Taiwanese food mixes Fujianese and Hakka cooking from mainland China, Japanese influences from 50 years of colonial rule, Indigenous ingredients and dishes brought by people who arrived after 1949. Eating out is cheap and constant, and the night market is the heart of food culture.

Night markets

Every city has night markets, where stalls sell snacks into the early hours. Taipei's Shilin, Raohe and Ningxia markets are the best known, and Tainan and Taichung have excellent ones too. Graze rather than sit down: try a few bites at each stall.

Must-try dishes

  • Beef noodle soup (niu rou mian): braised beef and chewy wheat noodles in a rich, spiced broth. Taipei holds an annual competition for the best bowl.
  • Xiaolongbao: delicate soup dumplings, made famous worldwide by Din Tai Fung, which started in Taipei.
  • Lu rou fan: braised minced pork belly over rice, the ultimate comfort food.
  • Gua bao: steamed buns filled with braised pork, pickled greens and peanut powder.
  • Oyster omelette: eggs, oysters and sweet potato starch, topped with a sweet-savoury sauce.
  • Stinky tofu: fermented tofu, deep-fried or in a spicy soup. The smell is strong; the taste is milder.
  • Scallion pancakes and pepper buns (hu jiao bing) baked in clay ovens.

Breakfast

Traditional breakfast shops serve warm soy milk, youtiao (fried dough sticks), dan bing (egg crepes) and fan tuan (rice rolls). Western-style breakfast chains are also everywhere.

Bubble tea and drinks

Bubble tea, milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls, was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. Drink stands let you choose sugar and ice levels. Taiwan also grows excellent oolong tea in the mountains of Alishan and Pinglin.

Festivals

  • Lunar New Year: the most important holiday, with family reunions and red envelopes (hongbao) of money.
  • Lantern Festival: two weeks after New Year, with lantern displays and sky lanterns released in Pingxi.
  • Dragon Boat Festival: boat races and sticky rice dumplings (zongzi).
  • Ghost Month: in the seventh lunar month, offerings are made to wandering spirits; many people avoid moving house or swimming.
  • Mid-Autumn Festival: mooncakes and family barbecues.

Etiquette

  • Give and receive business cards, gifts and money with both hands.
  • Don't stick chopsticks upright in rice; it resembles funeral offerings.
  • Avoid giving clocks as gifts, as the phrase sounds like attending a funeral.
  • Don't write someone's name in red ink.
  • Queue patiently: Taiwanese people line up neatly for trains and food.
  • Tipping is not expected; restaurants may add a 10% service charge.

See our Taiwan country guide for living costs.