Taiwan might be a small island country, but it is a haven for foodies. The are best food in Taiwan that everyone must try. Experience taste bud wonders like mouthwatering noodles, super tasty stews, crispy fried dishes, peculiar street foods and array of pastry and sweets.
Here is a list of best food in Taiwan, 12 must try you should never miss when you visit the country.
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Beef noodles is the pride of Taiwan, making it on the top of the list of the 12 must try best food in Taiwan. There are two types, the clear stewed with sirloin and cow tendon, and braised beef noodles. The broth is the star and the meat is tender that makes it deliciously good.
Where in Taiwan would you most likely find beef noodle soup? Anywhere and everywhere! Around offices, old neighborhoods, newly established residential areas, the main street of a town or village, definitely in a fresh open market, or outside of schools. Beef noodle soup can be found almost everywhere in the country, it doesn’t matter if it’s on the main street or tucked away in an alley.
Stinky Tofu, another must try best food in Taiwan, is fried fermented soy bean curd with a drizzle of flavorings such as hot, sweet and spicy sauce. The fermentation gives it a distinct taste and of course, as the name suggests, stinky.
There are a number of different variations of Stinky Tofu. Some versions are fried golden brown while others are blackish blue. There are also a few different ways of cooking stinky tofu- steamed, pan fried, boiled, but most snack carts do it the deep fried way.
Another must try best food in Taiwan is Scallion and radish pancake, crispy deep- fried batter with either scallion or radish. Usually sold in street stalls. Some serve it in a traditional way, just simple batter added with scallion and radish, but there are some that serve it with a bunch of toppings such as egg, cheese, and ham.
Chicken Popcorn is a typical deep- fried seasoned chicken but bite- sized and covered with seasoning powders that makes it very tasty and addicting. Though it is typical, it is one of the must try best food in Taiwan. It is best served with fried basil leaves.
This Taiwanese chicken popcorn is cooked by marinating the chicken pieces in spices for at least half an hour or overnight. Chicken thighs is the best part of the chicken used because of it is tender and juicy. Seasoning the chicken pieces with salt and ground white pepper after frying brings out the incredible flavor and texture.
Another must try best food in Taiwan that you should not miss is the Oysters and intestines noodles is soup based with fried cornstarch coated oysters and stewed pork intestines. Best to eat with chili sauce, minced garlic, black vinegar and coriander.
Soup dumplings feature a tasty small amount of soup inside a dumpling with fillings. It is another iconic Taiwanese cuisine though similar with other Chinese dumplings. Nevertheless, it is one of the 12 must try best food in Taiwan.
Taiwanese congee is simply rice porridge served with century eggs, salted duck eggs and pork floss. But with the abundant toppings and add ons, it is undeniably one of the must try best food in Taiwan.
Drunken chicken is a dish with Shaoxing wine, herbs and spices. Looks very simple, but undeniably delicious. It is believed to be a healthy way of cooking chicken because it is a lot less oily.
This simple bread bun is one of the must try best food in Taiwan, Pork Pepper Bun that features a bun baked en-masse by sticking the dough, filled with peppery minced pork, to the sides of a large cylindrical oven.
Braised Minced- Pork Rice is a comfort food for many Tiwanese. It is a dish made of minced- pork, marinated and braised. Another characteristic is the thick, dark gravy sauce, served with hot steamed rice. This one of the favorites of locals, a must try best food in Taiwan.
Pineapple cake became popular because Taiwanese during the Japanese era do not want to waste the unconsumed imported pineapples. They made jams and used it as fillings to pastries, which resulted in the Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes as we know them today, another must try best food in Taiwan.
Bubble Tea is an iconic drink of Taiwan, the reason it is one of the 12 must try best food in Taiwan. The drink is made of tea with milk served with tapioca balls. Different add ons are available like different types of jelly, puddings etc.
Most of these 12 must try best food in Taiwan can be found in night markets. You can book a Taipei Taiwan Night Market Tour, here.
The Freelance Traveler 
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