There are so many yummy delicacies to try when you are in Taiwan that your stomach will surely beckon you to go out of your hotel room and search for all those goodies.  Definitely, your growling stomach will force you to go out of your room even if you are staying at the posh Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei – a hotel is located in the eastern part of Taipei and is a short walk from the Jen Ai Road circle where you can have a great view of grand Taipei 101.

Taiwanese cuisine is pretty rich and has evolved from a number of influences from China and Japan. The type of food that you will find in Taiwan has a lot to do with its geographic location and abundance of natural resources like delicious fruits, poultry, seafoods, etc. Dishes are normally seasoned with soy, sesame oil, chili peppers, mixed with pork or chicken that is topped on hot steamed rice.

To start with, you can go to night markets and be adventurous in doing a little bit of food tripping together with your window shopping and you won’t be disappointed at all.  In local night markets, you will find chicken that is cooked in the most unique way.  Observe while the food stall vendor chops the chicken and sautés it in a yummy looking sauce made of garlic, ginger, and special herbs and spices.  You can even choose the chicken part that you want the vendor to cook for you.  As for me, I prefer chicken legs or thighs.  If you are a bit adventurous then you can also have some chicken intestines, ass, liver etc.  After cooking the chicken, the vendor will then put it in a bag and give it to you to enjoy with a pair of good ol’ chopsticks.  It may sound terrible but believe me when I say that this is really quite tasty.

You can also try some duck heads that are served almost everywhere in the night markets.  Duck is served almost the same way as chicken.  Duck parts like the head, knees, stomachs, intestines, liver, ass etc but minus actual duck meat are laid out on the table for hungry customers.  But the best part of the duck is the tongue.  Take a bite to see if you like it.

Aside from chicken and duck, there are other goodies for you to try in night markets like buns that come in different sizes and stuffed with tasty sautéed or steamed meat.  There are also oyster cakes or oyster omelets that will make your mouth water.  Try some sweet ice cold fruit shakes and juices.  Remember that some local delicacies are quite similar to the type of food that you have in your home countries.

Another delicacy that you should try in Taiwan is stinky tofu or chou toufoo. Locals would tell you that this is the “unofficial” national snack food of Taiwan and is eaten almost all the time.  It is not difficult to find stinky tofu it is always present in food stalls along the street or in night markets.  You also cannot discount the fact that that all you have to do is follow your nose in order to find some.  It can be served dry (the most popular) where stinky tofu is deep fried and it can also be served wet together with a fresh serving of goose blood and some soup.  Stinky tofu is made when tofu undergoes fermentation and from its name it is quite obvious that you just might not be able to stand the smell.  Aside from Taiwan, stinky tofu can also be seen in China and in some parts of Indonesia.

There is another kind of meal in Taiwan that is a must-try.  I’m actually referring to Taiwan’s version of huo guo which is a type of cooking that is done in a hot pot with boiling broth not oil.  A pot with boiling broth will be served on the table together with platters of raw vegetables, pieces of pork, chicken or lamb meat and fish/squid balls including tofu.  You would have to drop pieces of food in the broth to cook them then scoop them out in a bowl together with some soup.  You can also dip the food pieces in different kinds of sauces with garlic, chili pepper sauce, etc. depending on your preference.

For your food tripping adventure in Taiwan, remember that in order to sample Taiwan’s delicacies, you don’t have to take that trip to a nearby upscale restaurant.  You can just head to a nearby market, food stall or cafeteria.  The important thing is that you bring with you a big appetite and you’ll be in for a sumptuous food hunt adventure.

Posted in Food, Taiwan

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