Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but I think dinner is equally important after a busy day of exploring. For dinner this week, I had arguably the most popular dish in Taiwan; beef noodle soup. This classic dish is served all over Taiwan and comes in many different varieties. My favorite version has thick, chewy noodles and braised beef (though I have also tried versions that serve beef intestines as well as ears!). Although beef noodle soup is the most popular dish in Taiwan, my favorite dish is 小籠包 (xiaolongbao), which are small dumplings filled with meat (usually pork) served with a hot soup.
Even if you’re full after dinner, you can’t skip a trip to the local night market! These markets are regular community events where stalls with food, drinks, games and vendors pop-up just for the night. The night market is a great place to grab both sweet and savory snacks and provide the perfect way to begin exploring a new city. The night market is where I’ll complete our culinary adventure for this post.
Starting with savory food, night markets boast a plethora of good late-night snacks such as fried sweet potato balls, fried chicken and grilled meat on sticks. I’m going to focus on three foods that I’ve tried in Taiwan that initially really scared me: stinky tofu, pig’s blood, and fish balls. 臭豆腐 (stinky tofu) is genuinely the stinkiest food I’ve ever eaten! The first time I smelled it, I thought a nearby sewage line had burst (it’s really that bad!). However, the actual taste is delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed stinky tofu the first time I tried it. Pig’s blood is a popular ingredient in Taiwanese dishes and is usually served baked with rice as a pig’s blood cake.
