Taiwan Cuisine

The cuisine of Taiwan can be marked with a distinct flavor of its own. Taiwan caters a variety of dishes which include food from China, Fiji, Shanghai, Hunan, Beijing and Sichuan. Taiwanese food, as it is served today, has evolved with natural requirements as well as provincial influences.

Since ingredients were scarce in the region, the Taiwanese food developed as simple preparations cooked out of whatever was available. Thus, sweet potatoes and taro roots were used as substitutes if rice was unavailable. Such adaptations are quite frequent in Taiwanese cuisines, for instance, soups contain quite unusual ingredients like pork bones or bitter melons. Taiwanese creativity in cooking is again evident in their use of seasonings. Black beans, pickles, parsleys, basil, etc are used to add a tinge to the otherwise modest ingredients used. The subtropical island has a rich store of fruits like papaya and melon, which regularly find their way into the dishes of the region.

The cuisine of Taiwan is usually milder than the spicy Szechwan dishes, though it is spicier when compared to the cuisines of northern China. Taiwanese cooks made a good use of staple ingredients like rice, pork, Soya, wine, etc. Seafood is widely used in Taiwanese cuisines. A variety of seafood including tuna, sardines, squids, etc recur as common factors in many of the dishes. Chicken comes next in preference for the Taiwanese taste buds.

The cuisines of Taiwan are therefore simple yet ingenious improvisations that make the Taiwanese dishes a varied and unique experience for the connoisseurs.