Among the many appealing facets of Taiwan – from the beauty laden set of lush nature to the historic monuments, bustling cities and thriving art scene – the country’s mouthwatering street food culture remains as one of the biggest draw in enticing travelers to this tiny nation. Who wouldn’t be tempted in exploring various night food markets located all over Taiwan? Walking over narrow streets lined up with food stalls emitting savory scents becomes an adventure in itself. To help you plot your Taiwan street food exploration, here are some must-try dishes you can start off with.

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14 Must-Try Street-food in Taiwan

Written by Marky Ramone Go of www.nomadicexperiences.com.

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1. Oyster Omelet

A little bit slimy but slides through the insides of your mouth deliciously, especially if you scatter the thick sweet chili sauce over it. The rich flavor of oyster mixing seamlessly with the texture of the omelet makes this a perfect combination to go along with any rice topping dish.

2. Stinky Tofu

While taste-wise, it doesn’t differ much from the tokwa being served by any of our neighborhood gotohan back home, trying out Taiwan’s stinky tofu is an experience in itself. Yes, the smell can turn you off once you trace its scent a few meters away, but once you swallow it – the odor disappears and is replaced by a juicy and a signature flavor brought upon by the process of being fermented from bean curd. Videotaping yourself while eating this could make a great IG story as well.

3. Flame Grilled Beef Cubes

How about a tiny flame thrower to spice up some beef cubes. The method on how they grill the beef is as appealing to watch as how it easily chewed inside your mouth after you chow down on it. A bit heavy on the stomach but it is a good choice to kick off your street food tour in Taiwan.

4. Grilled Squid

We all had grilled squid before but I bet my money most of us haven’t had SQUIIIIDDDDD as big as the ones found in Taiwan’s many night food markets. A whole humongous squid stabbed through by a barbecue stick should deliver you an appetizing and chewy with sizeable bites you can share between you and your friends.

5. Octopus Takoyaki

Good ole Takoyaki with a crispy and slushy octopus twist. Sounds good? Wait till you get a taste of it and it becomes even better. Served hot from the takoyaki grill, it comes with an assortment of vegetables, other seafood, mayonnaise and tasty sauce for an enhanced eating experience.

6. Taiwanese Lu Wei

Lu Wei or literally translated to ‘brine taste’, presents a medley of braised meat, corn, quail and chicken eggs, tofu, vegetables and even innards – all displayed in metal container. Ordering is very simple; just fill up your cup or small basket with everything you find appetizing and hand it to the server for them to chop and braise in steamy broth.

7. Taiwanese Sausages

Juicy sausages also dominates the night food markets in Taiwan. You can see it being served in all sizes, in grilled, skewer manner and inside bread buns. It seems filling to the stomach, but once you take a bite out of it you just can’t stop.

8. Bacon Wraps

Anything with bacon on it should make one pause – especially in a night food market. Taiwan’s bacon wraps is a picture of appetizing heaven, with its round shaped goodness filled with vegetables and meat plus as mentioned above, enfolded with lip smacking thick slice of bacon.

9. Sugar Coated Fruits

Fruits, normally strawberries in skewers, dipped in sugar provides a unique treat for one’s sweet tooth. It is a good choice after you down a number of other Taiwanese street food, in order to drown out the various aftertaste in your mouth.

10. Vegetarian Vinasse Taiwanese Meatballs

A street food option for the vegetarians. This meatball is a popular sight at the narrow pathways of Jiufen Old Street. Shaped like a thick coin rather than the ordinary round meatballs, it is filled with veggie meat and salted with red vinasse or red fermented rice. It goes sumptuously inside a small cup drowning with sweet sauce.

11. Fresh Iced Fruits

Cap your street food hunt with a refreshing bowl of fresh fruit topped over ice shavings. You can see stalls everywhere offering a variety of fruits; watermelon, banana, dragonfruit, guava, pineapple, strawberries and more. Not as awesome as our own halo-halo, but good enough to cool and soothe your taste buds.

12. Pearl Milk Tea

Being in a country that invented the milk tea drink, expect to see a milk tea stand in almost every 100 meters – okay, every other 10 meters if you are in one of the many night food markets in Taiwan. If you really want to discover the history of this popular drink, then head out to the city of Taichung and visit the Chun Shui Tang – the place where the original milk tea was first served in the early 1980s.

13. Ice-cream Popiah

Enjoy 2 scoops of taro ice cream served on a thin slice of spring roll (popiah) and laden with shaved peanut candy. A popular attraction in Jiufen Old Street, you can also see other stalls serving this in many food markets in Taiwan.

14. Crispy Chicken Cutlet

Most Filipinos might want to have this with one cup of rice. Who wouldn’t? It is usually cut into big size of heavenly pieces. Better news though, you can order it into smaller sizes so you can enjoy chewing on this as you walk along and check out other food stalls – and hear your mouth make cracking sounds because of its crunchiness delight.

There you go, just a primer list but I am sure you have more in mind. If your favorite Taiwanese street food isn’t included in this list, please share to us in the comment section below.

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This Taiwan Travel Food Guide 2017 was written by Marky Ramone Go of www.nomadicexperiences.com, Pinoy Adventurista's official representative to the Taiwan Familiarization Tour organized by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines, EVA Airways, and Taiwan Tourism Bureau last June 1-5, 2017.

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