Top 15 Taiwan local foods to try

The first thing I always love to share after my travel would be the local foods. Still remember the top local foods to try in Korea? Or the mouth watering delicacies from Japan? What about local foods of Taiwan? Here you go! These are the top 15 Taiwan local foods to try whenever you visit Taiwan, in random order.

Beef Noodle

The national dish of Taiwan. Though it is not originally from Taiwan, Taiwanese beef noodle is always considered as the best. With soft beef chunks and Taiwanese noodle in rich and tasty soup, you can find beef noodles everywhere in Taiwan. However, I found the one in Taoyuan night market and the other in Jiufen to be the best.

Braised Pork Rice

A simple rice dish with only stewed pork on top, and it is delicious! This dish reminded me of the Don dishes in Japan. The combination of mouth melted stewed pork and the fat Japanese rice is simply unbeatable. One of the shops in Jiufen sells great braised pork rice.

Flour Rice Noodle

If you haven’t tried flour rice noodle before, head over to Ximending in Taipei and look for Ah Jung Mi Xuah. You will never regret. You may try others elsewhere as there are countless flour rice noodle stalls in Taiwan.

Boneless Fried Chicken

The top street food in Taiwan, boneless fried chicken redefined the taste of fried chicken, besides KFC. You will find one in every night market of Taiwan, but Hot Star large fried chicken in Shilin night market of Taipei is among the best.

Braised meat soup

Not everyone loves this dish, but if you like it, Taiwanese braised meat soup can easily ease your cravings. Fengjia night market in Taichung has one stall which is famous for it.

Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao (small steamed buns).

Eventhough you can now go to the nearest branch of Din Tai Fung in either Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States or Thailand to order your xiaolongbao, you must not miss to try them in its origin country, Taiwan!

Taiwan lager beer

Yes, Taiwan beer is from Taiwan! Other than Heinneken, you should try Taiwan Beer whenever you are in Taiwan.

Taiwan bubble tea

The milk tea drinking culture has been over 50 years in Taiwan. And you will find one tea shop in every other corner. The chewing tapioca flour balls give Taiwan bubble tea the name. If you wish to taste the best, 50 lan (50嵐) is the most popular brand in Taiwan selling pearl milk tea.

Taiwan papaya milk

A popular beverage in Taiwan, papaya milk reminded me of the banana milk of Korea.

Sweet potato yam bean curd desert

Mixing yam balls, sweet potato and beancurd together, and you will get this popular desert in Taiwan. I’ve tried a few stalls. The one in Jiufen is great to my liking.

Taiwanese bento

When you talk about bento, you will think of Japan. Bento is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, withpickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. Influenced by Japan during it 50 years ruling in Taiwan, bento is also popular in certain train stations and convenient stores. Why you should try bento in Taiwan is because it looks great too!

Peanut roll with ice cream filling

A hand roll with peanuts filling is nothing, but mixing it with ice cream makes it a special desert!

Fried sweet potato

I can also find one in my home place, but Taiwan fried sweet potato is crispier and sweeter. Fengjia street market has one fried sweet potato stalls with tremendous long queue.

Stinky Tofu

You may argue Hong Kong has the best stinky tofu. I couldn’t agree more. But Taiwan has the least smelly fried bean curd in Shilin night market. For those trying it for the first time, Taiwanese version may leave you a better first impression..

Drunken cold chicken

Cooked with liquor, some with Kaoliang of Taiwan, this drunken chicken has an unique smell and taste. A popular dish among locals and it’s best to eat it cold too!

Cheese Potato

Influenced by the Dutch during its colonization in Taiwan, cheese potato is still popular in Taiwan. If you wander about the Fenhjia shopping market, cheese potato is something not to be missed.

View more photos from the collection in the Flickr iframe below.

Generally, Taiwanese foods are quite similar to what you can get in China. The differences are mainly taste, cooking preference and ingredients. If you know the history of how Taiwan was going through the Dutch colonization, Qing Dynasty and Japan ruling period, you should be able to understand how Taiwanese foods are being influenced by the past. And this has successfully made Taiwanese foods an international cuisine loved by both Asian and Western food cravers!

There is a catch though. The quality of foods being sold across the nation is however mixed. You should try those shops or stalls with long queue in order to taste the best! 🙂 – Travel Feeder