Taiwan in Twenty-Four

As a huge fan of Taiwanese food, I managed to steal two hours of my 24hr trip in Taipei to grab a couple of my favorite snacks that can only be found in Taiwan (yummmmm!! :D).

Let's start with the most delicate grilled pork jerky in Taiwan!

Hidden in the middle of the Di Hua street in Taipei, this little shop is famous for their thin, delicate pork jerky that is grilled and pressed together with a combination of spices, almonds and sakura petals.

 


These little goodies are as thin as paper, you would have thought they would be tasteless like paper or some breath mints, but no, one bite of these little "pork papers" (as the Taiwanese call it) gives you a mouthful aroma of almonds and grilled pork, and a texture that is way crunchier than Lays (no offence to Frito-Lay!!). 

I would highly recommend this store if you want to find the perfect snack to satisfy your needs as I think this is 10 times better than chips and 10 times healthier as well! ;)

Coming up is one of my favorite shops in Taipei. This little shop in Xi Men Ding never fails to make me smile as the owner of the shop appreciates a wide smile as you order the drink, and better yet, the wider you smile, the better tasting your juice would be. :)

This is a special drink that you can only find in Taiwan - Honey Bittermelon Juice. This drink is very well-balanced that gives away a little hint of bitterness that is quickly offset by the sweetness of the honey. Not only is this drink made to order, it is also made fresh from the white bittermelon (which is also a reason why the bitterness of the melon is not too acute as the white bittermelon is quite mild).

The white bittermelon is also great for the body! Us Chinese people believe that bittermelon helps wash out the toxins and will refresh the insides of your body. Definitely thumbs up for this drink!

Taiwan is also famous for their pineapple cake. Most of them have sweet pineapple paste wrapped inside the soft butter crust. My personal favorite would be Hsin Tung Yang's Pineapple cake with "fruit bits" in it.

These cute little cubes of pineapple bits are hidden in the sweet paste, this brightens up the whole cake with a hint of sourness. These are much more refreshing than the traditional ones and are definitely worth a try!

Another special cake would be the Tung Blossom Cake, which represents the Hakka industrious and thrifty spirits.

The cake is made with bean paste with vanilla flavor, and whats' pretty special about the cake is that they add cheese as it stuffing. Hence the stuffing of the cake is beautifully separated into different layers and is absolutely beautiful to both eat and taste with a nice cup of Chinese tea.

This is not common on the streets of Taiwan and can be found in a Hakkanese shop in Terminal 2 of the Tao Yuan airport. I would suggest taking a stroll in there as the Hakka flavors are distinctively different from the traditional Taiwanese flavors and it is quite interesting to see the difference between different Chinese "clans".

I would go on and on about the food in Taiwan (somebody stop me!) but since I only had 2 hours to shop, my collection is limited. So, until next time!!