Imagining Taiwanese cuisine
The most renowned of these innovative foods is probably General Tso’s chicken, which was dreamed up by Peng Chang-kuei, an eminent Chinese-born chef who specialized in the cuisine of his home province of Hunan. Reportedly, Peng invented General Tso’s chicken in 1953 for a banquet organized by the ROC Ministry of National Defense for Admiral Arthur W. Radford of the United States Navy. The dish was named after Zuo Zongtang, the famous commander of the Hunan Army in the 19th century, to resonate with the military rank of the illustrious guest.
General Tso’s chicken achieved immense popularity in the USA even before it became a widely loved dish in Taiwan. In 1973 Peng moved to New York, where he opened Uncle Peng’s Hunan Yuan. It was from there that General Tso’s chicken started to gain classic status as a representative of American Chinese cuisine.
At Peng Yuan—a restaurant established by Peng in Taiwan in 1983—we meet up with Clarissa Wei, a second-generation Taiwanese American who now works in Taiwan as a freelance journalist.
While savoring General Tso’s chicken, Wei tells us with a smile that most Americans have no idea where this dish comes from, and that their understanding of Taiwanese cuisine remains deeply stereotypical: soya milk, sesame seed cakes, scallion pancakes, and even a “penchant for spicy food.”
Drawing on her intimate knowledge of both American and Taiwanese cultures, Wei writes about food for publications such as the New Yorker and Bon Appétit. To break culinary stereotypes, she has teamed up with Ivy Chen, owner of Ivy’s Kitchen, a cookery school in Taipei. Together they have published an English-language cookbook entitled Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation (2023).
Nearly 400 pages long, the richly illustrated hardback encompasses Taiwanese snacks like braised pork over rice and egg pancakes, homely dishes such as pan-fried milkfish belly and braised napa cabbage, foods imported by post-World-War-II Chinese immigrants including xiaolongbao dumplings and scallion pancakes, Hakka-style recipes such as Hakka stir-fry and steamed preserved greens and pork, and even indigenous cuisine, represented by pigeon pea and pork soup and abai (“a parcel of millet, glutinous rice, and fatty ground pork tied up and steamed in two layers of leaves”).
Made in Taiwan is more than just a recipe book. Wei says that it aims not only to introduce Taiwanese foods to English-language readers but also to capture the richness and complexity of Taiwan’s culture, history, and ethnic composition. “The most salient trait of Taiwanese cuisine is actually akin to that of America—it’s fusion,” she says. “Our foods have absorbed influences from various eras, but they have to use Taiwanese ingredients and flavorings. That makes for their uniqueness.”
Yang Chao-chin invites alumni of National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism to serve as guest chefs at Taiwan Cultural Kitchen.
The wontons named after the Chinese city of Wenzhou are served in a soup with dried seaweed, pleasing the eye as well as the palate.