I don’t know if you know I am a big foodie when it comes to travel but I am definitely one and local food is the absolutely (and only) way to go. My recent trip covering several cities in Taiwan found me this gem – almost an unmissable tourist attraction in Sun Moon Lake but deserves much more attention on the internet!
Very excited to spill my FAVOURITE food street in Taiwan…
ITA THAO VILLAGE 伊達邵部落
It’s just a few streets filled with food stalls but almost every stall I tried never disappoints. We might have gone out of control but here are the foods that deserve a huge shoutout:
1. Wild Boar Meat 山豬肉
Nothing to be surprised of as the Thao people are aborigines who lived around Sun Moon Lake and wild boar meat is a common delicacy of the aborigines. They usually make it into sausages or they stir fry it with garlic so it’s really convenient to eat it on the go.
Price: 100 TWD/portion
Address
打打那格山豬肉
No. 27-23號, Shuishalian Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉水沙連街27-23號
Google Maps
2. Fried Sharpbelly 奇力鱼
Not sure if this is a speciality to the region but this stall that sits at the bend of the street only sells sharpbelly fish and freshwater lake shrimp fried with curry leaves and seasoned with salt and pepper. The seasoning is heavenly – a big plus if you happen to get the fresh hot batch!
Price: 100 TWD/portion
Address
三哥現炸奇力魚
No. 103號, Wenhua Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉文化街103號
Google Maps
3. Fried Cabbage Buns 高麗菜包
*Vegetarian
Since there are many Buddhist temples around Sun Moon Lake, there are also more vegetarian options in this area and this fried cabbage bun is just one of the many.
I believe in stalls who only have one thing on the menu – they are always with a long queue but for a tasty reason. This huge bun filled with wholesome cabbage, mushroom and glass noodles can almost replace a meal.
Price: 40 TWD
Address
年記做不復賣香菇高麗菜包
No. 75, Yiyong Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉義勇街75號
Google Maps
4. Pumpkin Lotus Leaf Bun 南瓜外皮大刈包
A modern twist to the traditional lotus leaf bun, this stall differentiated themselves by replacing the white bun with a healthier pumpkin option and offers an extended menu that caters to younger tastebuds. Obviously, it successfully captured our attention. Can’t go wrong adding cheese to anything.
Price: 55-65 TWD
Address
杰記山豬肉大刈包
No. 102, Yiyong Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉義勇街102號
Google Maps
5. Braised Beancurd Bun 夾心豆干刈包
*Vegetarian option available
I bet you will see a lot of different lotus leaf bun but at one look, you could tell this is different. They stuff ingredients in between a huge slab of braised beancurd instead of an actual flour bun. Fillings include braised pork belly, salted vegetable, cucumber strips and soybean crips.
This is definitely at the top of my list.
Price: 35 TWD
Address
古早味刈包-阿薩姆夾心豆干
No. 111號, Yiyong Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉義勇街111號
Google Maps
6. Grilled Muah Chee 烤麻薯
If you followed my Taiwan series, I have mentioned muah chee (glutinous rice balls) many times as it is one of my childhood snacks. But hold it, have you heard of grilled muah chee? We had to get one.
The grilled crispy outer layer, warm and soft texture is really out of this world – is it just me? It is a different take on the modern muah chee I had in night market.
You can also choose different flavours – honey, seaweed powder, condensed milk (popular!).
7. Assam Oolong Tea Soft serve 紅茶霜淇淋
I do have an obsession for tea soft serve because they are usually very fragrant and less sweet. Being the ideal climate and altitude for Assam tea, Sun Moon Lake produces top Assam tea leaves and what should you do with tea? Put it in your soft serve of course.
Address
紅茶霜淇淋創始店
No. 110號, Yiyong Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉義勇街110號
Google Maps
8. Assam Milk Tea 阿薩姆紅茶
No day in Taiwan went by without a cup of milk tea especially when the tea here is so good. We queued for this particular one that was featured by a local travel TV show. I would say it tasted insignificantly better than the rest of the milk tea chain stores so you are still in good hands if you just get it from the store beside.
Address
茶池屋 阿薩姆紅茶
No. 93, Yiyong Street, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 555
555南投縣魚池鄉義勇街93號
Google Maps
So whether or not you’re a big foodie or not, you got to come to this street to fill your belly! It’s not easy finding a street that every stall sells food that will leave you satisfied but this one did, at least for us.
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