Taiwanese cuisine originated in the Fukien
or Fujian province of southern China. Due to the fact most of
Taiwan's immigrants were from this area of China, It became
inevitable that Taiwan would adopt the basis of Chinese
cuisine as Taiwan's own cuisine.
The Taiwanese have picked up several pieces of their cuisine
from other countries, thanks to Japan's 50 year occupation of
Taiwan that ended in 1945, a popular Japanese dish "miso" soup is
just as common in Taipei as it is in Tokyo, sushi is also
popular. Spices are also
popular and probably came from India, a Taiwanese dish that uses
spice would generally be reasonably mild.
Taiwanese food, is a simple cuisine which makes the best use of
the limited resources in Taiwan. High population and lack of
flat grazing land has made the Taiwanese adapt and use the
resources they have available. Fish and seafood make up the main
source of protein in the Taiwanese diet, while rice is sometimes
supplemented with sweet potato or taro roots.
Meals are generally cooked quickly and all at once to conserve
energy. although fish is the most popular meat, chicken is also
used, with beef, pork and lamb being less popular due to cost.
Popular fruits and vegetables include sweet potatoes, pineapple,
taro roots, bitter melon, black beans, pickled radishes,
peanuts, chilli peppers, parsley, and basil.