Sunshine filters through the phoenix trees on to the quiet streets. The old brick walls built three centuries ago still stand proudly. In their shadow, children enjoy a skipping game, and old men are engrossed in a game of chess. Food stands under the shady trees are well patronized by passers-by.
The scene is a typical one in Tainan, Taiwan's oldest city, where the people take great pride in their traditions, and particularly those associated with preparing food. Citizens of Tainan like to say that it takes four generations to understand the dress code, but it takes seven generations to appreciate good food.
Despite the fame of the southern Taiwan city as a culinary center, cooks in Tainan do not specialize in fancy and sumptuous dishes. Rather, they are known for simple and inexpensive meals with an exquisite flavor.
A good start to a day out in Tainan is a tour after enjoying a bowl of carp rice gruel at a stall specializing in the dish in front of the nearby Kwang-an Temple. The 10 or so tables at the stall are always crowded with people savoring this special dish, which consists of rice soup with a slice of carp flesh. True gourmets insist on a bowl made from the carp head, which is said to be the most delicious of all.
On the way to tourist spots in suburban Anping, the traveler should stop off at one of the oyster stalls which line the teach there. Cooks in Tainan make a sort of oyster omelet with starch batter which is sauteed lightly and served with greens, oyster sauce and red sauce. The dish is colorful, and its flavor is piquant.
On the way back to Tainan, one can stop off at a store established more than 100 years ago serving rice dumplings in a unique mushroom soup. Proprietor Ho Tsai-fa claims that the secret of the dish is not in its ingredients, but in the way the temperature is controlled during cooking. He still uses the wood stoves that his father and grandfather used when they owned the business.
Sakariba is the name of a market where small food stalls are lined up one after another in a small area. Literally meaning "eating and drinking place" in Japanese, the area was established some 40 years ago when Taiwan was still under Japanese occupation. Once standing by some quiet fishponds, Sakariba is now located in the busiest downtown area of Tainan, and is better known than many large restaurants in the city.
Despite its macabre name, which translates into English as "coffin," a special dish consisting of a small loaf deep fried until it is golden brown, is the most popular dish in this area. After the loaf is sliced, a two centimeter deep hole is gouged into it and filled with a thick sauce made from chicken kidneys and livers, shrimps, potatoes and butter. When the "lid" is put back on the resemblance to a coffin becomes clear.
The creator of the dish, Hsu Liu-yi recalls how the name was chosen by a professor who sampled the dish in 1961. "He really enjoyed the flavor, and seriously suggested that it be called 'coffin' because of its shape. It occurred to me that such an unusual name might bring me more business, so I adopted it. My hunch was right, and today, the 'coffin' is one of the most popular dishes in Sakariba."
Close to Hsu's stall is another one specializing in a dish known as eel noodles. The noodles are prepared with soy sauce, vinegar, wine, sugar and many other flavorings. The eel is pan fried at the appropriate time, and served fresh on top of the noodles. This dish is not only delicious, but also said to be good for the health. Business is so good that the stall is open from morning to midnight, and chairs and tables spill out into the street to accommodate the extra customers. As in many of the simple but gourmet restaurants in Tainan, an empty seat is always hard to find.
[Picture Caption]
1. Children playing in the shade of old trees make up a typical scene in Tainan city. 2. The proprietor of a food stall fills freshly-fried bread with delicious ingredients. 3. Food stand illuminated with a traditional lantern is the symbol of Tainan noodle vendors.
1. Tsengtze, a dumpling, wrapped in a bamboo leaf is another specialty of Tainan. Ingredients include mushrooms, egg yolk, chestnuts and pork. 2. Cake made of meat is another gourmets' favorite. 3. Rice cake steamed in a bamboo tube. 4. Rice cake with minced pork dressing. 5. Oyster and vegetable omelet is enjoyed by everyone.
1. A boy watches a girl eating rice flake soup, made by splashing rice flour and water on the in side of a hot oven, and then scraping the flakes into the boiling soup at the bottom of the pot. 2. Making rice flake soup. 3. Roast rabbit. 4. Making spring rolls. 5. Deep-fried meat balls. 6. Taro cake. 7. Steamed shrimp and pork balls.
1. An old man eating fried eel noodles. 2. A child orders a big bowl of noodle soup. 3. This mutton dish is reputed to keep one warm on winter evenings. 4. Chicken soup with tangkuei, a tonic herb. 5. Seafood is available at low prices. 6. A reputed vendor of duck and tangkuei soup.
3. Food stand illuminated with a traditional lantern is the symbol of Tainan noodle vendors.
he proprietor of a food stall fills freshly-fried bread with delicious ingredients.
Tsengtze, a dumpling, wrapped in a bamboo leaf is another specialty of Tainan. Ingredients include mushrooms, egg yolk, chestnuts and pork.
Cake made of meat is another gourmets' favorite.
Rice cake steamed in a bamboo tube.
Rice cake with minced pork dressing.
Oyster and vegetable omelet is enjoyed by everyone.
A boy watches a girl eating rice flake soup, made by splashing rice flour and water on the in side of a hot oven, and then scraping the flakes into the boiling soup at the bottom of the pot.
Steamed shrimp and pork balls.
Steamed shrimp and pork balls.
An old man eating fried eel noodles.
A child orders a big bowl of noodle soup.
This mutton dish is reputed to keep one warm on winter evenings.
Chicken soup with tangkuei, a tonic herb.
Seafood is available at low prices.
A reputed vendor of duck and tangkuei soup.
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