When I ask my foreign friends about what they love about Taiwan 🇹🇼, I got different answers. Some of them love Taiwanese culture and beautiful landscapes. Some of them love people here because they think Taiwanese people are so kind and enthusiastic. However, there is one thing that they are all crazy about. That is Taiwanese food!!! 🥪🥣🥓🌮🍳🍙🍜🥟☕ And it starts with breakfast.

Breakfast is very important

All the energy we need come from our first meal. Therefore, Taiwanese people think that breakfast is the most important meal in the day. There are so many options for you to choose. You can find what you want in breakfast shops

Breakfast shops in Taiwan

The breakfast shop is a common type of fast food restaurant in Taiwan. There are different kinds of breakfast shops and thousands of them for you to choose. From traditional ones to mixed Taiwanese and Western styles. Many of them offer breakfast and brunch. Some of them even open from dinner time to breakfast time. Which is why I always have problems of choosing what to eat.😂😂😂

20 Taiwanese breakfast you must try

Delicious breakfast is everywhere in Taiwan. I’m gonna show you most popular 20 breakfast that Taiwanese people love to eat. You must try them by yourself when you have chance to visit Taiwan in person in the future.

Rice for breakfast

Rice balls (Fantuan飯糰)

Taiwanese rice balls are made from glutinous rice and usually come with fried bread stick, pickled radish, pickled mustard greens and braised eggs. Nowadays, they offer different kinds of flavors for customers to choose by themselves. I used to have it for my breakfast when I was studying in junior high school. The price was cheap and it made me so full after I finished all of it.

Another common rice balls below you can find them in the convenient stores easily. Interesting part is that this kind of rice balls actually come from Japan. People around the world know that Japanese love to eat sushi or any rice made food so much. They invented them, and then Taiwanese brought back to Taiwan when they traveled to Japan.

Braised pork rice (Luroufan 滷肉飯)

Braised pork rice is a traditional Taiwanese cuisine and one of the Taiwanese food culture. It’s a rice dish that topped with cooked minced pork or stir-fried minced pork (pork minced pork) and a soy sauce marinade. It tastes more delicious with a braised egg.

Turkey rice (jirofan 雞肉飯)

Turkey rice is breakfast for people in Chiayi. In the past, the population there used to be composed mostly of laborers. They needed a protein- and fat-rich breakfast to keep them energized throughout the day. Since then, still many people have turkey rice for breakfast.

Omurice / Omelet rice　(dan bao fun 蛋包飯)

Omurice is fried rice wrapped in egg omelette. It’s a fusion dish that combines Asian fried rice with Western omelette, usually topped with ketchup. It’s also a famous dish from Japan. Apparently, it’s not difficult to taste Japanese food in Taiwan.

Sticky rice cake (Migao 米糕)

Sticky rice cake is made with glutinous rice. The shape of it looks just like a cake. I think that’s why it’s called rice cake. There are different tastes throughout Taiwan.

Congee　( tzo 粥 )

Congee is rice slow-cooked with lots of water. Sweet potato or century egg is often added for taste. It’s easy to make at home. Therefore, you can try to cook by yourself at home if you want. You can put whatever you want to eat with. I love to eat with meat, century egg, cabbages and seafood. What a yummy and healthy meal!! 🤩🤩🤩

The video below teaches you how to make it by your own easily at home. Feel free to check it out if you are interested in it.

Noodles for breakfast

Fried noodles ( chow mien 炒麵 )

It’s a dish similar with hot plate noodles. It usually has cabbages, pork, mushrooms, carrots and shrimps as ingredients and stir fry with noodles.

Oyster vermicelli (Kezi miensien 蚵仔麵線)

The oyster vermicelli is a traditional dish that can be enjoyed at any time. Some people love to eat it for breakfast. On the other hand, some people love to eat it for dinner. It’s a dish can be found in the morning markets and night markets in Taiwan.

Hot plate noodles (Tiay ban mien 鐵板麵)

Hot plate noodles are served on hot iron platters, anything from meat, seafood, vegetables, and noodles can be added on them. Normally, the clerks will put the noodles on a normal plate to avoid someone get hurt by the hot plate in the breakfast shop. Plus, you can choose spicy or original sauce to eat with. As for me, I always eat it with spicy sauce.

