Taipei is the largest city in Taiwan. It is also the cultural, business, and political center of Taiwan and yet the city has tons of street food offers that would seem a little out of place for a modern cosmopolitan area.
Image Source: vodkitchen.com
The fact is, the people from Taiwan love to eat. They have night markets that sell everything from street food to clothing and gadgets. The food is a creative blend of aborigine tribes, Chinese and Japanese influence. The food uses poultry, beef, animal innards, basil, peanuts, oyster sauce, pickled vegetables, star anise, chili, and white pepper.
Some of the Top, Sought-after Street Food in Taipei
Deep Fried Chicken – These mini popcorn-looking friend chicken fillets are very popular among children. It is cooked coated with a tasty batter and includes seasoning like plum, garlic, dried laver, Taiwanese basil, and curry.
Herbal Chicken Soup – This is a traditional soup and a favorite among the people of Taiwan. Compared to the western version, this one has ginger and ginseng so it has medicinal value against sore throat, inflammation, and the common cold.
Barbeque – Take a walk on the wild side with barbequed internal organs (animal), chicken necks and feet, chicken hearts, or blood cubes. You can find this type of street food at Shilin Market
Prince Noodle – It’s soup with the internal organs of chicken and pork and very little meat or none at all.
688 Beef Noodle Soup – Touted as the world’s most expensive noodle soup because some Taiwanese restaurants sell it for as high as NT$3,000! You can buy the street version of the 688 beef noodle soup for about US$30 or less and still have fairly good idea why it is sold so expensively in fine dining restaurants.
Pig Blood Cake – This is pork blood steamed or fried with sticky rice. It’s available all day since many consider it a tasty midday snack.
Oyster Omelet – This is an egg omelet with fresh oysters and herbs.
Iron Eggs – These are chicken, quail or duck eggs cooked with spices and soy sauce, air-dried and served. It’s dark in color, chewy and full of flavor. Some vendors offer a chili version of the iron egg.
Taiwanese Hotdog – This is the street version of the American hotdog except it’s a sausage within a sausage. The smaller sausage is wrapped inside a bigger sausage made of sticky rice (instead of bread) and served with wasabi, garlic or chili.
For an incredible food trip adventure in Taiwan, try the street food and be blown away by the flavors even if you have to eat with your eyes closed.