Cuisine and Ecotourism in Taiwan

Cuisine in Taiwan

According to TOP-MEDICAL-SCHOOLS, Taiwanese cuisine is essentially the cuisine of China’s eastern provinces, with strong Japanese influences. It is low-fat, moderately seasoned with ginger, with a strong emphasis on seafood.

It is worth trying boiled fish with greens, fried shrimp with cashew nuts, eels in pepper sauce, Xian Yu fish soup, fried small fish in peanut sauce, mushroom stew with crab meat, fried eel “ningpo”, jellyfish salad, the famous shark fin soup, the traditional omelette appetizer with oysters, octopuses or other marine life and other excellent seafood. Vegetables play a huge role in Taiwanese cuisine. They are served with many dishes, as well as marinated, salted in soy sauce, pickled and dried. Especially popular are young bamboo shoots, all kinds of cabbage, sweet potato, potatoes, various varieties of radish, green onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, spinach and green bean pods, as well as dozens of types of vegetables and herbs, for which there is simply no Russian language. titles.

The meat is extremely popular, but due to its relative, until recently, high cost, poultry and pork are mainly used. Popular dishes include Taiwanese steak, always served “straight from the fire” with noodles, grain garnish and carrots, traditional Peking duck, chicken marinated with onions, beef with oyster sauce, fried and boiled pork in sweet and sour sauce, chopped poultry meat with gingko nut sauces, ji-si-tang-myang noodle soup with poultry meat, fried noodles with vegetables or chow mein meat, dan-chao-fan egg fried with rice in dozens of options, Chinese vermicelli with pork “ma-yi-shang-shu”, meat in a sauce of butter, seafood paste and soybean paste “huguo”, fried chicken “gongbao” or a special way fried chicken ” dumplings with pork or vegetables “jeng-jiao”, boiled pork with herbs “dongpo-rou” or the simplest dish of the country – “zhu-yu-bang-fan” (rice balls with bacon and soy sauce). Poultry meat is often replaced with frog meat, fish and other unusual ingredients (up to insects), without detracting from the other advantages of the dish. dumplings with pork or vegetables “jeng-jiao”, boiled pork with herbs “dongpo-rou” or the simplest dish of the country – “zhu-yu-bang-fan” (rice balls with bacon and soy sauce). Poultry meat is often replaced with frog meat, fish and other unusual ingredients (up to insects), without detracting from the other advantages of the dish.

In Taiwan, there are also cult dishes: moon cookies, which are prepared during the autumn Moon Festival; spring rolls, which are sold in April; rice dumplings that are made for the Dragon Festival; red turtle cakes, which are baked for birthdays and temple gatherings.

Tea in Taiwan is drunk less frequently than on the mainland. A local invention is considered “foamy” or “pearl” tea, prepared on the basis of tea, milk, sugar and cassava or yuca (mainly from its starch). Such tea is first brewed and then infused in the same bowl for half an hour, which gives it a special taste and color.

ECOTOURISM

With two major climatic zones and varied topography, Taiwan is home to numerous species of flora and fauna. The provincial government has set aside almost 19.5% of its territory for various protected areas. Among them are 6 national reserves: Yushan, Yangmingshan, Taroko, Sheiba, Kenting and Kinmeng. They combine the tasks of nature protection, recreation and scientific research. Each park has its own center, which is subordinate to the Department of National Parks, and foreigners need official permission from the police to visit them.

Yushan Nature Reserve includes a chain of mountains, the height of which reaches 3000 m. Among them is the highest mountain in Taiwan, Mount Yushan (Jasper Mountain). The reserve is the largest and most intact protected area in the region. Its area is about 105,000 hectares. The flora and fauna of Yushan is very diverse, which corresponds to the variety of landforms. It is one of the few habitats for large mammals such as the Formosan muntjac, serow, black bear and macaque.

Yangmingshan Nature Reserve is a scenic area in the suburbs of Taipei. From February to April, azaleas and cherry blossoms flourish in the park, making it a place of pilgrimage for flower lovers. The reserve attracts tourists not only with rich vegetation, but also with thermal springs and waterfalls.

Taroko Reserve is a canyon created by the waters of the Liu River. The entrance to the gorge is decorated with a gate in the traditional Chinese style, and a 19 km long road is laid through it, following the flow of the river. On the territory of the reserve there are several mountains with a height of 3000 m, so the landscape is decorated with snowy peaks.

Southeast of the city of Hsinchu are two massive peaks of the Central Mountain Range (Seshan and Tabajian), which form the core of the Sheiba Nature Reserve. Most of the reserve is undeveloped. Pure mountain streams still flow here, and large areas of land are covered with virgin forests. Like the Taroko and Yushan reserves, Sheiba serves as a refuge for four-legged mammals.

Kenting Nature Reserve is located in the south of the island. It is the only tropical reserve in Taiwan. Kenting is surrounded by water on three sides: the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Bashi Strait to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the west. Its borders cover 17,700 hectares of land and 14,900 hectares of ocean. The territory of Kenting is divided into two areas: Kenting Forest Recreational Area and Sheding Natural Park.

Kinmen is the first nature reserve founded primarily to preserve sites of historical events. Due to the fact that the Kinmen Islands were under the jurisdiction of the ROC military for a long period of time, many buildings, public facilities, civilian dwellings and natural landscape in Kinmen remain in good condition. Most of the 163 villages in Kinmen retain their original Chinese architecture, replicating Fujian’s houses and temples. In addition, Zu Lake in the park section of Kuningtou is a stopping point for the largest flow of migratory birds. Taiwan’sĀ east coast between Hualien and Taitung is a whale and dolphin watching spot that appear here in March and April. Boats depart from the cities of Shitipung and Chenggong. It is best to go out early in the morning or late in the evening.

Ecotourism in Taiwan