Preparing for a state banquet reflecting Taiwan’s unique history, chef Wes Kuo (郭庭瑋) places delicate vegetable fronds around sauces inspired by the cuisines of its five major ethnic groups.
The dish is to be part of an eight-course feast full of symbolism to be served after William Lai (賴清德) is sworn in as president on Monday against a backdrop of increasing pressure from China.
Kuo said the banquet created by Taiwanese chefs and food critics mirrors the nation’s identity.
Photo: CNA
“We put together Taiwan’s seasonal produce on one plate, paired with five different sauces, to represent the flavor of each ethnic group,” Kuo said as he practiced the dish in his Taipei restaurant, Embers.
The sauces paint a vivid picture.
Fermented tofu paste — often found in Taiwanese dishes — sits alongside a kumquat concoction popular with Taiwan’s Hakka community.
There is also a satay sauce similar to Southeast Asian cuisines, with a spot of chilli for a kick. A finishing touch are crystal-clear drops of Te’nas — made with sea salt, chilli and water — which comes from the Amis people.
The sauces “blend very well when eaten together,” Kuo said.
Food critic Jewel Tsai (蔡珠兒) said the banquet tells the story of Taiwan and its most important elements of “freedom, democracy and diversity.”
The dinner is to be held in Tainan, where Lai previously served as mayor.
Dignitaries expected to attend include former officials from the US, as well as leaders from its diplomatic allies.
Long before the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) fled to Taiwan after the Chinese Communist Party gained control of China in 1949, Taiwan’s cultural identity had been shaped over centuries by indigenous people, as well as Chinese, European and Japanese rulers.
As Taiwan moved from autocracy to democracy by the 1990s, the population — which had been educated under a Chinese curriculum — began to develop a distinct identity.
“Many ordinary people felt that they were suppressed or repressed in the past, so if they can show the food of common people, this will be connected with the local identity,” said Chen Yu-jen (陳玉箴), a Taiwan food historian. “Taiwanese people are very confident in their own food and culture ... it has developed into a political symbol.”
Lai’s inauguration menu also features a chicken soup common in small eateries, as well as bubble milk tea — a drink usually loaded with milk, sugar and tapioca pearls.
A fish dish of yellowfin bream is to be served with an aromatic tana herb and pepper sauce, drawn from traditional indigenous cooking.
Lai himself has requested a sweet potato and kumquat roll from a favorite rural restaurant in his northern birthplace of New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里).
“He likes sweet food and it just suits his taste,” said Tung Shih-min, owner of Jiu Zhuang Mei Shi restaurant, as his staff prepared 1,000 rolls.
Kuo said that including everyday street snacks like the sweet roll in the fine dining banquet represented Taiwan’s acceptance of different cultures and ways of life.
“I think this is the most important value of democracy — no exclusivity,” he said.
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