AUTHOR INTERVIEW (with Visuals) - A Culinary History of Taipei

Thanks John Ross for the kind words:

…..the book is a landmark work, one of the most significant English-language titles on Taiwan published in the last decade.

‘What is Taiwanese Cuisine’ – Interview starts with this huge question and my attempt to answer in the space provided, in ways probably no one else has done, at least not in English.

The full interview is here. http://bookish.asia/author-interview-katy-hui-wen-hung/

I take this opportunity to extract sections and supply with visuals, making it a 'tastier' read:

1. I always have trouble replying to foreign friends and family members when they ask: “What is Taiwanese cuisine?” What’s your stock answer for this?

What is Taiwanese Cuisine? Taiwanese cuisine has been described by many Taiwanese (and Chinese) culinary professionals as ‘soupy’ and ‘small’ – adjectives I personally interpret as meaning ‘simple’ or ‘unpretentious’. In the old, poorer days, boiling in water was the only practical and economical way to cook up a family meal. Soups served with the meal made swallowing rice (or other carbohydrates) easier. The ‘small’ element comes from being homely and satisfying for people you cared for.

Old-time-flavour soup with chicken, pineapple and bitter melon.

So called 'wine food' little dish - to eat with beer/wine, workmen unwind after work.

Oyster Wrap, deep fried. Night market Yilan. I have not seen this elsewhere.

Taiwanese cuisine is firstly and most notably associated with influences from the southern provinces of China, in particular Fujian. At the same time, Taiwan’s status as an exceptional overseas outpost of Japanese cuisine is a consequence of both history and proximity. After 1949, retreating mainlanders changed the culinary character of every Taiwanese city. Many exiles who had no money set up food stalls; the more successful ones upgraded themselves into proper restaurants. 

Seafood restaurant in Tamsui. Founded 1950.



Very important Fujian banquet dish "Buddha-Jump-Over-the-Wall"

Taiwanese breakfast in Japanese '9-square-tray' style. Taoyuan Airport

'Kao Chi' Exile who had no money after 1949 good example

street food upgrade Kao Chi signature dish

After 1950, US aid in the form of wheat and soy transformed eating patterns, and was a factor in the emergence of beef noodle soup and pineapple cake, now both regarded as iconic Taiwanese foods.

@Astoria. Taipei. Me with the daughter of founder whose Russian partner developed today's Taiwanese pineapple cake. 

Our subtitle suggests Taiwanese are now eating “beyond pork and ponlai”. Pork is the major protein, and every part of a pig can be made into a dish. Lard was an essential ‘Taiwanese flavor' until the recent promotion of healthier cooking styles. The Japanese brought beef-eating habits to Taiwan, slowly overcoming the taboo against slaughtering cattle (because the animals were needed for agriculture). Even now there is a taboo against serving beef at a traditional Taiwanese banquet.

Classic 'pork and ponlai'.By Evelyn a financial adviser. avid homecook. 

Banquet maestro confirmed, a taro dessert like this would have used lard to create that Taiwanese old-time-flavour.

Of course, 50 years of Japanese rule had an impact on other facets of local dietary culture, even altering the type of rice eaten with meals. During the colonial period, the indica rice cultivated by early Han settlers gave way to stickier ponlai strains developed to suit the Japanese palate. Today, there are many Taiwanese dishes that it would be unimaginable to eat without a bowl of ponlai rice.

This undated photo shows Eikichi Iso (right) and Megumu Suenaga (second from left) at a rice experiment laboratory in central Taiwan, now the Taichung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station. | COURTESY OF THE EIKICHI ISO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION / VIA KYODO

In 1926, Dr. Eikichi Iso, the Father of Taiwanese Japonica rice, and his colleague Suenaga Hitoshi, successfully developed the Ponlai rice, a major staple of the Taiwanese diet. Dr. Iso resided and conducted his research in the Workshop of Advanced Academy of Agronomy and Forestry, an old Japanese style bungalow that has been nicknamed by NTU faculty and students as the “Iso House.”

