Frog's eggs, a rock princess, and cake in a cake!

If you thought Taiwanese food was all about bubble tea, you are formally invited to come along on this mouthwatering ride. But be prepared to make some additions to that list!

'Come here, buy these!' 

The friendly stallholder didn't exactly say those words in English, but we knew what she meant. Her words were as impossible to understand as the sign at her stall, though we could smell the pork and rice filling she had carefully wrapped in bamboo leaves, then steamed.

The dumplings were strung up in bundles that her other customers – the ones who knew what they were and could understand her Chinese words, and the sign – were carrying off home for dinner. Bak chang, the ideal takeaway. But her smile said it all. Here we were in Beito, the small daytime market in Taipei, Taiwan's capital – the city where food speaks all languages.

It seems pale green was the fashion choice for fruit and vegetables that day. This is a loofah (luffa), a large vegetable of the cucumber family which grows on a vine. And if you think the name is familiar and more likely to be in your bathroom rather than your kitchen, then you are right!

This is sometimes called a 'vegetable sponge', and when dried becomes that useful scrubbing tool you might take with you to the shower. For those who would rather cook it, then luffa is best diced and added to stir-fries or soups.

...and, no, these are not custard apples. They are sugar apples (a relative of custard apples and sometimes called 'sweetsop' - as opposed to soursops). All this we were told by the chef who accompanied us on our tour. Our friendly market guide was not just any chef, though.

Chef Li Chao-Ming is the executive chef at the nearby The Gaia Hotel where he had also invited us to a very special lunch....

.....that turned out to be not any regular meal either. The seven courses began with this tempting tasting plate.

Let's take a tour, starting at the top row, from the left: a flower, just to set the tone, a diamond of bamboo shoot, a steamed tuberose bud with a dab of mayonnaise. Middle row: black fungus on cucumber, pig ear stack, smoked duck breast. Bottom row: chicken and garlic sauce, butter icing and a chocolate disc with the Gaia emblem, pork and chilli bundle.

There was a tray of taro, anchovies and chilli, cabbage and fermented tofu as accompaniments, then a Sichuan platter (yes, fiery) of small bamboo shoots, stirfried.

Next came the head of a silver carp (above) caught at the nearby reservoir, drizzled with chilli oil, thick with chopped chillies, and served with noodles.

Seafood appears on almost every menu in Taiwan. The island is surrounded by waters that are rich with all forms of fish and crustaceans. You might think this dish would have been far too spicy, but the flavours were perfectly balanced and that huge fish head easily fed our large group.

Not finished yet, we progressed to chicken soup with mushrooms. Here's a hint for newbies to Chinese dining. When soup and rice appear, you can be sure that this signals the end of the savoury part of the meal. Chinese hosts do not like to think their hospitality leaves anyone with even a tiny bit of hunger remaining, so these are served to fill you up.

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The Yehliu Geopark

A half-hour drive took us to one of Taipei's premier sites for people to visit. At the entrance to the park you can study  the strange rock formations called 'hoodoos'. This is the name for the tall spires of rocks

No prizes for guessing the name of this one. Her face is changing as the elements sculpt her further, but if you want a photograph, be prepared to get in line behind a dozen or so others who want several selfies each!

The area is very popular with locals and tourists, and there are guards with whistles who monitor where people can or must not go. Clearly marked lines show where people are not allowed to cross. There is good reason for this. At times large waves have been known to crash up on the rocks and the guards are there to make sure no one is at risk of being washed away.

In some places the rocks have been excavated into depressions called 'Fairy Shoes'. Other formations include the Beehive, the Ginger Rocks, and the Sea Candles. Some look like mushrooms or sea monsters, or you can make up your own names for them. It's a scenic and fun place to visit.

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Taipei Culinary Expo 2016

Just in case you think that we were just here for the markets and the indulgent dining and exciting scenery, I need to explain that we had been invited as delegates to the country's premier annual food event, the Taiwan Culinary Expo, held in the city's World Trade Center.

