When foreign friends come to Taiwan, they often like to try some of the awesome local food. But how can we explain it?
When speaking English, we don’t have to translate the names of food from other languages. We can say it in the original language (like pizza or sushi) and add an explanation.
Here are some examples…don’t get too hungry!
肉圓 Rou yuan
This is called Rou yuan. The literal translation is meat ball, and it’s a large meat ball inside a big sticky rice ball, served hot in a thick sauce.
蔥油餅 Cong you bing
Cong you bing, just means scallion pancake, and is a savoury fried pancake, often served with optional egg, cheese or ham.
臭豆腐 Chou dou fu
You can also call this stinky tofu. It’s cubes of fried, fermented tofu, served with pickled cabbage and spicy sauce. The smell is quite strong, and it’s an acquired taste!
碗粿 Wan guo
Wan guo, often called wa gui, is a glutounous rice bowl usually served with stewed meat.
剉冰 Chua Bing
Chua bing means ‘shaved ice’, and it’s a dessert which is a big bowl of thinly shaved ice, served in a bowl, loaded with sweet stuff, like fruit, syrup, pudding, ice cream and red beans. Can have a bowl to yourself or share with a group of friends.