Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Taiwan

Ask what Taiwan eats and the answer starts with this: night-market paradise of Hokkien, Hakka and Japanese flavors; braised pork rice, noodle soups and bubble tea. Look for Beef Noodle Soup (slow-braised beef shank and chewy noodles in rich soy-spiced broth), Lu Rou Fan (minced pork belly braised in soy and shallots, ladled over steamed rice) and Bubble Tea (sweet milk tea shaken with chewy tapioca pearls, invented in Taiwan). Created by Sichuanese veterans in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan military villages after 1949, using broad-bean chili paste; Taipei has held a beef noodle festival since 2005. This atlas has 53 Taiwan dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

53 dishes.

Popcorn ChickenPopcorn ChickenBite-size fried chicken tossed with fried basil and white pepperSalty Soy MilkSalty Soy MilkHot soy milk curdled with vinegar over dried shrimp, pickles and fried doughSausage in Rice SausageSausage in Rice SausageGrilled pork sausage tucked into a split glutinous-rice sausage with pickles and garlicScallion PancakeScallion PancakeFlaky pan-fried flatbread layered with spring onionsSesame Oil ChickenSesame Oil ChickenChicken simmered with ginger, black sesame oil and rice wine until warming and headyStinky TofuStinky TofuPungent fermented tofu deep-fried, served with pickled cabbage and chiliSuan CaiSuan CaiSour brined Chinese cabbage from the northeast, stewed with pork belly and glass noodlesSun CakeSun CakeTaichung flaky pastry with sweet maltose fillingSweet Potato BallsSweet Potato BallsHollow fried sweet-potato dough spheres, crisp outside and chewy within.Taiwan BeerTaiwan BeerLight lager brewed with Penglai rice, drunk ice-cold with night-market foodTaiwanese SausageTaiwanese SausageSweet grilled pork sausage, often eaten with raw garlic clovesTaro BallsTaro BallsChewy taro and sweet-potato dumplings in iced syrup with beans and jellyThree Cup ChickenThree Cup ChickenChicken braised in soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil with basilTian Bu LaTian Bu LaFried fishcake pieces simmered in broth with sweet sauce and daikon.Turnip CakeTurnip CakeSteamed daikon and rice-flour cake, pan-fried in slices with soy paste.Wheel CakeWheel CakeRound griddled cakes filled with red bean, custard or taro.Winter Melon TeaWinter Melon TeaCaramelised winter-melon sugar drink, old-school street refresher

  • Beef Noodle Soup

    Slow-braised beef shank and chewy noodles in rich soy-spiced broth. Ready in 30 min prep and 3 hr cooking. 4…

  • Kinmen Kaoliang

    Fierce clear sorghum liquor from the frontline islands, poured at every banquet. Ready in 5 min prep and 6 months…

  • Lu Rou Fan

    Minced pork belly braised in soy and shallots, ladled over steamed rice. Ready in 25 min prep and 1 hr…

  • Aiyu Jelly

    Wobbly plant jelly in iced lemon syrup, made from washed creeping-fig seeds. Ready in 20 min prep and none cooking.…

  • Alishan High Mountain Tea

    Lightly oxidised oolong grown above a thousand metres, creamy and floral. Ready in 5 min prep and 10 min cooking.…

  • Baby Castella

    Small moulded egg sponge cakes sold warm in animal shapes. Ready in 20 min prep and 20 min cooking. About…

  • Ba-wan

    Chewy sweet-potato-starch dumpling stuffed with pork and bamboo, doused in sauce. Ready in 45 min prep and 40 min cooking.…

  • Cai Pu

    Salted, sun-dried daikon aged until dark; fried into omelettes and soups. 40 min to prepare. Makes about 600 g. A…

  • Cheese Tea

    Iced tea capped with a salted whipped cream-cheese foam, sipped through the lid. Ready in 15 min prep and 5…

  • Chiayi Turkey Rice

    Shredded turkey over rice with schmaltz and pickled radish, Chiayi’s civic dish. Ready in 20 min prep and 1 hr…