10 Taiwanese Foods You Have to Try

If you’ve ever been to Taiwan, then you’d know that Taiwanese people pride themselves on the endless variety of mouth-watering delicacies. Today I’ll be taking you through 10 of the most classic Taiwanese foods that you must try.

Let me know if you’ve heard or tried any of them!

蚵仔煎 oyster omelet

Taiwanese people really like to create dishes around tapioca flour. From boba to oyster omelets, it seems to be an ingredient we can’t live without.

Taiwanese oyster omelets are crispy and chewy at the same time from the fried eggs mixed with tapioca flour. It can be found drizzled with a mysterious (delicious secret ingredient!) pink sauce in many night markets.

Stinky tofu 臭豆腐

The next one on our list isn’t exactly popular with foreigners, but it is one of my absolute favorites- stinky tofu. It can be eaten fried or steamed, and the fried ones are usually served with a side of Taiwanese kimchi. As delicious as it is, it is totally understandable why its strong scent can scare off many tourists!

Century Egg 皮蛋

Century eggs are chicken or duck eggs that are preserved in a mixture of ingredients such as clay and salt. It does look like rotten eggs that have been around for at least a century! Century eggs taste really good on its own, but also blends in really well in other dishes. Some people love it, some people not so much. Either way, you’ll have to try it!

Braised Pork Rice 滷肉飯

I don’t eat meat but this is a classic Taiwanese dish that even I can’t resist. I pick the meat off and eat the rest of the rice soaked in delicious juice (and I don’t even like to eat rice that much!). You are guaranteed to fall in love with this dish immediately after giving it a try!

Lu Wei 滷味

The perfect food for a late night snack (or xiao yeh, as we call it here). You all your favorite foods, and they’ll marinate it into something so flavorful that you’ll smell it from a mile away.

Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麵

Beef noodle soup is another classic Taiwanese dish that you absolutely cannot come to Taiwan without trying. It is usually served with Taiwanese sauerkraut- the more you add the better it tastes!

For a meatless version, order 牛肉湯麵 (nio rou tang mien). It’s basically the same thing without the beef, and in my opinion, just as delicious!

Gua Bao 刈包

The best way I can describe a gua bao is an Asian hamburger, or sandwich. There’s no other food that you can compare a gua bao to. It’s essentially white bao stuffed with all sorts of yummy fillings. Common ones include pork, sweet peanut flakes, and cilantro. The serving amount is quite small, so you might find yourself ordering a few more after having your first one!

Thick Soup ‘Geng’ 羹湯

You’ll find all sorts of ‘geng’ in Taiwan, which is basically a very thick soup (again, thickened with our favorite ingredient: tapioca flour). It’s often paired some sort of meat (duck, pork, squid, etc..) and often eaten with noodles. The warmth and texture makes it the perfect meal for a cold winter night!

All sorts of dumplings 水餃

Dumplings are one of my favorite foods for when I have nothing to eat. It’s super convenient, easy to cook, and truly one of the best foods I’ve ever tasted. It might surprise you, how many different flavors of dumplings you can find in Taiwan. From kimchi, fish, chicken, to spinach! You can often find dumplings with unimaginable colored skin too.

Oyster and large intestine vermicelli noodles 麵線羹

If you’ve been in Taiwan for a while, you’ll probably have noticed our love for eating intestines. It may seem odd to many foreigners, and to be honest, I don’t really get it either. But I must say, large intestines actually taste a lot better than you think it would.

Large intestines and oysters are ingredients commonly added to vermicelli noodles. Top it off with a few splurts of dark vinegar (or in my case, the whole bottle), and you’ll have yourself a delicious bowl of noodles.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more to Taiwanese food

let me know if you’d like to read more!

Til next time,

P.S. Read my latest posts on Europe and Taiwan