Taiwan’s night markets are famous well beyond the island’s shores. CNN once ran a story about “10 things Taiwan does better than anyplace else,” and number one on that list was the night markets.

How many night markets are there in Taiwan? According to a survey conducted by the Central Region Office of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, as of January 4, 2023, there were as many as 164 night markets nationwide, of which Tainan City alone hosts 49, or one for every 37,816 Tainan residents. The survey report counted only the so-called “mobile night markets,” made up primarily of movable stalls rather than permanent ones; if the large tourist night markets were included as well, that number could be over 300.

A century-old tradition

“Why is there such a high demand for night ­markets among the Taiwanese?” Yu Shuenn-der, a research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, who is known as an expert on night markets, once conducted a census of night markets in Taiwan and found that especially in the central and southern regions, “almost every village hosts a mobile night market at least once a week.” Even in places like Nangang in Taipei or the suburbs of Yilan, there are still mobile night markets thronging with visitors every night.

Yu also found that Taiwan’s night markets are characterized by their liveliness and sense of “order among chaos.” People will knock off from work and head for a night market, wandering through in their shorts and flip-flops, snacks in hand. “People really just want to enjoy a bit of excitement and energy.”

“At the same time, the night markets in Taiwan are quite safe, the food is reasonably hygienic, and the markets are well managed. You can go shopping there with peace of mind and enjoy the exotic atmosphere.”
 

Classy food for the common folk

Special snacks are the soul of the night market. Yu notes that Taiwan’s night-market snacks are quite diverse, with everything from Northeast and Southeast Asian cuisines to dishes brought from all over China by the 1.6 million people who came to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese Civil War.

The origins of Taiwanese snacks are also full of creativity. For example, Yu notes that night-market steak, oyster omelet, fried chicken fillets, crispy fried chicken, pastry rolls and Taiwanese sausage in rice sausage are all unique. “In night-market snacks, we can see many innovations on traditional dishes.”

Stinky tofu, boba tea, tofu pudding, oyster vermicelli, grilled sausages, grilled squid... Taiwan’s night-market snacks are delicious, and there are many interesting stories and histories behind them.

Ma Chi-kang, a lecturer at National Taiwan Normal University and a specialist guide for world heritage sites, often introduces the stories behind the snacks when receiving international tourists. “Many people notice that the food in Tainan tends to be rather sweet. This is because sugar was an expensive ingredient in Taiwan in earlier times, and only rich people could afford it.” During the time of the Kingdom of Tungning (1661–1683), many of Zheng Chenggong’s royal cooks came out to make a living with their craft. “The difference between common people’s snacks and palace snacks was the addition of sugar to the dishes, because sugar was considered something for the rich and noble.”

The oyster omelets that are found in every night market are rumored to also have a link back to Zheng Chenggong. Ma Chi-kang says that when Zheng came to Taiwan, he lacked sufficient food supplies to support his attack on Fort Zeelandia. In order to feed his soldiers during the Dragon Boat Festival, he had his cooks use local sweet potato flour to make a batter and add bean sprouts and the plump oysters that were abundant in the local waters, to make an alternative to zongzi. “That was the prototype of the modern oyster omelet.” Tai­nan’s well-known yi noodles, meanwhile, are said to be so named because the addition of duck eggs to the ingredients meant the noodle makers had to exert more force when rolling them out, grunting out an “yi” sound as they did so. Another version has it that the name comes from a similar-sounding Hokkien phrase meaning “thin noodles.” Tourists listen to Ma’s snack stories with fascination, and the tales add additional flavor to the snacks.

Must-try night-market snacks

Faced with a dazzling array of snacks but a limited stomach size, one may be overwhelmed by the choices available. Ma Chi-kang recommends the “snack banquets” offered by some night markets. Ningxia Night Market, known as “Taipei’s stomach,” has launched a “Millennium Banquet” spread, allowing visitors to sample a little bit of each snack between meals.

