Taiwan is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Southeast Asia because what is there not to love about that country?

Besides their friendly locals and scenic landscapes, we have always been fascinated with Taiwanese food. Bring on the pungent beancurd and pig’s blood!

But hold your horses and please do not get the wrong idea. Taiwanese classic dishes ain’t a fear-factor show but instead, an exciting exploration of food. From Beef Noodle Soup, Oyster Omelette to Pineapple Cake, here is our guide to 11 Taiwanese Classic Dishes To Eat.

Source: Hufu Wong

#1 BA-WAN

The disk-shaped Ba-Wan is essentially a translucent doughy dumpling with a diameter of approximately seven centimetres. It is filled with minced meat stuffing and then served with a sweet-and-savoury sauce.

Ba-Wan’s texture bears an uncanny resemblance to gummy and the fillings vary across different parts of Taiwan.

#2 BEEF NOODLE SOUP

As its name implies, Beef Noodle Soup, or also known as Niu Rou Mian is exactly what it is. Think noodles and braised succulent beef dunked in an aromatic semi-dark broth. The dish is then topped with chives, leafy vegetables and/or Chinese pickled cabbage. It is a comfort food that can be found everywhere in Taiwan.

#3 BRAISED PORK RICE

Braised Pork Rice—called Lu Rou Fan in Chinese—is basically a piping hot bowl of steamed rice topped with delicious minced pork. The meat’s sauce is key in this delicacy and adds an extra depth of flavour to its overall taste profile. Complement your Braised Pork Rice with a Chinese tea leaf egg and pickled vegetables.

#4 BUBBLE TEA

Bubble Tea was first invented in Taichung in the 1980s and the rest is history. The iconic tea-based beverage is served with chewy tapioca pearls and you can savour them hot or chilled. Other cities, especially those in the United States of America, call these delightful drinks Boba.

#5 FRIED CHICKEN STEAK

The Taiwanese Fried Chicken Steak is beyond sinful but definitely worth all the calories. A tenderised marinated chicken breast is deep-fried till golden brown and seasoned with pepper, salt and (optional) spices. No one leaves Taiwan without trying this iconic Taiwanese snack!

#6 SMELLY TOFU

Caution: the smelly tofu is not for the faint-hearted. The fermented beancurd has such an overwhelming odour that your nose could certainly detect its presence even from hundreds of metres away! This dish is a popular snack amongst Taiwanese and you will definitely find them at the night markets.

#7 MANGO SHAVED ICE

Mango Shaved Ice boasts fine snowflake ice with chunky fresh mango pieces—an ideal treat to combat the intolerable summer heat! The icy treat is a crowd pleaser and Smoothie House located along Yong Kang Street in Taipei has one of the best renditions.

#8 OYSTER OMELETTE

The glorious Taiwanese Oyster Omelette—also known affectionately amongst natives as orh-ah-jian—is a heavenly union of the gelatinous sweet potato starch and the pan-fried omelette with freshly poached oysters that will melt in your mouth.

A sauce made from tomato ketchup, soy paste and sweet chilli is then drenched over the fragrant oyster omelette.

#9 OYSTER VERMICELLI

Oyster Vermicelli features a generous amount of wheat-based noodles mixed with thickened soup. The flour-rice noodle dish is served with fresh oysters but it is also common to see other interpretations replacing oysters with braised pig intestines instead.

#10 PINEAPPLE CAKE

Traditional Taiwanese pineapple cakes or Feng Li Shu are sweet bite-sized squarish cakes with a buttery exterior and filled with thick jam-like pineapple filling. They are best eaten fresh but also make great souvenirs to bring home.

Source: Easy Eat in Taiwan

#11 ZHU XUE GAO

Zhu Xue Gao—made from pig’s blood and glutinous rice—might come across as a terrifying dish but is actually a well-loved street snack amongst Taiwanese locals. In Taiwan, the pig’s blood could be boiled, braised, fried or steamed.

The most popular way to eat it would be a steamed version on a stick coated with cilantro, peanut and soy sauce.

