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General Tso’s chicken to bento bowls: A food guide to Taiwan politics

bbc.com · 1,802 words · saved by 1 readers

"I wanted to find out who I am through food," says Taiwanese chef Aeles as she stuffs pork into millet dumplings, before wrapping them in two kinds of local leaves. Millet dumplings, locally known as abai, are a sacred staple for Aeles' tribe, the Rukai, who have lived in these mountains of south-eastern Taiwan for generations. When the 61-year-old was growing up, the food of Taiwan's indigenous tribes was almost impossible to find outside of the communities. But that has been changing as Taiwan's identity takes shape, often in defiance of Chinese claims. And indigenous chefs like Aeles want to make sure their food is also on the plate. With an election looming, Taiwan's "roots" are under the scanner again. China sees the democratic island as territory that it will eventually take back. But polls suggest that many Taiwanese see themselves as distinct. The island is home to descendants of Chinese Nationalists who fled Mao Zedong's Communist troops in 1949. But they were not the first to

General Tso’s chicken to bento bowls: A food guide to Taiwan politics 6 January 2024 Share Save Add as preferred on Google Grace Tsoi and Joy Chang BBC World Service, Taiwan Joy Chang / BBC Chinese General Tso's chicken was invented in Taiwan "I wanted to find out who I am through food," says Taiwanese chef Aeles as she stuffs pork into millet dumplings, before wrapping them in two kinds of local leaves. Millet dumplings, locally known as abai, are a sacred staple for Aeles' tribe, the Rukai, who have lived in these mountains of south-eastern Taiwan for generations. When the 61-year-old was gr

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