As a born and bred Taiwanese citizen, who knows more about the amazing food of our country? Taiwan is best known for its food, and I promise you won’t ever be disappointed by what we have to offer. Of course, we are open-minded to the diversity of international cuisines and don’t eat Taiwanese food for every single meal, we love our traditional dishes just as much as you do. In this post, I am going to introduce some of my personal recommendations and favorites. You should definitely try these if you have a wonderful chance to visit us!
For Seafood Lovers: Oyster Omelet 蚵仔煎
If you’re looking for some seafood, the oyster omelet is definitely your top choice. An oyster omelet can actually taste very different depending on the sauces and spices used for flavor. If you’re looking for something different, try Kaoshiung city’s (高雄市) local seafood bought directly from local fishermen. Local restaurants will be where you find all the freshest and most delicious seafood dishes.
Best Noodles of Decades: Beef Noodles 牛肉麵
When Han Chinese immigrants first came to Taiwan, cows were considered very valuable because they were needed to plow and reclaim the wildland. However, when Chinese soldiers came to Taiwan with the Republic of China government in 1949, beef noodles started to become widely popular. Till now, beef noodles is still one of the delicacies that people immediately think of when someone else mentioned Taiwan.
Always the Hottest Beverage: Bubble Milk Tea 珍珠奶茶
Boo-yeah! Bubble milk tea is 100% necessary whenever my American relatives are coming back to Taiwan. However, bubble milk tea nowadays is not always very healthy or safe to drink. I personally recommend warm bubble milk tea of Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) or Yifang’s (一芳) black sugar-flavored one. Don’t request for ice because after it melts, the drink gets all watery and disgusting. Finish your drink as soon as possible is always the best tip because after it goes into the fridge, the “bubbles” lose their chewy texture.
Traditional is the Best: Danzai Noodles 擔仔麵
As Tainan city’s (臺南) special, Danzai noodles is one of my personal favorite with its flexibility of side dishes. People usually cook Danzai noodles with vegetables and shrimp, which adds extra credit to the soup’s flavor. It’s awesome to have a bowl of hot, steaming Danzai noodles in the middle of a freezing winter night. If shrimp doesn’t match your preferences, no worries! You can easily replace shrimp with pork or chicken, which will taste just as great.
Everyone’s must-try: Xiao-Long-Bao 小籠包
Xiao-Long-Bao, or steamed dumplings, is perhaps the most famous Taiwanese dish of all, especially Ding-Tai-Fung’s (鼎泰豐). Handmade with love, Xiao-Long-Bao has left a strong impression in people’s minds, making it a glorious symbol of Taiwan. Flavored but not greasy, juicy but not watery, Xiao-Long-Bao is undoubtedly a must-try during a trip to Taiwan.
Savior of humidity and heat: Shaved Ice Mountain 剉冰
One appalling trait of Taiwan is its weather, especially in the summer. During summertime, the temperature becomes scorchingly high, and the humidity that follows is no help. Good that we have our savior—shaved ice mountain! Shaved ice mountain is a traditional dessert that has been widely favored for decades. Its popularity never decreased. DaOneGong (大碗公) is where I recommend you to get your shaved ice mountains. They are famous for their extra-large bowls of ice.
You’ll be addicted after your first bite:
Taiwanese Popcorn Fried Chicken 雞米花
Just ask Paige about the popcorn chicken! She loves it and our grandmother always buys her this whenever she and her family come back. With the fried skin of a crispy texture matching the freshly-cooked chicken, it’s always appealing to people’s taste buds. Popcorn chicken is featured in streets, night markets, shopping malls… anywhere you might possibly find food, so there’s a great chance that you get to try Taiwanese style popcorn chicken whenever you come and visit us!
Local’s special: Ba-Wan 肉圓
Changhua (彰化), my hometown, is famous for its ba-wan. Inside the chewy and thick layer of dough is a delicious meatball that usually contains pork, bamboo, and mushrooms. Ba-wan is always the best with sauce, and eating it right away always preserves its original taste. If you are luckily visiting Changhua, be sure to try out Ah-Zhang’s Ba-Wan (阿璋肉圓).
Amazing taste along the streets: Clam Noodles 蛤蜊麵
Yassss, time for seafood again! There’s this street vendor that sells delicious clam noodles served with pork near my house. I have fallen in love with their clam noodles for as long as I can remember. No worries if you dislike clam, they also have oysters and other toppings to go with the noodles. Promise to visit sometime! Here’s the address: 500彰化縣彰化市大埔路471號
Foreigners’ favorite: Aiyu Jelly 愛玉
There was a tale behind Aiyu Jelly. Once, a merchant was drinking from a fountain in the wilderness on his way to another city. Surprisingly, he noticed that the water tasted sweet. He soon realized that the plant growing beside it was the source of the stream’s sweetness. He took the seeds of the plant back home in wonder. His daughter made jelly with the water that was soaked with the seeds after experiments. The merchant named the plant and the jelly after his daughter, Aiyu. Not bad to have a well-favored sweet to be named after you, huh? You can eat Aiyu alone, but the most popular is to add it to refreshing cold drinks, adding texture to the beverages.
Featured dish: Three-cup Chicken 三杯雞
As its name implies, three-cup chicken is cooked with a cup of water, a cup of wine, and a cup of oil. Although its name may sound cheesy, three-cup chicken has a supreme ranking in Taiwanese cuisine. Trust me, when my other cousins from Maryland went to a Taiwanese restaurant with us, they licked clean three whole plates of this.
Classic Traditional Sweets: Tang-Tsung 糖蔥
Here comes my favorite sweetie! The making of Tang-Tsung, which means sugar shallot, is now a valuable traditional technique with fewer and fewer people knowing how to do so. Made with melted sugar, Tang-Tsung is really hard to make because you need the right temperature and strength to mold it into its shallot shape. Here’s a video of the process of making Tang-Tsung:
My uncle’s favorite of all time: Stinky tofu 臭豆腐
Blech! Like durian, stinky tofu might be someone’s favorite, yet most people are terrified of its smell. I’m one of the stinky-tofu-stinks team. However, it’s never a loss to try. Who knows, you might find it to be your new favorite, just like my American uncle! Beware, though. If you have friends in Taiwan, they might just trick you into tasting one of the worst… My social studies teacher loves that prank.
The best stew ever: Fishball soup 虱目魚湯
Made with gefilte fish, the original ingredient of fishball soup is milkfish. Taiwan is an island surrounded by the sea, so we’ve always had the freshest seafood to make the most delicious delicacy. Fishball soup is definitely the most popular of all time. You may also see chefs cook fishballs with fresh milkfish, a sprinkle of shallot, and sometimes local vegetables.
Paige’s #1 in mind:
Congee with century egg and pork
皮蛋瘦肉粥
Paige loves Taiwanese food, and congee with century egg and pork has always been her first choice. The congee itself doesn’t consist of much taste, but the century egg provides the exotic flavor, although it makes look unappealing at first sight. The pork used in the congee is usually ground; however, some people prefer pork slices, which provides texture to the congee.
If you are a traveler suffering from wanderlust or an adventurous eater, be sure to pay a visit to Taiwan! Who knows, maybe you’ll just happen to spot me somewhere… It’s a small world, after all. Let me know that you visited us by leaving a comment below or contact us privately by pressing the chat button at the left-bottom corner!
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