Baked wheat pancakes, twisted crullers and soymilk are among the most popular breakfast options in Taiwan. Stores that sell these items are known as soymilk restaurants. An interesting point to note is that, regardless of where they are located, many such shops use the name Yonghe in their titles. This is in reference to New Taipei City’s Yonghe District, where the breakfast offerings first developed a large following in the country.
Though synonymous among locals with the area of New Taipei, the food items did not in fact originate there. Baked wheat pancakes and twisted crullers, which are made of wheat flour, are common breakfast fare in northern mainland China. When the Nationalist government relocated to Taiwan in 1949, soldiers and their dependents, as well as other new arrivals, brought with them traditional foods from across the mainland, including the aforementioned breakfast offerings.
Founded in 1955, World Soymilk King was one of the first soymilk restaurants in Yonghe. Using cooking skills they had learned in the military, two retired soldiers set up a small operation selling the breakfast items. Their traditional recipes quickly gained in popularity, not only among new arrivals, but also locals. Before long, their business had grown from a street stall to a restaurant. Today, in addition to its original Yonghe branch, World Soymilk King runs four 24-hour establishments in Taipei City.
Over the years, the company has expanded its menu to include about 30 items in an effort to satisfy different palates. Yet baked wheat pancakes, twisted crullers and soymilk, all prepared using traditional ingredients and techniques, remain its best sellers.
Write to Jim Hwang at cyhuang03@mofa.gov.tw
Deep-fried twisted crullers have become one of the most popular breakfast items in Taiwan. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
A worker at World Soymilk King in Yonghe removes freshly cooked Chinese buns from a steamer. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
The signatures of celebrities and political figures adorn a display wall at the original World Soymilk King store in Yonghe District of New Taipei City. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
Pork floss and twisted crullers wrapped in sticky rice is one of the chain store’s signature items. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
While people in Western nations often start their day with a glass of juice or cup of coffee, many Taiwanese prefer a bowl of warm soymilk. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
While World Soymilk King has expanded its menu over the decades, traditional offerings such as twisted crullers wrapped in baked wheat pancakes, left, salted soymilk with green onions and chopped twisted crullers, bottom, and pork floss and twisted crullers in sticky rice are still among its best sellers. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
World Soymilk King has grown from a street stall to a chain operation with five 24-hour shops in Taipei and New Taipei. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)