Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Iron eggs
Braised and dried eggs with a black rubbery consistency.
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Coffin cake
(
guāncái bǎn
) Tainan's fat, deep-fried-in-egg toast planks, hollowed out and
filled with a thick chowder of seafood and vegetables.
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Jiāng sī chǎo dàcháng
Hakka-style stir-fried pig intestines with ginger.
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Fried sandworms
(
chǎo shāchóng
) A speciality of Kinmen; best served hot.
Local Specialities
Taiwanese cuisine can be divided into several styles of cooking, though the boundaries
are often blurred. You'd be hard-pressed to find some of Taiwan's more emblematic
dishes (stinky tofu, for example) anywhere in China outside of restaurants specialising in
Taiwanese cuisine, though you'll find much food of close comparison in Fujian province.
Straddling both sides of the straits, Hakka food is distinct enough to warrant its own cat-
egory, though the Hakka cuisine you'll find on Taiwan will be more seafood-heavy than
what's found in China's inland regions. And of course, any cuisine you can find on the
mainland - Cantonese, Sichuanese, Beijing, Shanghainese and so forth - you'll also find
in Taiwan.
Taiwanese
Taiwanese cooking has a long, storied and complex history, with influences ranging from
all over China mixed with a rather unique aboriginal/Polynesian base. In general, food
that you see people enjoying at roadside markets and restaurants tends to emphasise local
recipes and ingredients - seafood, sweet potatoes, taro root and green vegetables cooked
very simply are at the heart of most Taiwanese meals.
Xiǎoyú huāshēng
(fish stir-fry with
peanuts and pickled vegetables) is one example of a Taiwanese favourite.
Chicken rates second in popularity to seafood, followed by pork and beef.
Kézǎi
(oysters) are popular, and
kézǎi tāng
(clear oyster soup with ginger) is an excellent
hangover cure and overall stomach soother.
Hakka
Hakka dishes are very rich and hearty, sensible for a people who historically made their
living as farmers and needed plenty of energy to work the fields. Dishes are often salty
and vinegary, with strong flavours. Pork, a favourite of the Hakka, is often cut up into
large pieces, fried and then stewed in a marinade. Our favourite Hakka dish is
kèjiā xiǎo
chǎo
(stir-fried cuttlefish with leeks, tofu and pork).