The most important factor in Taiwan’s agricultural success has been the dedication of the farmers themselves, resulting in an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Quality and taste, as well as choice, has seen phenomenal improvement compared to 30 years ago. Sweet potato leaves were bitter and only good for feeding pigs; now, they're on fine-dining table as healthy greens. The tree plum – formerly sour and eaten only by birds – is now an ingredient in dessert recipes. Local fresh fruits are available in every season; Taiwan’s pineapples and mangoes are among the best in the world. The fruity notes in Kavalan whisky seems to be one of the reasons why this Taiwan-created and -made whisky has won such acclaim. Taiwanese people’s love of fruits goes back to the Qing dynasty when a mango ‘Penglai’ sauce was used for pickling or cooking fish.

The tree berry that was only good for birds - improved and cultivated now a high-class fruit.

Qing dynasty mango 'Penglai sauce' revived! Tainan. 

Qing dynasty mango 'Penglai sauce' revived into 3 flavours.

To single out the items that make Taiwanese cuisine ‘unique’, my personal choices are fruit and Taiwanese Red Label rice wine. Taiwanese rice wine is a ubiquitous and essential ingredient, and is a key part of popular three-cup dishes. The high-temperature cooking method for three-cup dishes is also typically Taiwanese.

Banquet Maestro told me all the cooked dishes here would have used rice wine. 

3-cup dishes in Taiwan unlikely cooked using rice wine other than Red Label.  

The word “ponlai” is derived from a pair of Chinese characters pronounced pénglái in Mandarin. In both Chinese and Japanese legend, Pénglái is a mythical paradise, and the name has been fondly applied to Taiwan by writers and poets who recognized how much this bountiful island could provide for its human inhabitants. A couple of examples of usage are:

1. Tsai Peihuo, The Taiwan Autonomy Song 1925 – “… On enchanting Pénglái (Formosa) where our ancestors settled down…”

2. Yang Kwei, The Newspaper Man 1934 – “The deck of Pénglái (Formosa)…”

7. What did you learn when writing this book?

 I discovered I had an ability to discover. I seemed to have an observational skill in locating Taiwan’s worth, a drive to explore, and finally to share. I discovered nice surprises and sometimes important surprises, I was told. I consider myself highly cross-culture. I think that contributes hugely to my work.

Discover the key ingredient in Taiwanese 'almond' tea is PEANUT!

Discover Taiwan mushroom history. Wulai. New Taipei.

8. Did your research overturn any of your assumptions or preconceptions about the subject?  

 Yes, many. A prominent example is Indigenous cuisine. However, my assumptions or preconceptions came from the lack of development of the cuisine itself. I wasn’t uninformed or outdated, simply there wasn’t much to learn and I do think I came in the right time exploring and the book came in the right place showcasing Taiwan’s indigenous food.

Award-winning Atayal female chef. Yilan.

A celebration of an annual event. Chingchuan. Hsinchu County.
Predominant Atayal village.

Amis woman vendor - all kinds of 'Mochi' and Bamboo tube sticky rice. Hualien

9. Having taken a close look at Taiwanese foodways, are there any trends or habits which impress you? And any that alarm you?

 Bando clearly – in the book there is a large section on Taiwan’s roadside feast tradition. And I spent over a year observing and learning from a banquet maeastro. Reviving old-time-flavor is a trend now I would say, and I have first-hand experiences from writing the book. The young generation want it and are interested in it – thanks partly to the success of the film Zone Pro Site: The Moveable Feast (2013).

Female assistants are nicknamed 'water feet' for they get their feet wet washing and preparing.

5. How did you and your co-author, Steven Crook, divide up the work on the book?

 Based on each other’s strengths. Mine is in rich family history and networking

My great grandmother wrapping rice dumpling for Dragon Boat

My great grandfather house turned restaurant. Tamsui. New Taipei

Family connection with I-Mei Bakery. Dadaocheng. Taipei.