Nabeyaki egg noodles (guo sou yimien 鍋燒意麵)

Nabeyaki egg noodles is similar with hot pot. Normally they put four kinds of ingredients and meat in it. Drink the soup after you finish eating the noodles is an enjoyment.

Other dishes for breakfast

Chinese omelette (Danbing蛋餅)

Chinese omelette is a dish made from beaten eggs fried with butter or oil in a frying pan and usually folded around fillings such as cheese, vegetables, mushrooms, ham, etc.. It’s one of the most popular dishes you need to try in Taiwan.

My favorite one is Chinese omelette with hash browns which is the left picture above. 😋 It tastes soft on the surface and crispy inside. 🤤 The Chinese omelette in right picture tastes also good. You can have corns, ham with cheese in one bite. It’s fantastic, isn’t it?

Radish cake (Luo Buo Gao蘿蔔糕)

Radish cake is made of rice flour and turnips. It’s usually cut into rectangular slices. After you pan-fried it, it’ll be crispy outside and yet tender, almost melting in the mouth inside. If you like spicy sauce like I do, you should try it with radish cake. It’s so delicious.

Clay oven rolls with fried bread sticks (shoubing yotiao 燒餅油條)

Clay oven roll is a variety of baked flat and crispy bread with sesame on the top, often served with fried bread sticks and soy milk as breakfast. It’s a very traditional meal in Taiwan. Hence, you can only try them in local breakfast shops.

Flaky scallion pancake (tsung zua bing 蔥抓餅)

Flaky scallion pancakes are pan fried so that they get nice and crispy on the outside, and when you rip them open, you’ll see all the wonderful layers. You can choose what stuffing you want to put inside the pancake.

Steamed bun　( mun toe 饅頭 )

Steamed bun is a white and tender type of steamed bun. They are fluffy and chewy-soft, which are made with wheat flour, water and yeast. There are many different flavors of steamed buns. The brown sugar ones are my favorite flavor.

Soup dumpling　( Xiao long bao 小籠包 )

Soup dumpling is a kind of steamed dish. The buns are served hot in the bamboo baskets and traditionally filled with pork and lots of soup. You should be careful of the soup while eating. Don’t burn your tongue or mouth.

Taiwanese meatballs (Ba wan 肉圓)

The outside is made with a dough of rice flour, corn starch and sweet potato starch. Pork, veggies and sometimes eggs are stuffed inside. The most famous meatballs shop is in a city called Changhua. It’s crispy outside and soft inside. People usually go there and taste their favorite ba wan.

Drink for breakfast

Taiwanese people like to drink something with their breakfast. Three typical beverages are easy to find in breakfast shop.

Milk tea ( nightza 奶茶 )

I think this one is the most popular drink in Taiwan, or in many countries. Many Taiwanese people like to have milk tea with breakfast, and so do I. However, here is a saying that the milk tea in the breakfast shop makes people have diarrhea. I think it’s a good way to help you to lose some weight. 😂😂 (Just kidding.) Just be careful when you have one from breakfast shop.

Soy milk　( dall jiang 豆漿 )

Soy milk in Taiwan is traditionally served in a bowl. It tastes sweet, thick and flavorful. There are sweet soy milk, unsweetened soy milk, organic soy milk and savory soy milk for you to try. I like sweet soy milk the most.

Peanut brown rice milk　( mijiang 米漿 )

Taiwanese peanut brown rice milk requires only three ingredients: peanuts, brown rice(or white rice), and water. It’s loved by kids and adults because of its thick and creamy flavor.

Summary

As you can see, there are plenty of choices for Taiwanese people to choose for their breakfast. I know it’s insane. I think you noticed that Taiwanese people love to have heavy favor food for breakfast such as rice, noodles and other food. It’s totally different with western style breakfat. However, you will have good experiences to try all of them. They are very delicious. 😋

Feel free to leave me a message to tell me what subjects you are interested in, I will introduce for you as soon as possible. Cheers!!