{"id":3723,"date":"2016-04-29T13:26:29","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T17:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/?p=3723"},"modified":"2016-04-29T13:38:05","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T17:38:05","slug":"the-food-of-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/the-food-of-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"“The Food of Taiwan” and Taiwanese Red-Braised Pork Belly (\u7ea2\u70e7\u8089) Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"food<\/a><\/p>\n

Taiwanese cuisine has languished under the culinary radar in the U.S. for far too long. To be honest, even I was unsure how Taiwanese food distinguishes from mainstream Chinese. Fortunately, I came across The Food of Taiwan\u2014Recipes from the Beautiful Island<\/a><\/em> (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015) by Cathy Erway, published one year ago in March.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cathy\u2019s cookbook is one of the first comprehensive U.S.-published Taiwanese cookbooks and offers myriad recipes ranging from traditional homestyle dishes to street food snacks. In addition, she explores the republic’s checkered social and political history and migration patterns, all of which have impacted the evolution of Taiwanese food and made the cuisine what it is today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing from her mother\u2019s Taiwanese heritage, Cathy has culled nearly 100 recipes <\/span>showcasing well-known favorites like Pork Belly Buns, Three-Cup Chicken and Noodles with Minced Pork and Fermented Bean Sauce, as well as many traditional dishes such as Danzai Noodle Soup and Meatball Mochi just waiting to be discovered. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Cathy<\/a>

Cathy Erway examines the social factors behind and overseas influences impacting Taiwanese cuisine in her seminal cook book. (Photo Credit: Pete Lee)<\/p><\/div>\n

In this Q+A, Cathy gives us an insight into her book and shares some tidbits on Taiwanese cuisine in general. <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What made you first think about writing a Taiwanese cookbook?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I\u2019ve been wanting to write the cookbook ever since I spent a semester abroad in Taipei during college. I thought it made absolutely no sense that there wasn\u2019t a book or even any significant discussion \u2014 any definition \u2014 of the food in Taiwan in US food media. That\u2019s been mostly the case in major media outlets up until maybe a year or so ago.<\/p>\n

    2. Did your mom or grandma teach you how to make any quintessential Taiwanese dishes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I wish! I would simply watch in the kitchen, and learn that way. My mom doesn\u2019t \u201cteach\u201d or profess to know the best way to cook anything. Okay, maybe she taught me how to fold dumplings, but that\u2019s about it. However, I believe I learned a lot from this casual approach to cooking. You don\u2019t need to follow any recipe, and you don\u2019t even need to know what dish you\u2019re making until it\u2019s all done. I appreciate that.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \"Sweet<\/a>

    Sweet and bitter flavors mingle in this nourishing Chicken, Pineapple, and Bitter Melon Soup–thought to be the perfect fix when you have a cold. (Photo credit: Pete Lee)<\/p><\/div>\n

    3. Aside from the popular three-cup chicken, pork belly buns, and beef noodles, what other dishes do you think deserve recognition and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I think Hakka Stir-Fry, since it\u2019s such a fast and delicious dish. The traditional version incorporates dried (and reconstituted) squid along with twice-cooked strips of pork belly — it\u2019s such a tasty combination, and it\u2019s easy to make.<\/p>\n

    4. What is considered a true-blue traditional Taiwanese dish?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    A true-blue traditional Taiwanese dish is Danzai noodles, a tradition from fisherman during the off-season for their catch. Another more-old fashioned Taiwanese dish is the chewy, dumpling-like snack, ba-wan.<\/p>\n

    5. Do you think the emergence of Taiwanese restaurants over the last few years has contributed to an increase in interest in Taiwanese cuisine? Why else do you think this has happened?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I think the new crop of Taiwanese restaurants we\u2019ve seen is a result of the younger Taiwanese generation, or Taiwanese Americans, proudly embracing their heritage \u2014 and calling themselves (and their restaurants) Taiwanese. There have been Taiwanese restaurants in the US for decades, but you wouldn\u2019t necessarily know that they were Taiwanese since this word wasn\u2019t always used in its descriptions of the cuisine. Today\u2019s younger Taiwanese Americans, however, are calling their foods Taiwanese \u2013 from casual bento lunches to shaved ice to steamed buns.<\/p>\n

    6. What dish do you recommend a newbie try making first? What dish is a must-try even if it may or may not be a little challenging?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I think people should try making the Chicken with Rice! It\u2019s all about the subtlety of flavors so it might seem a little intimidating to get right if you\u2019ve only tried it in a restaurant. But it\u2019s so easy, and the results are great!<\/p>\n

    \"Cathy<\/a>

    Cathy saying ‘hi’ to a water buffalo on a farm in Ilan county, Taiwan.<\/p><\/div>\n

    7. In compiling the recipes, how did you decide what to include or not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I wanted to capture a range of dishes, from popular street foods to home cooking. But I wanted to be sure people could actually cook these foods easily, so I didn\u2019t include really impractical dishes that you\u2019d never see made at home, like blood pudding on a stick!<\/p>\n

    8. Considering that Taiwan is made up of immigrants from the mainland, why do you think Taiwanese cooking has evolved so differently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    It\u2019s actually several groups of immigrants from different time periods. The majority of Taiwanese came from Fujian<\/em> province in the 16th<\/sup> century or later, but there was also aboriginals who had their own cuisines using wild vegetables and game, which is reflected in the foods in Taiwan today. Then there were Japanese influences from 50 years of being a colony of Japan, followed by an influx of people from all over mainland China in the late 1940\u2019s. The various unique groups have evolved on the island to make it what it is today \u2013 I basically dedicated the entire book to answer this very question!  <\/p>\n

    9. Tell me the truth, do you like stinky tofu?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    I do! But only mildly stinky ones. It\u2019s a very fine line when it crosses over into too-stinky territory for me, though, and then I hate it!<\/p>\n

    Thank you, Cathy!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    ~~~<\/p>\n[yumprint-recipe id=’28’]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Taiwanese cuisine has languished under the culinary radar in the U.S. for far too long. To be honest, even I was unsure how Taiwanese food distinguishes from mainstream Chinese. 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