Snacking in Taiwan
April 27th, 2012
As if the mountains of street food and night markets were not enough, Taiwan is also home to many bakeries, cafes and other snack options. Here’s some favorites from my trip.
Dan ta
Egg custard in a pastry crust. Possibly my favorite snack in Taiwan… I can’t get enough of these. Some of the best ones we had were from, of all places, KFC—the flaky pastry crust is great!
Black as Chocolate
These cute and tiny little shops in Taipei sell what I would describe as “designer” chocolate ice cream and cakes. The store looks and feels more like a jewelry boutique than an ice cream shop. We were surprised to see almost no food on display—just some cards and a menu adorn the modern countertop from behind which a clerk dishes out the goods. The ice cream itself is rich, deep, and delicious.
Pastries
Wow, I don’t know what it is with Asia, but every time I turn around, I see a pastry shop. Taiwan is no exception, and they make some damn good stuff. This sweet potato one was ungodly… amazing.
Bubble Tea
You can’t go to Taiwan and not drink bubble tea. Tapioca pearls mixed with milk tea is a Taiwanese invention, and it’s as popular as ever. Better tasting and so much cheaper than in the States. The tender pearls just pop in your mouth and the tea is very smooth and silky.
Canned drinks
Like Japan, Taiwan has many unusual convenience-store style drinks (although not such an obsession with vending machines)
Sao bing
This traditional Chinese bread is very popular in Taiwan, and is often eaten with soy milk and you tiao cruellers. I’m allergic to soy milk, so I just enjoy the bread! The flaky texture and sesame flavor are perfect together. Sweet and salty varieties are available, and the bread can have different shapes and styles. If you can, try and find someone making them fresh, using a steel drum the traditional way. We brought back like 50 of these to freeze and eat later… so good!
Those are some of the snacks we spotted in Taiwan. Of course, the night markets are where the real action happens for serious snack lovers!
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There’s so much to see and eat in Taiwan isn’t there! I think you could eat a different snack every day and be able to go for years!
Pretty much, yep. I miss it!
Hi, Jon! Thanks for dropping by my blog and commenting.
Portuguese egg tarts at KFC? Interesting. I wonder where the chicken comes in. LOL!!! I have not been to Taiwan since the 80s but my friends have bought me stuff from there – I love the “sun biscuits”. Heavenly!
Interesting, I only knew them as dan ta… had no idea portuguese egg tarts were so similar!