Immigrants plus local products
As with the population of Keelung, most of the Miaokou Night Market’s food offerings have roots that go back to the Chinese cities of Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, but there are also influences from Japan, the United States, and other nations.
Tsao says, “Keelung’s food is a product of the intersection of immigrant ethnic groups and local products.” He offers Keelung’s “red vinasse” dishes, which originated in Fuzhou cuisine, as an example. Bright red and possessed of a hint of sweetness from red kōji (Monascus purpureus), red vinasse is frequently used as a flavoring and natural food dye in Fuzhou. In Taiwan, street vendors often mistakenly refer to its addition as “red braising.” You’ll find Taiwanese-style red-vinasse eel in the Miaokou Night Market, as well as another Taiwanese innovation—bawan with red vinasse added to the minced-pork filling for a bit of color.
Another Miaokou stall sells rice bean (Vigna umbellata) stew, a dish that originated in Quanzhou’s Anxi County. Tsao says that whereas Anxi vendors make the dish by cooking rice beans with sponge gourd, Miaokou vendors have adapted it to take advantage of Keelung’s coastal location by adding oysters, shrimp, and cuttlefish.
Keelung’s renowned “nutritious sandwich” is another case in point. Buns made from bread flour are deep fried, split open, filled with ham, soy egg, tomato, and other ingredients, and then topped with mayonnaise. Developed by a business owner of the older generation, the nostalgic treat was based on a description in a Japanese magazine, draws inspiration from American submarine sandwiches and Japanese fried bread, and is dressed with Taiwanese-style mayonnaise. (Taiwanese mayonnaise is made from a combination of egg yolks and egg whites, as well as a large amount of sugar, unlike French mayonnaise, which uses only the yolks.) The sandwich is an example of Taiwan’s skill at borrowing from other cultures to cook up something delicious and new.
Taiwan has localized Fuzhou’s red vinasse cuisine. Shown here are red vinasse eel, bawan, pork, and beef noodle soup.