It was fascinating to see the presenters at the colourful and beautifully organised opening ceremony echoing the same words many nations are now using to describe their attitudes to food and dining. "Taiwan's era of pure food" was one phrase used to describe the country's return to original simple good tastes.

The Director General of Tourism was firm when stating his aims regarding food safety for tourists dining in Taiwan. He also noted that the country should focus on food mileage, origin and provenance of the food it uses, especially documenting who the growers are and the manner it has been raised. Organic food is of great importance, he stated.

Many top local chefs prepared special dishes for display, such as the ones above.

Almost as important as the foods which would be served on them, are the dishes and plates, and there were many displays of artisan ceramics and pottery.

The massive Exhibition Hall has seven floors. Since its opening in 1986, this site has become Asia’s most dynamic showground in the promotion of world trade and industry through the hosting of short and long term exhibitions. It would have been impossible in our short time there to explore every booth - but we tried!

Taiwan is also very conscious of its cultural diversity, and of course that influence on food and dining. There were many exhibitions of colourful (and often noisy) dances by various groups, including indigenous people. The sound of the music and singing was enough to draw people from across the halls to enjoy the spectacle.

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Market time!

If there is one thing I love to visit when travelling, it's a market, and in Asia, a night market is the icing on the cake. In the cooler evening air filled with the exotic fragrance of spices and herbs and grilling meats, suddenly my tastebuds came alive again after the heat of a steamy day, and I couldn't wait to try as many things as possible.

Another good thing about night markets is that you get to see some very different dishes to those you might find on a menu in a restaurant. It is easier to pick and choose too, and maybe share a plate with friends. Like these cherry-red sausages, basted and brushed with chilli until they just glow.

Or eyeballs. Don't feel sick. These are not what they seem. Our guide orders a plastic bag with a few of these and we reach in with more than a little trepidation, popping them in our mouths only after she has assured us they are sweet. They turn out to be jellyish half-balls with a filling of red bean or coconut, kept cool in shaved ice, chewy and quite delicious.

The Raohe Street night market extends for several blocks on one street which by day would be filled with motor bikes and cars. Once evening comes, though, there are stands selling every possible thing you can think of to eat - including some you may not!

There's one you smell long before you see it. Stinky tofu is just as it sounds. A pungent smell, not unlike what you get from a very ripe washed rind cheese, tells you it is somewhere nearby. The locals love it, but you may find it an acquired taste, so come at it cautiously.

Of course there is every type of seafood available, freshly steamed, ready to be popped into a bag to snack on as you go.

We took some goodies with us as we left, and where better to chill out after a busy night at the markets than seated near the Rainbow Bridge spanning the Keelung river to the east of the city centre?

The Shilin night market is north of the Keelung River. Undercover, it draws you in, with souvenirs and clothes at the entrance.

It's not long, though, before the food becomes hard-core and you are surrounded by it in the bustling food court, which clatters with the clang of plates and people having a great time as they dine.

This is one of the most interesting 'cakes' I have ever seen. It's called a 'cake in a cake' and it happens this way....

First a flaky pastry 'cake' is made and deepfried. At the same time there are pancakes already made.

Order this, and the chef smashes a 'cake' and places it on the pancake, which is expertly rolled up in a moment, and served to you in a plastic wrapper. It's sweet, it's crunchy, it's pancakey.  I have no idea who created it first - or why – but everyone needs to try one at least once during a visit to Taiwan.

And then there is 'coffin bread'. The Taiwanese really have a way when it comes to naming dishes.

It's quite obvious really when you look at it. A 'box' of deep-fried bread is filled with a savoury, creamy, delicious filling, and the fried 'lid' is placed on top. It's hugely popular, as you can see from the range of options (above), and is actually a very sensible way to have your meal. 

Frog eggs may not do it for many people....... 

.. but the good news is, they are not the real deal. They may look similar, but this tapioca made dark to resemble frogs' eggs is served cold with aiyu jelly using the seeds of a type of local fig, sometimes mixed with shaved ice.

Sausages are a popular snack, sold in many places throughout the markets. Served on a stick they are the ideal takeaway snack. Watch out for wild boar sausages, a specialty here too.

