A lot of things about a country’s identity can be gleaned from its local cuisine. Taipei, in particular, has foods that exhibit the influences it has obtained from various immigrants coming from different countries most especially Asian ones. Taipei cuisine, in general, can be divided into three general groups. These are the aboriginal foods, Holo or Minnanese foods, and the Hakka dishes.
Taipei is teeming with a wide array of livestock and sea creatures. This has lead hunting and fishing to flourish in this city even up to this day. As a result, there is a constant supply of different motorcycle auctions varieties of fresh seafood, red meats, poultry, vegetables, and fruits. Because of the easy availability of ingredients, the local citizens of Taipei found it extremely convenient to cook traditional foods and make new recipes as well.
The early Chinese settlers had a very huge influence on the current Taipei cuisine particularly on the seafood dishes. Over the years, these original seafood recipes from the settlers were gradually changed and adapted into the preferences of the locals.
Another group of settlers called the Hakka people entered Taipei and also exerted their own influence on the native culture. The Hakka people lived simply and their way of life can be observed from the food that they prepared. Their recipes were all tasty and with great aromas. The foods were also flavoured with salt and a variety of oils. Some examples of Hakka dishes which are still cooked in many homes and restaurants up to the present time are steamed pork that is served with dry mustard cabbage, steamed chicken, stir fried Hakka which consists of pork, squid, and bean curd, as well as the dried mustard green soup which otherwise referred to by the locals as the lucky veggie soup.
The foods which are eaten by most Taipei locals on a daily basis are called xiao-chi. There are 8 basic components of a xiao chi or local Taipei cuisine.
The first basic ingredient is poultry. This includes chicken and duck dishes. Examples are salted duck which is boiled, roast duck, stewed chicken in Chinese herbs, smoked and marinated duck, chicken steamed in wine, steamed chicken strips with wine.
The second basic ingredient is seafood. This includes oyster omelette, oyster vermicelli, mangrove crab and milkfish porridge, and grilled marinated squid.
The third basic ingredients are rice and noodles. This includes stuffed flour dumplings, oyster vermicelli noodles, and Nantou noodles.
The fourth basic ingredient is meat. This includes dumplings stuffed with meatballs (a dish called bah-uan), cow viscera food, and pork’s blood cake which is a mixture of boiled pork blood and sticky rice. Steamed, stewed, and salted pork, beef, or mutton dishes are also very popular Taipei meat fare.
The fifth basic ingredients are bean curd and veggies. This includes stinky tofu and Daxi bean curd.
The sixth basic ingredients are seasonings and sauces. This includes pickled veggies, soy sauce sauce, and oyster sauce.
The seventh basic ingredient is pastries. This includes dumplings, rice balls, and salty pie.
The eighth basic ingredient is the beverages. This includes Hakka leicha or pounded tea, sugarcane juice, and the pearl milk tea which has become very popular worldwide.
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011, 11:00 am | 
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