Taiwan’s Love Affair with Food

Taiwan’s culinary culture incorporates elements of Minnan (Southern Fujianese) and Chinese cuisine, foods of the Taiwanese Indigenous peoples, as well as Japanese and Southeast-Asian flavors. After long years of interaction among these diverse strands, combined with innovation, it boasts flexibility and creativity and manifests an immigrant character generated by many sources.

Across 50 years, Taiwan Panorama has compiled an impressive array of articles on the elements, trends, and changes in Taiwan cuisine. 

Celebrating local cooking

Small eateries featuring simple, unpretentious foods are an important bulwark of Taiwan cuisine.

In April 1982, in “The Flavors of Tainan,” we reported on famous local dishes of that city including the milkfish congee sold at Hang in front of Guang’an Temple, the thick pork and mushroom soup at Zai Fa Hao, the coffin bread of the Sakariba market, and the danzai noodles of Du Hsiao Yueh.

Speaking of little eateries, there is a saying, “Tainan in the south, Keelung in the north.” As the gateway to Taiwan in the era of Japanese rule, the port city of Keelung encountered foreign influences relatively early on, so that it added Japanese and American elements to Taiwan’s native Minnan and Cantonese cuisine. A report on “Keelung’s Delectable Food Street” was published in November, 1983.

Of course, one can’t neglect to mention the Chinese cuisines that came to Taiwan with the influx of “mainlanders” after World War II. In February, 1984 an article called “A Guide to Restaurants in Taipei” introduced well-known Zhejiang, Sichuan, Hunan, and northern Chinese style establishments.

We have also reported on the unique flavors of Taiwan’s offshore islands. In May, 2001 a series of three articles introduced the culinary culture of Matsu, including fish noodles, red vinasse, and stir-fried Japanese goose barnacles, as well as the Matsu cakes, hibiscus pastry, and jiguang cakes made at the Tienmei Hsuen and Paoli Hsuen bakeries.

Classic flavors famous worldwide

As Taiwan transitioned from an agricultural to an industrial society, demand for fine food caused the restaurant industry to flourish. Classic brands that have survived the test of time have also left their mark in our pages over the years.

These have included: Din Tai Fung, renowned for its xiaolongbao, which did not originate in Taiwan but are now synonymous with the island; Shin Yeh, which started out selling congee but brought elegance to traditional Taiwanese dishes including tsai-bo-neng (omelet cooked with dried radish), fried pork liver, and almond tofu; Chun Shui Tang and Hanlin Tea House, old specialty teashops that symbolize Taiwan’s tea culture and launched boba tea; and SunnyHills, which started out as an agribusiness and sparked the fad for pineapple cakes made with native pineapple varieties.