Hello all! Thanks for your patience! It’s been a busy time during the four countries in two weeks as well as coming back to a roller coaster time back home. I don’t foresee things calming down personally or professionally as I took advantage of the airline ticket price drop to buy Copa tickets to Colombia for Fall. So here we are, hopefully hungry to hear about Taiwan! Since there’s so much food to talk about, here’s the overview of notable mentions:
- Taipei
- Jiufen
- See food post Taiwan: Food, Food, Food! [Part 2]
So a lot was planned beyond just food…but the food is what I really wish I could bottle up and take back with me! Being able to stumble into Taipei’s first tea roaster by happenstance, to amble in a walking tour while jet lagged (sorry amazing tour guides, I was not ready for banter after a red eye after a wedding), and to eat vinasse Taiwanese meatballs straight off the fryer–Taiwan really is a food lover’s paradise. I cannot wait to go back–friends recommend seeing life beyond the north–as it is a nation rich in culture, nature, and warmth. BUT onto why you may still be reading…food talk.
Taipei
Lu Rou Fan
As referenced before, my friend and I arrived in Taipei at 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM respectively. Since Manila was (surprisingly) not as harrowing as it normally is, I napped here and there…refusing to go to the massage lounge as I feared oversleeping. Needless to say that combined with a wedding the day before…I was still a tad sleepy. Once my friend and I dropped off our bags we stumbled through the streets letting our stomachs and the crowds guide us to, of all things, Lu Rou Fan. My friends know how much I adored this dish–the first thing I did once coming back was find a recipe to use as a base to recreate the one I had at 大稻埕魯肉飯-推薦在地特色小吃 必吃美食 平價老字號 (I did eventually stumble upon the famous Jin Feng while solo touring but honestly this place stole my heart away; link is to their business page, if you want to just hop there here’s their google map location).
Lu Rou Fan is a cozy, loving dish, originating from need and elevated with the growth and prosperity of Taiwan. But what is it? Open the pot. Enter a warm, welcoming scent. Savory star anise wafts with notes of soy sauce; a hint of acid to liven up a braised pork center piece that arose from a long, slow stew. Truly a mouth watering dish offset with pickled garnish or bamboo shoots depending on regionality. As I am who I am, I dove into the history of this dish (recall I have looked into the country of origin of vegetables on a sleepless night). There are links to Shangainese Hong Shao Rou but there is no clear origin story like say potato chips. I ate way more than just Lu Rou Fan though, so if you want to hear one person’s deep dive into its roots here is Foodamentals!
Scallion Pancakes
Oh my heart. Many a bond has been made over scallion pancakes. Even personally, whole friendships elevated with these comforting, crunchy, fluffy, flavorful snacks. Taipei’s foodie street, Yong Kang, has some famous, line up and know what you want when you get there, scallion pancakes. My friend and I ended up going here when we first landed via walking tour (honestly walking tours are worth it!) and then took my parents later in the week because they were so good. The shop owners are so efficient that even when a line starts to curl around the street corner, you don’t wait longer than 15 minutes to go from end of queue to enjoying your pancake for very little NTD (30-50 depending what you get–I’m partial to the basil and egg one for 35 NTD at the time of my visit), directions here.
Ba wan
Ba wan was one of those unexpected things that my friend and I were nervous about butchering (her Mandarin is rusty and mine is…humbling to say the least). Thankfully since we started our adventure with a walking tour, we asked the guide for advice on where to go. He led us to 府城台南美食 (the internet only yields their Facebook page; linked) on Yong Kang Street and helped us order. I know they look pretty…homogeneous; so what are these glutinous looking rice and potato based dumplings? Ba wan is a staple street food famous throughout Taiwan. These innocuous looking bites are jam packed with savory flavor and soaked in a sweet-savory soy sauce mix. Ours were shrimp filled–I think I recall that being a popular filling in the South. But they can come filled with pork and bamboo, shiitake, chicken–it’s a near limitless savory gambit into the mix.
Beef Noodle Soup
So, I have a friend who had a bad time in Taiwan. Wild to hear, but let’s be honest–bad things happen when least expected. As such, I wanted to do all I could to redeem this country even if they were aware it’s such an anomalous thing. One thing that persisted as a shining beacon in their unfortunate trip–beef noodle soup. And frankly, if a soup could don armor and chivalrously vie for a silver lining…there are only a handful of soups I could say can compete. [Trust me, I’m a soup-o-phile.] Beefy-herbaceous front notes, subtle spicy back notes, and comfort through and through; this Taiwanese dish warmed me on a chilly evening that had us peeling off jackets before being lulled into a post-food sleepy haze.
As this is a dish newer to my arsenal, I had to hunt down a convenient recipe. This recipe here is delightful and has both conventional and Instant Pot options; take a gander on their blog overall, a blog ran by a multi-generational family tugs at my heartstrings and may tug yours too.
Sushi
I know this isn’t unique to Taiwan…but wow the Taipei Fish Market did not disappoint. If I recall everything pictured was for $15 USD…coming from a city where 1/2 to 2/3 of the sushi pictured would be that price alone…without even factoring the quality differential, this was a steal. Add in how fresh everything was…my mouth is watering recalling this. My friend and I loved the food so much that we came back later in the week after a long walk on the other end of the city. Good seafood is no joke, and being on an island nation…Taiwan really delivered!
Bubble Milk Tea
Did you really go to Taiwan if you didn’t get Bubble Milk Tea (Boba Tea)? I can easily say I had a bubble tea a day. Originating in the 80s, popularized internationally in the early 2000s, while I can’t tell you which bubble tea is the best–low sugar kind of gal here–I can tell you there’s not wrong way to enjoy bubble tea in Taiwan. It’s cheap, abundant, and a delight.
And that’s it for today folks! I wanted to keep everything in one post but looks like Jiufen will have to be standalone. Taiwan really lives up to it’s reputation as being a food lovers’ nation.
-Stay Hungry XOXO