Open to historical influences, enriched by waves of immigration, but with a strong insular character, Taiwan's cuisine defies definition. To understand this rich and stunning mixture of tastes, one must first look at the paths Taiwan's people have travelled on.
Aboriginal groups, in the plains as well as in the mountains, already had a well-rooted culinary tradition, rustic and hearty, a reflection of their ancient lifestyle based on hunting, fishing, gathering and basic agriculture.
The arrival of the Japanese in 1895 brought an array of ingredients ranging from seaweed and raw fish to tempura and miso, all of which happily blended with the simple cooking styles of immigrants from mainland China's southern provinces. They had started to cross the Taiwan Strait in considerable numbers in the 17th century.
Then, when the ROC moved over from mainland China in 1949, bringing along 2 million continentals—soldiers, public servants and businesspeople—cuisines from every mainland Chinese region made their way onto Taiwanese tables.
As a result, the island's food scene brimmed with Sichuan, Guangdong, Beijing, and above all, Shanghai influences. A plethora of mainland Chinese chefs discovered products different from those they were used to back in mainland China, and started to adapt their cooking accordingly. Thus was born, for example, Taiwan's famous beef noodle soup, a Sichuan specialty transformed by local ingredients.
Obliged to cohabitate and evolve, these mainland Chinese chefs transformed Taiwan into a huge culinary laboratory. Already stamped with indigenous and Japanese flavors, Taiwan's cuisine further gained in complexity by integrating influences of the great and diverse mainland Chinese tradition.
Nowadays, chefs of the new generation incorporate Western techniques so that Taiwan’s cuisine continues to evolve. In 1986, Danshui Technical College created a program specialized in catering. Then, in 1995, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism was born, becoming a key player in the field.
Taiwan’s gastronomy is becoming ever more hybrid and sophisticated. But in spite of the upgrades in quality, the cuisine of yesteryear is being lost, and the shackles of old techniques somehow put a brake on innovation.
Food critic Yeh Yilan is worried about this evolution. “Hospitality schools in Taiwan don't offer programs really anchored on Taiwanese cuisine. A great number of recipes disappear when the old chefs who contributed to the creation of specifically Taiwanese dishes move on.
“These people are going away one by one, and along with them an extremely precious savoir-faire is forever lost. Fortunately, a few young people are devoted to Taiwanese cuisine,” she explained. They could look to California as an example, she said, as the U.S. state has succeeded in forging a strong culinary identity in the past 20 years and could serve as a model for Taiwan.
Tony Hsu, one of Taiwan’s most well-known chefs, shares the same view. He believes in the necessity of going back to the roots of Taiwan's culinary practice and reviving it by means of new techniques.
“Chinese cuisine has a very long history and was not made in one day. Taiwanese cuisine, the kind that used to be our grandparents' daily fare, has practically disappeared. We have to revive and adapt it to the tastes of new generations.”
Hsu said in the old days Taiwanese cuisine was something confined to families and small eateries. “All those old recipes were passed on via word of mouth. Very little was written to record the slow and complex evolution of this cuisine,” he said. This situation prompted him to participate in defining Taiwanese cuisine and devote himself to the renaissance of the old tradition.
At the height of a career started at the age of 17, Hsu decided to use his art to serve this mission. In his low-key restaurant opened a dozen years ago, he uses a method close to that of a laboratory researcher.
“When I find an old recipe, I cook the dish and make my oldest friends taste it. I resort to their culinary memory, and they tell me if the flavors are like those in the old days, and above all, if the dish is good. Once everyone agrees, I put the dish on my menu.” And to make his results accessible to all, his dishes, while elaborate and authentic, are quite affordable for the average budget.
In this manner, Hsu proposes a savory cuisine which is both simple and exquisite. His fried Donggang mullet roe, panicaut oyster mushrooms in plum pickle, fried rice with red rice yeast, sauteed fern sprouts, pork sauteed with leek, house stew with silver carp heads, among others, are heavenly treats.
This excellence lies in his interpretation of old recipes using new techniques. He went to Japan to study for one year and learned the secrets of adapting traditional cuisine to modern nutritional standards. “I make balanced, tonic dishes, avoiding spices that are too strong and using only natural ingredients from Taiwan,” he said.
Lu Wen-fang, another great chef, also wanted to take part in the renewal of old dishes and the definition of a specifically Taiwanese cuisine. A little more than a year ago, he took up the direction of the kitchen at 9PLUS in Beitou, a northern suburb of Taipei famous for its hot springs.
When Japan ruled Taiwan, people came by train to relax in Beitou's hot springs. The place was also famous for debauched pursuits. During the Second World War, it was the scene of the “last nights,” with soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army living the time of their lives just before going to the front.
With the arrival of the Kuomintang in 1949, Beitou became a classy retreat for the richest of the rich, who visited in the evening to enjoy all kinds of worldly pleasures in its numerous restaurants, cabarets and gentlemen clubs. The famous jiujiacai (cabaret cuisine) was born, offering the best cuisine combining innovation and dexterity, often created specifically for important visitors. But in the mid-1990s, the government judged Beitou's clubs a little too decadent, and decided to close them. As a result, jiujiacai started to die out.
When Lu landed in 9PLUS, he set for himself the goal of renewing Taiwan's high gastronomy. Like Tony Hsu, he insists on the need to reawaken tradition. While innovating his cooking techniques, he spent long hours conferring with witnesses of Beitou's glorious past to reconstitute the scents and flavors of its golden-age cabaret fare.
On Lu's menu one can find such gems as the “Eight Immortals' Treasure,” composed of mullet roe, turbot, raw squid, smoked chicken rolls, raw salanx sprinkled with shishamo roe, honeyed mushrooms, cherry shrimp and delicately prepared sashimi. Red crabs and bitter melon braised with fermented bean cheese constitute another memorable delight. “As in the bygone days, I must satisfy my local and foreign clients to an extreme level, by designing flavors that really appeal to them,” said Hsu.
For the uninitiated, night markets are the best bet for a glimpse into Taiwan's tasty and creative cuisine, at least in its popular versions. Hawker stalls and street restaurants offer an infinite array of culinary sensations such as oyster omelets, tan tsai noodles, meat or vegetable buns, spicy grilled sausages, cold noodles in sesame sauce and stinky tofu.
On their modest scale, the anonymous cooks in Taiwan’s numerous night markets are also doing their job of preserving and redefining Taiwanese cuisine. And the government has recognized their silent contribution and started to actively support and promote this culinary culture which makes Taiwanese cuisine so unique.
Not surprisingly, Taiwan's rich and diverse cuisine has ventured overseas. In addition to North America, where a considerable Taiwanese presence has resulted in many establishments offering Taiwanese specialties, Europe has its share of addresses offering Taiwan’s gastronomic sensations. In Paris, for instance, ZenZoo serves the emblematic pearl milk tea, among other treats. Taiwan-owned Evergreen Laurel Hotel Paris also offers delightful Taiwanese haute cuisine in its Omega restaurant.
Further north, Belgium opened its eyes and mouths wide last December when six Taiwanese chefs, 2010 gold medal winners at the prestigious Food and Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge in Singapore, showed off their grand art in Brussels. With so much more to offer, Taiwan's cuisine is certainly just at the start of its global adventure. (AH-HZW)
(This article originally appeared in the December 2010 issue of Taiwan Aujourd’hui.)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mail.gio.gov.tw