Taiwanese Food: 14 Traditional Dishes of Taiwan

Taiwan is a small country to the South of China. Taiwan’s nearest geographic neighbors are China, Japan, and the Philippines

Aboriginal peoples are believed to have settled Taiwan over 6,000 years ago. In the early 17th century, the Dutch and Spanish established settlements on the island. In the 17th Century, Taiwan was annexed by Chinese Dynasty, which was followed Japanese Rule, until WWII, when Taiwan was placed back under Chinese administration.

Taiwanese food is largely inspired by the cuisine from the Chinese mainland, with Indigenous, Japanese and Southeast Asian influences.

Given Taiwan’s location by the ocean, fish, oysters, squid and shrimp are commonly used ingredients.

Pickled vegetables, chili sauces and fermented black beans are popular condiments in Taiwanese cuisine.

Beef Noodle Soup

Beef noodle soup is a staple in Taiwan; the beef is slowly cooked in a broth with vegetables for hours (sometimes a whole day), making the meat tender and the broth packed full of flavor.

Beef noodle soup can be found at hundreds of food vendors and restaurants, with some variations to the recipe depending on the chef and location.

Gua Bao: The Taiwanese Hamburger

Gua Bao, also known as pork belly buns or Taiwanese hamburger, is made from tender braised pork belly sandwiched between steamed bao buns.

Gua Bao are typically topped with stir-fried suan cai (pickled mustard greens), and ground peanuts.

Stinky Tofu

Stinky tofu is made with tofu that has been fermented in brine for several months which gives it a very strong blue cheese odour. This delicacy tastes like a very sweet tofu or certain types of cheeses.

Bubble Tea (Pearl Milk Tea)

Bubble tea is a cold, sweet tea drink containing chewy tapioca balls (pearls). Served with a large straw to suck up the pearls, it’s a very popular drink with locals and tourists alike.

Bubble tea has experienced somewhat of a boom in recent years and is now available to try in many Western cities throughout the world.

Sun Cake

Sun cakes are a pastry dessert, usually filled with maltose, which are a specialty of the city of Taichung.

They are round in shape and light colored, hence their name. Sun cakes are often served with tea.

ZongZi: Sticky Rice Dumplings

Zongzi are sticky rice dumplings, originally a traditional Chinese dish. Zongzi is made of steamed or boiled rice stuffed with fillings, either sweet or savory, such as tapioca, taro, red bean paste, egg, pork or chicken. They are then wrapped in bamboo leaves to hold them altogether.

Zongzi are traditional and representative of older, authentic Taiwanese cuisine. They are commonly served at street food markets where they are consumed as a snack.

Oyster Omelette

Oyster omelettes are omelettes with a filling primarily composed of small Pacific oysters. This dish is cooked with noodles, scallions and a-choy then covered in a chili or savory sauce.

These are readily available at night markets around Taipei, such as the Raohe Night Market.

Braised Pork Rice

Braised pork rice is ground pork meat that is marinated and then boiled in soy sauce.

Although this dish is subject to regional variations, it is often served with a side of Chinese pickles and hard boiled eggs.

Hot Pot (Steamboat)

To make hotpot, meat and vegetables dipped into a spicy hot broth and cooked at the dining table. Best eaten with 2 or more people, the ingredients are added to the simmering broth to cook and then eaten with a dipping sauce. The flavor of the broth seeps into the vegetables.

Hot pot is a real dining experience that you can find all over Taiwan and throughout China. For the best experiences it’s worth seeking out some of the top rated restaurants for hot pot (or ask locals for advice).

Taiwanese Fried Chicken

Taiwanese fried chicken is known as popcorn chicken in the USA, the ingredients include soy sauce, chilli, five-spice, basil leaf and garlic.

These fried chicken bites are eaten as a quick street food snack, served with a wooden stick, much like a large toothpick, to use to eat.

Oolong tea

Oolong tea traditionally originates in China, it is made of withered and dried leaves, using the process of oxidation. Different levels of oxidation will produce different levels of strength. There are many different flavors of Oolong tea that you can try from green oolong tea to very black tea.

There are many traditions and ceremonies around drinking Oolong tea, including particular steps to the preparation that brings out the best flavors and aromas.

Pineapple Cakes

Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes are made by encasing pineapple with a crumbly pastry on the outside. There are hundreds of speciality stores and bakeries in Taiwan, each with their own unique take on the snack.

The word for pineapple in Taiwanese is ‘Hokkien’ which sounds a lot like the a phrase that translates as ‘come forth, prosperous and thriving’. So Taiwanese people associate pineapple cakes with giving well wishes to others, perhaps as gifts for celebrations such as engagements.

Ba Wan

Ba wan is a Taiwanese street food that consists of a disk-shaped dough prepared using corn starch, rice flour and sweet potato starch. The translucent dough is then stuffed with a savory filling and consumed along with a sweet and savory sauce.

The filling differs extensively depending on the different areas in Taiwan, but typically includes a combination of bamboo shoots, pork and shiitake mushrooms.

Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

Cong you bing is a green onion flatbread, also known as Scallion Pancakes. The dough is made from wheat flour and water, and rolled into a rectangular shape before being topped with green onions or scallions. The dough is then rolled into a loose log then sliced. The slices are flattened into thin discs and cooked in a pan.