Many vegetarians therefore consider Taiwan a culinary paradise. Hsieh Kuo-cheng has been a vegetarian for 19 years and has lived in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York and Singapore. For vegetarian dishes, however, Hsieh said there is no place like home. "Vegetarian foods available here are much more diversified, fresher, and also very creative," he enthused.
According to the 2007 Almanac of Food Consumption Survey in Taiwan by the Council of Agriculture, occasional and committed vegetarians accounted for 14 percent of the island's population in that year. Including upstream suppliers, manufacturers, restaurants and retailers, the total production value of the sector was worth NT$4 billion (US$120 million) in 2007, 60 percent of which was in exports.
Some advocates of meatless eating believe the origin of Taiwan's renowned vegetarian cuisine can be traced back to the prevalence of Buddhism and Taoism on the island. Historically, whenever people held religious ceremonies, particularly ones to worship the highest gods in the pantheons, they had to present rich offerings such as a whole pig or a whole ram. Vegetarians would have to present the same offerings, but could make them out of flour, only imitating meat. The skills needed for this kind of preparation could well be responsible for creating locals' dexterity with vegetarian cuisine.
Strict Buddhists in Taiwan do not consume meat, eggs and foods they regard as stimulating or desire enhancing such as leeks, scallions, onions, garlic and alcoholic beverages. Apart from eggs, Ikuan-Taoists follow a similar dietary regime. Dairy products are not excluded because they satisfy the religious code of ahimsa--the principle of non-violence toward living things. Other believers may abstain from meat for short periods of time, such as on the first and the 15th day of each lunar month. Today the bulk of vegetarians in Taiwan still choose to be so for religious reasons.
Making a meat-free and onion or garlic-free dish that is still tasty requires creativity and during the past five decades vegetarian foods have become increasingly elaborate. The food styles are mostly inspired by the gastronomic culture of mainland China, which stresses the balance between taste, texture, color and aroma. Traditional Chinese fare calls for the production of meat substitutes. Using only flour, soybeans, mushrooms and konjac extract, almost any meat dish, be it meatballs, shark fin soup or "Buddha Jumps over the Wall," can be reproduced in an authentic vegetarian version.
"People used to be under the impression that vegetarian foods were strongly flavored and tasted bad. In fact, those problems were solved long ago," explained Arwin Yu, special assistant to the general manager of Ten-In Food Co., a vegetarian food manufacturer. "We use no monosodium glutamate, artificial coloring or genetically modified soybeans. Experience has taught us how to combine various materials in order to make fine-tasting dishes," he said. In 1999, Ten-In set up a facility to meet the growing demand for vegetarian produce and now makes more than 200 kinds of vacuum-packed foods ranging from vegetarian steak to Chinese-style soups.
Yu stated that some vegetarians mainly eat salad, which is not nutritious enough, and recommends a diet supplemented with more soybean products. "In addition to using soybean fiber, we also use wheat fiber to make foods such as vegetarian fish and hot dogs." To address the special concerns of religious vegetarians, Ten-In, like many other manufacturers in Taiwan, even forbids its employees to take any meat-related foods into its business sites.
At the other end of the innovation spectrum is Jen Dow Vegetarian buffet. JDV opened in 1982 and was the first European-style vegan buffet in Taiwan, having inspired a number of imitators since then.
The company offers all-you-can-eat buffets of some 200 meatless, egg-free dishes in a variety of styles, such as Hong Kong dim sum, Japanese sashimi, spicy Thai-style food, Italian pasta and pizza and, of course, Taiwanese-style dishes.
To draw in a larger and more diverse range of customers, Kuo Fang-liang, president of JDV, said the company does not particularly target religious vegetarians, nor do his restaurants try to cultivate a religious atmosphere. "Eating should be an enjoyable experience. So we don't play religious music or create that kind of atmosphere. Rather, we emphasize health consciousness and adhere to the dietary principle of low fat, low calories and high fiber," he said.
Howard Hu, co-owner of Easy House Vegetarian Cuisine, believes that vegetarian food is no longer strictly the domain of health conscious older demographic. He has found that his business is attracting a far younger clientele than originally expected.
"To my surprise, some customers who you would think more likely to patronize Burger King or TGI Friday's show up at Easy House," said Hu, who is a veteran of the fast food industry.
The abundant and great variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables also contribute to the freshness and diversity of vegetarian foods in Taiwan. Increasing public awareness of health and environmental issues, especially dietary concerns, means that ever-larger quantities of these foodstuffs are grown organically, to woo health-conscious consumers.
Corporate Taiwan has taken notice and groups not previously associated with health foods, such as Formosa Plastics Corp., are moving into the organic vegetable business. Eyeing this new food trend, the COA is making efforts to increase the proportion of Taiwan's produce grown organically, which was only about 1 percent in 2007.
To some extent, the growing population in Taiwan mirrors the global trend of health consciousness, but while creativity has played a role in winning over more dinners to vegetarian fare, being delicious will always be a major prerequisite.
--Adapted from the September 2007 edition of Taiwan Review.