10 Taiwanese foods you have to try at least once in your lifetime

Last Updated on 2016-05-19 , 1:35 pm

No matter where you turn in Taiwan, food is always waiting for you around the corner. With the gazillion number of food items, make sure that you try at least these 10 when you’re there.

Stinky Tofu
Perhaps the most infamous food of them all, you’ll either love or hate this dish. Its pungent smell will hit you from a distance before you even see the store selling it. It is usually deep fried and topped with chilli, garlic, shredded cucumber and pickled cabbage. You can find these easily in night markets.

Iron Egg
Originating from Tamsui district, these hard boiled eggs are repeatedly braised and dried for a week. Due to this process, the resulting eggs are dark, flavourful and very chewy. The most famous brand in Taiwan is called Ah Po Tie Dan (阿婆鐵蛋) which you can find in various grocery stores.

“Frog Eggs” Drink
Don’t worry, despite the name, there are no frog eggs in this drink. Essentially an iced jelly drink, the “frog eggs” refer to the black sago pearls. Usually lemon or lime flavoured, the drink is very refreshing and good for beating the heat after jostling in the night market.

Small Sausage in Big Sausage
Some might think that this has something to do with intestines since the literal translation is “Big intestine wrap small intestine”. Thankfully, the “big intestine” is just a sausage-shaped glutinous rice which is filled with a smaller Taiwanese pork sausage (small intestine). It is then barbecued and topped with salted vegetables, lettuce and a large amount of garlic.

Fried Milk
Served on a stick, frozen milk cubes are dipped into a batter before deep frying. When they emerge, the cubes surprisingly turn into balls! The exterior is crunchy while the interiors is soft and creamy, almost like a custard. It is always served piping hot so be careful not to burn your tongue.

Pig’s Blood Cake
It’s exactly what the name says–solidified pig blood cakes. Sticky rice is mixed with pig’s blood to achieve a mochi-like consistency and then steamed. Right before serving you, the pig blood cake is dipped into a sweet soy sauce, rolled in peanut powder, sprinkled with cilantro and served on a stick. The texture is in between a rice cake and mochi.

Coffin Toast
Thick bread is deep fried and then hollowed in the middle. It is then filled with various fillings from creamy chicken to vegetables, seafood and even curry. The “lid” of the toast is then placed back on top before serving and resembles the shape of a coffin, hence its name.

Pepper Bun
These pepper buns are most famous at Raohe night market where there is always a queue. A line of workers each have their own dedicated role to play at the store–from rolling the dough to wrapping the pork meat and placing the buns into the oven canister. The buns are baked over charcoal till they are crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside. The portions of the pepper pork filling and scallions are generous and juicy, making this a snack not to be missed!

Candied Fruit Sticks
You might have seen these in pugilistic Chinese films where the children eat these as desserts. Fruits such as strawberries, apples, grapes and tomatoes are covered with a hard sugar coating and served on sticks.

Bittergourd Juice
A very refreshing drink which is not at all bitter! Made of white bittergourds, fruit juice stalls usually sell this drink along the roadside and in night markets.