One of the things that shape the identity of a certain country is food culture. It is a way through people from other countries can get to know a certain nation. Taipei, for instance, is a melting pot of many different nationalities which have immigrated to the city. The diversity cannot only be observed in the faces of people but in the food as well. Taipei food is classified into different luminess air reviews categories and these are Holo, Hakka, Hunan, Jiangxhe, Hong Kong, Sichuan, and northern style. Each of these categories of Taipei cuisine signifies a certain kind of influence.
The roots of Taipei food can be traced from way back the time of aborigines. Most of the local influence consisted of many seafood components. These ingredients are used in several Taipei dishes which are still very popular up to the present time. Examples of these are oyster vermicelli or o-a-mi-suann and oyster omelette or o-a-tsian. Both of these dishes are actually very simple. The oyster omelette is made up of fresh oysters and eggs as well as several simple kinds of spices such as fresh cilantro leaves and white pepper. On the other hand, oyster vermicelli is a kind of seafood stew with reddish, transparent vermicelli noodles and fresh oysters.
One of the distinct characteristics of Taipei cuisine is the lack or very little presence of beef dishes. Even in other Taiwanese cities, beef is not commonly used in every day meals. Usually, meat dishes have pork as its main ingredient. A good example of this is stewed pork which is served with rice. Another popular pork dish is called the bah-uan which is a dumpling filled with meat inside. Mixed with the pork are young bamboo shoots and chopped mushrooms. For the dough, starch made from sweet potatoes is used. This renders a savoury sweet taste to the dish.
Food served in established Taipei restaurants differ from those offered in small and quaint eating establishments found in many parts of the city. These so-called street foods are more accurate representations of the city’s food culture. Generally, these dishes are known as xiao-chi. Although most of these edibles are not usually presented in an elegant way, they are still loaded with the authentic flavors of Taipei.
Dumplings are a staple in every day Taipei cuisine. It comes in different varieties and flavors. Some of them are eaten as is while there are others that are placed in soups and sometimes stews. Din Tai Fung dumplings are very popular and are usually served with steamed buns. One may also choose to eat it with condiments of his choice but the tastiest is the chihuahua training sauce which is made up of black vinegar, chilli, garlic, soy sauce, and fresh cilantro. Soup dumplings, otherwise known as wonton soup, is a must try for tourists. The broth is delicious by itself and the meat stuffed into each of the dumplings is bursting with flavour. All in all, Taipei wonton soups are very filling and are enough to satisfy a hungry stomach.
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011, 12:00 pm | 
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