Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Next Stop: Taiwan


Taiwanese cuisine is often associated with influences from the nearby mid to southern provences of China, and with Japan. In addition to representative dishes from the Hoklo ethnicity, there are also aboriginal, Hakka, and local derivatives of Chinese cuisines.

Pork, rice, soy are very common ingredients, as with many Chinese cuisines. Living on a crowded island, the Taiwanese had to look aside from the farmlands for sources of protein. As a result, seafood figures prominently in their cuisine, ranging from fish of varying proportions, to crustaceans, squid, and cuttlefish. Because of the island's sub-tropical location, Taiwanese cuisine also takes advantage of an abundant supply of fruits.

The scarcity of natural resources has made for hard living on the island. As the Taiwanese had to make do with very little, they show remarkable adaptiveness, craftiness and creativity when it comes to preparing food, in particular through the use of spices. Taiwanese cuisine relies on an abundant array of seasonings for flavour: Soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, Black beans, pickled radishes, peanuts, chili peppers, parsley, and a local variety of basil ("nine story tower").

Taiwan's best-known snacks are present in the night markets, where street vendors sell a variety of different foods:

Stinky tofu - the aroma of stinky tofu is intimidating at first but can be an acquired taste.
Ba wan (literally "meat circle") - a sticky gelatinous dough filled with pork, bamboo shoots, shiitake, and served with a savory sweet sauce
Taiwanese sausages - fatty pork sausages with a sweet taste; served on a stick with varying flavors and condiments; sometimes wrapped in glutinous rice.
Scallion pancakes - flour pancake with many thin layers, made with scallions.
Candied Crabapples - red candy coated bite-sized fruits served on a stick.
Shaved ice – served with a variety of toppings: red beans, green beans, pineapple, condensed milk, grass jelly, lychees, peanuts, rice balls.
Oyster omelet - made from eggs, glutinous rice, oysters, and Garland chrysanthemum leaves; has a soft, sticky texture, and is eaten with a sweet and mildly spicy sauce, topped with cilantro.
Fruit or bean smoothies - milk or ice blended with fresh papaya, mango, watermelon, red bean, or green bean Fried glutinous rice balls - slightly sweet in flavor
Shawarma - usually made from chicken and is served on a leavened, white flour bun with julienned cabbage and salad vegetables.

Other Taiwanese favourites include:
jiû-hî keⁿ - thickened soup with cuttlefish wrapped in fish paste.
ô-á mī-sòaⁿ - oyster vermicelli
o· bí-ko - a dish made from pork blood and rice; usually cut into a rectangular piece and served on a stick, topped with peanut paste, hot sauce, and cilantro.
ló·-bah-png - minced fatty pork served on rice.
tōa-tng pau sió-tng - or small sausage in large sausage
sān bēi jī - a chicken dish which literally translates as "three cups chicken", named because the sauce is made of a cup of rice wine, a cup of sesame oil, and a cup of soy sauce.
bubble tea, aka boba milk tea; also known as pearl milk tea
sian-chháu - grass jelly
ò-giô-peng - a gelatinous dessert made from the seeds of a fig-like fruit. Served on ice.
ō-á-peng - a dessert made of frozen taro root paste.

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