First Taste: Taipei Street Eats

There are many things to love about Taipei (the train system, extensive and easy to use; the taxis, plentiful and driven by mostly personable gentleman who not only know where they're going but use the meter as a matter of course; the people, generally friendly and surprisingly laid back - or at least it seems so to this waiguo ren), but the city's most divine attribute is its street food scene.

Taipei's night markets get all the press, but the truth is that you can go just about anywhere in this city and find a stretch of road, a small lane, or an alley hosting at least a few stalls dishing up delectables sweet and savory. Many of these vendors have been in the business for years, making and serving their specialties from the same spot as the city grew outward and upward around them.

Our first encounter with Taipei street food came in the form of these hujiao bing - black pepper 'pancakes' or 'biscuits' - sold by a husband-and-wife team from the corner of a market on Daan Jie in the shopping/business district of East Taipei. In this case 'meat pie' is a more accurate descriptive than 'biscuit',

for once sliced in half these chewy wheat-flour pucks spill chunks of tender pork and silky caramelized scallion, all seasoned with enough black pepper to briefly numb the tip of your tongue.

The pies are baked in a charcoal-fired, tandoor-style oven, where they're slapped onto the stone walls and left to roast for about 15 minutes. Exposure to the fire gives the pies a fantastic smoky flavor and the high, dry heat really crisps up their bottoms. The wrappers boast the texture of a fine yeasty pizza dough.

Mr. Huang and his wife have been peddling their peppery meat pies from this location for over 28 years; he inherited the business from his father, who left Fuzhou, in the Chinese southeastern province of Fujian, for Taiwan in 1949. Their son helps out after school and on weekends and may one day carry on the trade.

Our maiden pie from this stall was dessert to a tasty (camera-free) dinner at Shin Yeh Table; they're so tasty we returned the next day for a few more. And they're just a teeny sliver of this city's street food paradise. Stay tuned for more.

Fuzhou pepper pork pies, Daan Road (east side), a couple blocks north of Zhongxiao East Road (kitty corner to 85 Degrees coffee shop). Afternoon through the evening.

Comments

[Eurasian Sensation]

Wow, that oven they use is really interesting, certainly quite unusual for Chinese cuisine. Just guessing here, but perhaps it indicates a Central Asian origin? Tandoor-style ovens are used in many of the countries ending with "-stan". (They wouldnt use pork of course.)

Reminds me a bit of a baked pierogi.

[joanh]

thanks for linking to my blog.. did you like Shin Yeh Table? hope you find all the good stuff you are looking for! You have to try the Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mian and the night markets!

[susan in HK]

Hi Robyn,

The street food in Taipei is so good, you're making me hungry! I never saw that oven in Taipei but I have seen it being used in Chongqing.

If you're in Taipei during Dragon Boat season, try the zhong-zi. They're very different from in other places: there's very little filling but the rice is so flavourful (I think they cook it with lard).

ttyl,
susan

[pigpigscorner]

I've heard a lot about Taiwan's street food and am dying to visit one day. I love how they stick the buns to the oven's wall.

[Danny]

Looks great! Been hankering after a meat pie ever since i left the UK and so far have come up short. I didn't realise Taipei had such a good street food reputation. I may have to adjust my travel plans accordingly!

[Rasa Malaysia]

You are right about their taxi drivers and people, they are really nice and friendly and sincere, and still retain a small-town attitude. I love it.

One thing about Taipei hawker food, their oh chien (oysters omelet) paled much in comparison to the ones in Penang, but others are great. I am also a big fan of their street "biscuits". :)

[Jennifer]

Wow! I've never seen this particular bun before. It looks just divine!

[All]

Ok its nice food, but I think the photos are good also, very clear, congrats from here.

[Hsuan]

Hi Robyn,

Glad that you're enjoying the food of Taiwan. I am happy to see Taiwanese food in the press lately and look forward to reading more about your adventure there. One thing that I find missing, however, is the exposure of Southern Taiwanese food, which tends to be more complex whilst remaining simple in terms of the numbers of ingredients. It is through the technique and preparation that the complexity of the few key ingredients shine. I hoped you had a chance to go there sometimes in the near future.

[Michael]

These ovens are fairly common around mainland China too, it's not only used by Muslim / Central Asia cooks.

Speaking of Taiwan street food, did you try the snake?
http://www.weirdmeat.com/2009/05/snake-alley-taiwan.html

[Robyn]

ES - it would be interesting to know how it ended up in use in Fuzhou, certainly.

joan h - we loved Shin Yeh! And we did eat Shaanxi daoshao mian, over by Taida at a place called 'tomato'. Will be posting it.

susan - it's amazing, really blew us away! Not just street food but everything. Taipei-ans have got it good!

pigpig- you've got to go.

Rasa - I dunno, we had an oyster omelet in Tainan that kinda blew the Penang version out of the water. Also had some very mediocre ones as well. As with anything, you've got to go to the right vendor.

Jennifer - incredibly delicious. We returned to this stall again and again.

Hsuan - we did spend some time in Kaohsiung and south, but not enough. You are right though about the simplicity (and deliciousness) of the food.

Hi Michael - we ate plenty of snake when we lived in China. Though I don't mind it (as long as it's properly/thoroughly boned) it's not something I'd seek out (unless I was told it was just about the tastiest item in Taipei). You're on the trail of weirdness, we're on the trail of deliciousness.

[Steve.]

This post has more or less determined that during the week of February that I have free between Penang and Hong Kong, I will visit Taiwan.

Unfortunately a quick Google mapping expedition hasn't yielded much when it comes to finding this place. I can find Zhongxiao East Road easily enough, but have no idea where Daan Road is.

Any hints?

[Robyn]

Steve -- good decision. You won't regret spending a week on Taiwan.
I'm in the 'other' China at the moment, without my map ... but Daan is sometimes spelled Da'an ... it runs perpendicular to Zhongxiao East Road (I think) ... and there is a metro station called Da'an which is about a 3-minute walk from the street itself (this particular vendor would a 10-15 minute walk up Da'an from the subway station).
Any Taipei-an would probably know Da'an.

[Steve.]

Thank you very much, Robyn. I think I've found the right spot to look - I wasn't zoomed in far enough to see the translated street name.

Less than one month to go - and I've decided to stay for ten days.

Enjoy the other China - it certainly looks as though you are!

[Katy Biggs]

Robyn, this might help your readers to find Da'an Road on google map - you have to enter EXACTLY this to get to this road:

Section 1, DàĀn Road, Da-an District

Anything else - Daan, Da'an, or even DàĀn Road (without Section 1) would have taken you to othe parts of Taiwan or China. Tricky!

Also, this vendor is a lot closer to MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station than Da'an.

[SK]

I would be tempted to visit Taipei just to try that. Looks so good!

[teresa]

The 胡椒餅 have puzzled me ever since I first tried them, as they taste just like a round version of a Central Asian samsa. Samsas even have that same peppery taste, though (sadly) missing the extra kick of Yilan scallions.

I'd be really curious to know how the samsa managed to make its way across the whole of China and entrench itself on an island.

[Jennifer Lien]

You know, here in PJ, my in-laws' neighbors just dropped off a bag full of similar-looking buns, filled with bangkuang (jicama), pickled mustard greens, and red bean. I'd never eaten these before. Pepper-doused meat pie sounds like a heavenly filling.