Ma strongly recommends the Millennium Banquet, which brings together the most classic local delicacies in Ningxia Night Market. You can sample more than 20 different snacks, from roasted bird eggs and oyster omelets to stinky tofu and braised pork rice, all presented in the form of small servings of shared dishes so that every guest can get a taste.

Although this “banquet” is relatively small, customers often laugh and say their stomachs are ready to burst afterward and still full the next day, thanks to the super generous portions. Tainan, known as the gourmet capital of Taiwan, has a similar snack banquet. The dining environment is a somewhat more upmarket, and you can try Tainan’s famous shrimp rolls, danzi noodles, coffin bread, and almond tofu pudding. Tourists would have to go to many places to visit every famous eatery on their maps, and so for those with limited budgets and time, the snack banquet can give them a chance to try it all in one place.

If your trip is short and you want to visit a night market, there are several top choices: in the north, the Keelung Miaokou Night Market offers the chance to try Taiwanese tempura, shredded chicken rice, crab soup, and fermented glutinous rice dumplings; Taipei’s Raohe Street Night Market has Michelin-recommended stinky tofu and pepper cakes; while at Shilin Tourist Night Market, you can sample shiquan herbal spareribs and fried chicken fillets bigger than your face, and experience the joyful, heady atmosphere of an urban night market.

In Central Taiwan, Taichung’s Fengjia Night ­­Market has earned the title of the “night market of night markets.” Many of the innovations in Taiwan’s night markets start out in Fengjia, and the food here is naturally not to be missed.

Then there are other options worth trying, such as “fire and ice” tangyuan, sweet potato balls, and fried chicken wings at Tonghua Night Market in Taipei; fish head casserole and turkey rice at Wenhua Road Night Market in Chiayi; and scallion pancakes and fried century eggs at Luodong Night Market in Yilan. No matter what you choose, it’s sure to leave you full and happy.
 

A down-to-earth destination

“I lived in Fengshan as a child, and what I looked forward to most each week was the night market on Friday nights,” recalls Ma Chi-kang, a childlike excite­ment lighting up the big man’s face. With no class the next day, you could go to the night market to play pinball, drive bumper cars, and just generally go wild. “Those were poorer times, but it was terrific fun.” ­Taiwan’s night markets may not be top-notch luxury, but they provide visitors with happiness.

In recent years, the fortunes of Taiwan’s night markets have continued to rise and fall with the tides of urban development. Many night markets suddenly become popular overnight, but soon close down for lack of a sustainable customer base. However, there are also many evergreen night markets whose popularity has never waned.

What’s more, many popular night-market snacks have even made their way onto the menus of five-star hotels and restaurants. Chefs will inject new creative elements into the snacks. For example, some operators have launched abalone and scallop meatballs. The ingredients are selected more carefully, and the dining environment is higher class, but in the eyes of Ma Chi-kang, such high-grade snacks have become “distorted,” losing the characteristics that make them special.

“The essence of snacks lies in the price. The prices are reasonable and the portions are small, so everyone can afford them. At the same time, the value of the night market lies in the down-to-earth atmosphere.” Look at oyster vermicelli—commonly sold as street food. “When eaten at a fancy restaurant, they have no feeling. That feeling only comes from everyday life.” Ma believes that such dishes are to be eaten sitting on a bench on the street or standing up: “This way there’s some real feeling to it.”

Of course, the Taiwanese cannot resist change. Innovation is in their blood. They invented boba tea, which has become popular the world over, and the surprising “little sausage in a big rice sausage.” The night markets of the future will undoubtedly have more magical and delicious snacks awaiting their visitors.

When traveling in Taiwan, try to make an evening visit to a bustling local night market, order a bowl of pork meatballs and noodles in thick soup at a steamy stall, sit down on a simple bench, and tuck in happily. Or maybe get a fried chicken fillet, perfect for eating while walking around, and enjoy the freedom of doing whatever you want along the way. Such good times and more are right there in the night markets of Taiwan.

For more pictures, please click 《Let’s Go to the Night Market!—A Movable Feast of Taiwanese Treats》