What would you say if a friend offered you a chicken heart? What about a liver? In Taiwan, animal organs are a common food.
I tried lǔwèi (滷味), a type of street food in Taiwan. It is not just one dish but a style of cooking, where different foods are braised in the same flavorful broth.The word Lǔwèi (滷味) has two parts. Lǔ means “to braise,” or to cook slowly in liquid. Wèi means “flavor.” At a lǔwèi stand, you can choose from many foods: tofu, noodles, vegetables, and lots of animal parts (pig, chicken, duck). I always pick heart and liver because they are cheap. Sometimes I get things that cost more, like tripe (cow stomach) or tendon.
I grew up in Taiwan, but as a kid, I did not eat much lǔwèi. I was not very interested and my mom did not buy it often. Now it is one of my favorite foods! It is not very popular where I am from in the U.S., so I get really excited every time I eat it. I want to get it as much as I can while I am here! I usually get it dry, without soup. You can eat it cold, so it is like a snack.
