Joy Fang

STEP into the historical city of Tainan, located to the south of Taiwan, and you’ll realise why it has been dubbed The City of Snacks.

The fifth-largest city and Taiwan’s oldest, its quaint streets retain the flavour of the past and are lined with stalls selling an excellent array of delectable goodies.

Because of its long history, the food served here is an exciting mix of old-school authentic Taiwanese cuisine and modern concoctions, so there’s something for everyone.

A lot of the delicacies and renowned street food can be found in the Anping District, the historical centre of Tainan and the original capital of Taiwan.

This reporter’s favourite has to be the guancaiban, or coffin toast – found at many stalls in the district.

It may have a morbid name, but this unique delicacy is possibly the best sandwich you’ll ever sink your teeth into.

Coffin toast is made up of a thick chunk of bread which has been deep fried.

A hole cut out of the bread is filled with hot chicken chunks, seafood, vegetables and cream.

Crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside, it melts in the mouth. Pure heaven.

Near the entrance to the ruins of Anping Fort lies a stretch of eateries that boasts a history of at least 50 years.

You’ll find snacks like deepfried shrimp and oyster rolls, oyster mee sua, wok-fried squid, seafood congee, danzaimian (yellow noodles topped with ingredients such as stewed minced-pork sauce, boiled shrimp and garlic).

Prices are low – each snack costs about NT$50 (about S$2.15).

The fried rolls are different from the ngoh hiang we have in Singapore – the ones you find here are crunchy and more lightly battered, but paired with a similar sweet sauce.

SEAFOOD DELIGHTS

Tainan is the land of oysters because locals here grow their own in oyster farms offshore – a big part of their economy.

Oysters are hence much cheaper here. You can get fresh, succulent ones (really big ones, at that) for NT$100 to NT$150 for eight pieces – a third of the price you’d pay back home.

Expect to get your hands dirty as you open the oysters and slurp them down with some lemon juice.

There’s one other seafood this city is known for – milkfish.

Dedicated milkfish restaurants can be found at almost every turn.

You’ll find deep-fried milkfish, milkfish broth with seafood crispy noodles, milkfish congee, milkfish balls and milkfish soup.

The creamy flesh of the fish is always a delight.

But beware – the uninitiated should know that this fish is notoriously bony, so be careful or risk getting a bone in the throat.

If you get thirsty from all the food sampling, don’t forget to try the city’s donggua cha (winter-melon iced tea).

This reporter visited the famous Yi Feng Ah Chuan Dong Gua Cha (No. 216, Section 2, Yongfu Road) opposite Chihkan Towers to try the folksy beverage. The store, which began life in a winter-melon factory located next door, has over
100 years of history.

It still utilises the traditional method of cooking the winter melon – the melon is boiled for hours with brown sugar in wooden tubs over a wood-fed fire.

The store also offers fresh, handmade winter-melon drinks, sweets and other products. Expect long queues when you’re there.

But it’s worth it – the drink is served ice-cold, and is refreshingly good.

This page is brought to you by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and Taiwan Visitors Association

HELPDESK
Quaint: 古雅 gǔ yǎ
Delectable: 美味的 měi wèi de
Ingredients: 配料 pèi liào
Beverage: 饮料 yǐn liào