Food History of Taipei

Key eras

1. 1700s, Han settlement

   Han Chinese began settling the Taipei Basin in 1709, and Bangka, today's Wanhua, grew as one of the early settlements beside Twatutia. Hokkien and Hakka communities had brought their cooking to Taiwan from the 16th century, and southern Fujian cuisine shaped mainstream Taiwanese food most. Dishes such as the oyster omelette come from the Hokkien tradition.

   Taste it todayOyster omelette

2. 1895 to 1945, Japanese rule

   Japan took over Taiwan in 1895, and Taipei, called Taihoku, became the seat of the colonial government. Japanese dishes and foodways such as bento, sashimi, rice balls and miso soup entered Taiwanese cuisine. Nanmen Market opened in 1907 as Chiensui Market, and Wisteria Tea House and Qing Tian 76 occupy old Japanese-style wooden houses.

   Taste it todayNanmen MarketQing Tian 76

3. 1949 onward, the Nationalist retreat

   The Nationalist government made Taipei its provisional capital on 7 December 1949. The retreat brought regional Chinese cooking from outside Fujian, and dishes from Guangdong, Shanghai, Sichuan and Beijing became easy to find. Sichuanese veterans created Taiwanese beef noodle soup, and Lao Shan Dong has built a loyal following since 1949.

   Taste it todayBeef noodle soup

4. 2018 to today, Michelin comes to Taipei

   The first MICHELIN Guide Taipei, announced on 14 March 2018, starred 20 restaurants, with Le Palais the only three-star. Michelin also reached the night markets: Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun at the gate of Raohe Night Market was a Bib Gourmand that year. logy now holds two stars and T+T one.

   Taste it todayPepper bunLe PalaislogyT+T

Immigrant influences

Hokkien (Min Nan)

Hokkien and Hakka settlers arrived from the 16th century. The oyster omelette is a Southern Min dish, gua bao and the pepper bun come from Fujian, and lu rou fan is common in Taiwan and southern Fujian.

Japanese (1895 to 1945)

Japanese rule brought bento, sashimi, rice balls and miso soup, and shaped both washoku and yoshoku in Taiwan. Wisteria Tea House and Qing Tian 76, both in Da'an, occupy Japanese-style wooden houses.

Taste it todayQing Tian 76

Mainland Chinese (1949 wave)

Sichuanese Nationalist veterans created Taiwanese beef noodle soup. After 1949 regional dishes from Guangdong, Shanghai, Sichuan and Beijing became easy to find, and Din Tai Fung's founder arrived from Shanxi in 1948.

Cantonese cooking

Cantonese dishes were among those that arrived after 1949. Le Palais in the Palais de Chine Hotel has held three Michelin stars since 2018 and uses Cherry Valley ducks from Yilan for its crispy-skin roast duck.

Taste it todayLe Palais

Burmese and Thai Chinese (1980s)

Descendants of Republic of China troops who stayed in Myanmar and Thailand came to Taiwan in the 1980s; many settled around Huaxin Street, called Myanmar Street, in Zhonghe, New Taipei.

Signature innovations

• Din Tai Fung turned a cooking-oil shop into a xiaolongbao restaurant in the early 1970s, with 18 folds
  Taste it todayXiaolongbao
• Bubble tea, claimed by Hanlin Tea Room (1986) and Chun Shui Tang (1987 or 1988); a 2019 ruling called it unpatentable
• Taiwanese beef noodle soup, created by Sichuanese Nationalist veterans after they fled to Kaohsiung
  Taste it todayBeef noodle soup
• Pineapple cake, once ceremonial food, now one of Taiwan's top-selling souvenirs
  Taste it todayPineapple cake
• The first MICHELIN Guide Taipei, in March 2018, starred 20 restaurants