A history lesson on cuisine
As Taiwan does internationally, Taiwanese cuisine, which is often referred to as “Chinese food,” also faces complex identity issues. However, Taiwanese cuisine has developed its unique style due to the influence of its multi-ethnic culture.
Taiwanese cuisine has recently been growing in popularity internationally, especially in the US. Americans are becoming increasingly interested in Taiwanese food, and cookbooks introducing the cuisine are multiplying.
According to the New York Times, the number of Taiwanese restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York has doubled in recent years.
CNN recently aired a feature on Asian roadside snacks, including pearl milk tea, salted chicken and stinky tofu from Taiwan.
The 2022 Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list includes 57 shops in Taipei, 37 in Taichung, 27 in Tainan and 20 in Kaohsiung. The list recommends three-course meals at prices lower than NT$1,000.
Taiwan is known for its gourmet food, particularly its cheap and delicious snacks. The Bib Gourmand Recommended List includes more than 20 types of cuisine, with nearly 30 percent of it from Taiwan.
Take the 27 Tainan stores listed for the first time as an example: 19 are snacks, such as salty porridge, milkfish dishes, sticky rice in a cup, pork heart noodles, shaved ice, tutuo mackerel congee, beef soup, shrimp meatballs, squid rice noodles and wagui.
It is well known that Taiwan is a multi-ethnic society. Indigenous people have been consuming taro, sweet potato, millet, other vegetables, wild herbs and seafood since time immemorial.
As the Han people cultivated and developed in various places, the traditional dishes they brought from Fujian and Guangdong provinces in China have developed into different local delicacies. Japanese dishes such as oden and sashimi were also introduced during the Japanese period.
After World War II, people from China flocked to Taiwan, and dishes from across China have been improved and localized since then.
The food culture of Western and eastern Asia has also influenced Taiwanese cuisine.
There is a history behind the food in Taiwan and the reasons for it. If the public can better comprehend the culture and history of delicious food, eating would be not only an enjoyment of taste, smell and sight, but also a cultural and historical experience.
Huang Yu-hsiu
Tainan
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