The Best of Taiwanese Cuisine: Recipes and Menus for Holidays and Special Occasions

by Karen Hulene Bartell

More than a collection of over 100 delicious Taiwanese recipes, this cookbook is divided into seasons and traditional celebrations such as Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, and Mid-Autumn Moon Festival--with a complete menu for each one. Complementary and harmonious foods are organized in 18 carefully planned menus. The Best of Taiwanese Cuisine also includes cultural information, Chinese folk art paper cuttings, and a Chinese lunar zodiac calendar. Dishes from the four corners of China are found in Taiwanese kitchens and noodles, dumplings and Mongolian Lamb Barbecue from northern China; sauces and herbs from the east featured in recipes like "Piquant Lime Chicken in Swallow's Nest;" the hot, spicy, fried foods from the Szechuan region; and foods from southern China such as lightly seasoned, fresh seafood. Because of Japan's influence, even sushi and sashimi have their place in Taiwanese cuisine. Vegetarian dishes like "Five-Spice Tofu" and "Baby Corn Vegetable Medley" are also popular because of Taiwan's Buddhist and Taoist legacy.

122 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Author of the Cryptid Charisma, Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, as well as Indigo, Kissing Kin, Fox Tale, Wild Rose Pass, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle, and others, Karen Hulene Bartell is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, she found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Piney Woods with her husband and "mews"—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.

Reviews

[Stephen]

The cooking of Taiwan incorporates a remarkable variety of cuisines; all of the regions of Mainland China are represented as are culinary echoes from the Japanese occupation from 1895 to 1945. There are numerous ways in which to organize a cookbook: by courses, by ingredients, by regions. Karen Hulene Bartell has organized her book on Taiwanese cooking by holidays, of which the Taiwanese have a great many. Just as pumpkin pie is traditional to American Thanksgiving and Brussels sprouts are traditional to English Christmas, certain dishes are closely associated with particular holidays and occasions in Taiwan. Her book is too short (124 pages) to adequately cover the culture or the cooking of Taiwan, but it offers a good beginning.

[Fredrick Danysh]

This is a small collection of recipes that are traditional Taiwanese cuisine. The procedures of the tradition tea ceremony are discussed. Recipes are simple and easy to follow.