#12 CONG ZHUA BING

Cong Zhua Bing is a type of Taiwanese pancake that is highly raved about by the locals. You can find hawkers at night markets flipping these scallion pancakes with oil before topping them off with a topping of your choice.

Photo Credit: Taiwan Food Culture

#13 DA CHANG BAO XIAO CHANG

The English name literally translates to ‘big sausage wraps small sausage’ but this iconic Taiwanese street food is essentially Chinese sausage wrapped with glutinous rice. It usually comes with lettuce, salted vegetables and lots of garlic.

#14 TAIWANESE PORRIDGE

After all that feasting, it would be good to have some Taiwanese porridge to cleanse your palate. Everyone gets a bowl of plain porridge which they can complement with a wide variety of side dishes—really similar to our economic rice stalls in Singapore when you think about it!

It is safe to say that everybody knows about the Taiwanese milk teas that have taken Singapore by storm. These Chun Cui He teas are stocked in selected 7-11 outlets around the island, and are available in extremely limited quantities.

The milk teas came to our shores recently, and they get swiped off the shelves every single time they are restocked. In fact, 7-11 has even issued notifications and announcements that customers are only allowed to purchase a maximum of 6 bottles at any one time.

But here is why we believe that the Chun Cui He Milk Teas Are Not Worth The Hype.

Buying six bottles of the same milk tea at one time might seem a little too much, but people have gotten away with buying more than these when the milk teas first landed in Singapore.

A recent viral post saw a man boasting about how he bought boxes of these milk teas. This in turn sparked an outrage among netizens who labelled him as selfish and inconsiderate.

If you thought that was all, you’d be surprised to learn that there is even a Facebook group for Chun Cui He fanatics with updates on which 7-11 outlets have restocks, and which are all sold out. They even provide tips on the hours to visit for higher chances of walking away with a bottle (or six) of the milk teas for yourself.

We know what you are probably thinking: are these milk teas really worth all that attention?

If you are not quick enough, you won’t even be able to catch a glimpse of them on the shelves. Don’t get us wrong; the milk teas taste pretty decent. We would go as far as to say that these are a must-try when you are in Taiwan. They are easily available everywhere there, and you won’t have to go hunting them down.

But here is one main reason why they are not worth the hype, especially when they are brought to Singapore – they are way too overpriced for what they are worth.

In Taiwan, they cost just about S$1.20 per bottle, and that is almost the same cost as a bottle of mineral water there. But here, they retail for about S$2.80 – that’s more than two times the original price!

They are also a lot smaller than you would imagine them to be, making the prices that they are sold for all the more exorbitant.

In Taiwan, these Chun Cui He milk teas come in a plethora of different flavours such as Green Tea Latte, Sumiyaki, Mocha and more, but Singapore only stocks their Original Milk Tea and Latte flavours.

Well, these milk teas probably sell out faster than hotcakes here in Singapore because Singaporeans are FOMOs. Yes, the fear of missing out. Whenever we see people going crazy over something new or interesting, the fad spreads, and soon everybody is lining up to get one of their own – even if they do not truly understand what the hype is all about.

And you know what really bothers us? The milk tea actually tastes pretty much like what most bottled milk teas would taste like! Sure, there are bad bottled milk teas, but compare Chun Cui He Milk Tea to regular ones that are perpetually available on the shelves (such as Pokka Milk Tea) and you would realise they are actually pretty similar.

You know what is even better? Royal Milk Tea from Japan.

If, in the highly unlikely scenario, that you chance upon a bottle of Chun Cui He Milk Tea up on 7-11 shelves, go ahead and give it a try. If you have not had a taste of these teas for yourself, it might be a good idea to see what the hype is all about.

But we don’t think you’ll be able to find ready stocks on shelves without first doing a bit of research to see which outlets have restocked, and the milk teas are honestly not worth that kind of effort.

The trend should die down soon. Give it a few months (or maybe weeks!), and we bet you good money you can walk in to any 7-11 and pick up some for yourself easily.