, common in night market. A grilled Taiwanese sweet pork sausage wrapped in a grilled salty sticky rice sausage. Usually wrapped with garlic and basil. Customer can also choose the flavor they want, such as black pepper, garlic, chili, butter, and chocolate.
• 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.
• chhài-pó͘-nn̄g (菜脯卵) - Taiwanese Style preserved white radish omelet.
• koe-á bah (瓜仔肉) - Steamed pork patty with Taiwanese Style pickled cucumber.

Desserts

• bubble tea, aka boba milk tea; also known as pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶) - chewy tapioca balls added to milk tea.
• sian-chháu (仙草, xiāncǎo) - grass jelly (Mesona procumbens) Served hot or cold.
• ò-giô-peng (ài yù bīng [愛玉冰]) - a gelatinous dessert, aiyu jelly, made from the seeds of a fig-like fruit, Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang. Served on ice.
• ō͘-á-peng (芋仔冰, yù bīng [芋冰]) - a dessert made of frozen taro root paste.
• chhú-khak-ké, chháu-á-ké (鼠麹粿, 草仔粿) - Cakes made with a dough from glutinous rice flour and combine with a ground cooked paste of Gnaphalium affine or Mugwort to give it a unique flavor and green color. The dough is commonly filled with ground meat or sweet bean pastes.

Many of the non-dessert dishes are usually considered snacks, not entrees; that is, they have a similar status to Cantonese dim sum or 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, mainly due to the influence of Buddhism.

There is a type of outdoor barbecue called khòng-iô (焢窯). To barbecue in this manner, one first builds a hollow pyramid up with dirt clods. Next, charcoal or wood is burnt inside until the temperature inside the pyramid is very high (the dirt clods should be glowing red). The ingredients to be cooked, such as taro, yam, or chicken, are placed in cans, and the cans are placed inside the pyramid. Finally, the pyramid is toppled over the food until cooked.

Night market dishes

A partitioned Taiwanese crepe (潤餅; jūn-piáⁿ) 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. Aside from snacks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts, night markets also have vendors selling clothes, accessories, and offer all kinds of entertainment and products.

• Small cakes - batter is poured into hot-metallic molds and gets quickly cooked into small cakes of various shapes. Countless variations exist. Sometimes the cakes have fillings ranging from cream, red bean paste, to peanut butter.
• Various drinks are also often sold, ranging from bubble tea stands to various juice and tea stands.
• Stinky tofu or Fermented Tofu (Chinese: 臭豆腐, chhàu tāu-hū, chòu dòufǔ) - The aroma of stinky tofu is intimidating at first but can be an acquired taste. The tofu is served as rectangular cubes. There are a variety of forms. The most popular version is the deep fried and served on a plate and served with pickled vegetables (the usually pickled cabbages, daikon and carrots). It comes with a sauce made with soy paste, spices and garlic (or sweet and sour sauce). The "wet" version consists of non-fried stinky tofu in a spicy Mala sauce soup base along with duck blood. Another popular variety is the grilled version. The stinky tofu gets brushed in a soy glaze and is then grilled.
• Ba-wan (Chinese: 肉圓; pinyin: roù yuán; literally "meatballs") - a sticky gelatinous tapioca dough filled with pork, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and served with a savory sweet and spicy sauce.
• Corn - Vendors may specialize in one type of corn or they could offer varieties between savory/salty and sweet corn. Sometimes the corn is steamed, grilled, boiled, and etc.
• Taiwanese sausages - fatty pork sausages with a sweet taste. There are several different kinds. Kaoliang is sometimes used in the sausage recipe. In night markets they are often served on a stick with many different condiments. Sometimes, they are wrapped in glutinous rice. In the very early 1980s, when resources were still relatively scarce, the standard serving is one sausage link on a toothpick garnished with a clove of garlic.
• Scallion pancakes - (蔥油餅) flour pancake with many thin layers, made with scallions (chopped green onions). A snack originating in the Chinese mainland.
• 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.
• Bao bing - (also known as tsua bing; 剉冰/刨冰) finely shaven ice with a variety of toppings (peanuts, fruit, azuki beans, sweetened corn, and so on). Sometimes served drizzled with condensed milk.
• Tianbula - (甜不辣) a dish consisting of fish balls, meatballs, daikon, tofu, shiitake mushrooms and fish cakes served with a sweet sauce. Similar to oden.
• Taiwanese Crepes (潤餅; jūn-piáⁿ), also known as popiah - semi-crispy super-thin flour crepe filled with a variety of filling, such as powdered sugar, peanut powder, egg, vegetables, pork and even seafood. Taiwanese crepes are the made from the same dough as spring rolls (春捲) in Taiwan .
• Crepe - Adapted from the original French version, a very thin cooked pancake, it has a much crispier texture, rather like a cracker. Very popular in the early 2000s.
• Fruit or bean smoothies - milk or ice is blended on the spot with fresh papaya, mango, watermelon, azuki bean, or mung bean.
• Fried glutinous rice balls - slightly sweet in flavor.
• Fried chicken pieces - thumb-size chunks of deep-fried chicken sprinkled with white pepper, chilli and fried basil.
• Shawarma (Mandarin Chinese: 沙威馬 shāwēimǎ) - A sandwich usually made from spiced, grilled chicken and 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, the seasoning is quite different from the seasoning used in making shawarma in Turkey.

Artistic Food

The last timeframe when these foods were in style was the early-to-mid-1980s, before one of many construction booms.

Although not strictly an artistic good, sticks of two or three plums, speared, and covered in a hard, red candy shell were usually sold by the same vendors due to supplier overlap and common ingredients--and as such disappeared at the same time.

sugar painting - Warm sugar liquid is poured onto a (cool) metallic worktable, and the vendor quickly carves the thin layer of sugar into whatever imagery requested by the customer before the sugar inevitably hardens. These exquisite pieces of art are then consumed by the customer. Common shapes include animal heads (sometimes whole bodies) and popular objects. Masters of the trade are capable of crafting enormous pieces that is created in parts and then connected together at the end.

dough dolls - Dough rolled in sugar and various food coloring (all natural) replaces clay to create small delicate dolls that usually resemble characters from Chinese fables, though other types of dolls are usually made to attract modern customers. Though technically edible, the dough is difficult to digest.

External links

• Popular Food Culture in Taiwan
• Taiwan Tiger's Taiwanese Food Page
• Taiwanese foods in Taiwan on a hungry girl's guide to Taipei
• BBC TWO Chinese food made easy

References

See also