To say that noodle dishes are popular in Taiwan is an understatement - there are countless types of noodle dishes in Taiwan waiting to be savoured. For starters, there’s the usual Taiwanese beef noodles made from hand-pulled noodles and tender beef. Then there’s Taiwanese sesame noodles which is lightly spicy and tantalising to the taste buds, and there are signature county-based dishes such as Sichuan Noodles, Nantou slender noodles and hot Hsinchu noodles.
And let’s not forget dishes made popular by Taiwanese aborigines. The Han-Chinese settlers introduced culinary delights that are mostly simple yet aromatic dishes where seafood is the main component. Hakka people, on the other hand, are more extravagant, at least when flavours are concerned.
For those with a sweet tooth, sweet and savoury pastries as well as a dizzying array of desserts can be found in Taiwan. Aboriginal millet cakes are lightly sweetened and make great snacks, Hakka glutinous rice cakes, and sweet yet rich egg tarts are only a handful of the best desserts you should savour. There are also icy cool desserts like shaved ice topped with fruits as well as jelly drinks and pearl milk tea - the latter is a popular treat for the young ones in Taiwan.
And how can one not love the taste as well as variety of Taiwanese snacks? Locally known as Taiwanese street food, these snacks can be eaten any time of the day and are usually sold in road side stalls. The good stuff consist of the usual fare such as oyster omelette, stinky tofu, Taiwanese meatballs and coffin sandwiches.