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Dumpling time

Taipei 101 is the city's tallest building, and from 2004 until 2009 it was the world's  tallest. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquake tremors. The main tower features eight segments of eight floors each, because in Chinese-speaking cultures the number eight is associated with abundance, prosperity and good fortune.

It also resembles an Asian pagoda linking earth and sky, or a stalk of bamboo which represents learning and growth. If you have time, take the elevator to the Indoor Observation deck (88th and 89th floor) or the Outdoor Observation deck (91st floor) to enjoy the endless views across the city and beyond.

But instead of going up, we were off to taste something small and tasty nearby.

Not too many dumpling shops have managed to secure a Michelin star, but Din Tai Fung founded in Taipei in 1958, has repeatedly been rewarded with this honour, and is now known internationally, at its many restaurants worldwide, for its xiaolongbao, or soup dumpling.

Crews of staff work in the kitchens in full view of diners. Their concentration is exquisite as every dumpling must weigh 21 grams - that's 16 grams of filling and five grams of wrapper – and every one is weighed. There must be 18 folds at the top of each and the cooks work swiftly and silently in a flurry of floury speed, as the diners just keep coming through the doors. They know each of them will want many of these delicious morsels.

And while the soup dumplings are a must to try, there are so many others which come, one after the other, such as these shrimp ones, or an amazing pork and truffle dumpling, pot stickers, similar to Japanese gyozu, chilli dumplings...

...fish dumplings made using the local tilapia fish, and then, telling us the end of this feast is near, sweet and sour soup and fried rice. 

All the time we are eating, those hard-working chefs just kept on rolling and filling, weighing and folding, while we marvelled, realising how these tiny things have created such a successful food empire. 

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We're off to  bake a cake

It had to happen. We couldn't just keep eating and tasting and accepting more and more food. Finally our hosts realised that we should be put to work. Pineapple cake is a popular dessert, a sort of sweetmeat to finish a heavy and complex meal - something the Taiwanese excel at serving to guest.

The Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry is much more than just a showcase, although it was fun to see the exhibits and even try on some ceremonial costumes. One part is dedicated to teaching visitors, school groups included, how to make the cake.

Now, I would share the recipe if I had been given it myself, but the chef was far too clever for that. He would not want us all to replicate this treat all over the world, so we each had a small work-station with just the exact amounts of flour and butter and icing sugar which we were instructed to beat together with an egg before we placed small balls of the dough in specially-made tins ready for baking.

When they were out of the oven, we then were given wrappers and instructed to carefully wrap each tiny loaf and place it in the box. Just like a bought one! Delicious they were too, when we tried them later.

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Taiwanese icons

Taiwanese beer is obviously the correct choice to drink with Taiwanese food. Taiwan Beer originated from a government agency established by Taiwan's Japanese rulers in 1901. Taiwan Beer is an amber lager with a distinct taste produced by the addition of locally produced ponlai rice (Formosa rice) during the fermentation process. Formosa was the former name for Taiwan.

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Motor bikes and scooters are the most popular form of transport in Taipei. They are affordable, easy to park in congested areas - and you can fit the whole family on them!

Here you can see a family of four ready to head off home from the shops. I particularly liked the fact that one of the children even had his own wheels.

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Vegetarian and vegan food is widely available in Taiwan. Of course tofu (soya bean curd) is an ideal protein source to replace meats. 

This dish often appears in mainstream Chinese restaurants, but before steaming, the lotus leaves here were filled with a vegetable mixture instead of chicken.

It was a busy and beautiful restaurant which made graceful use of natural timber in its decor. I was grateful for that small sign on this otherwise camouflaged door.

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Taipei has a number of fine hotels that would sit proudly in any city in the world. 

The Palais de Chine, where we stayed for our last night in Taipei, was as much a museum as a hotel. The moody lighting, exquisite artefacts and ambience somehow channeled Paris, connecting that city to this distant island in Asia.

The hotel's location to the north of Taipei's main rail station was ideal too, as next day we discovered a web of shopping centres underground and within easy walking distance.

It really was too good an opportunity to miss....

....especially as we had these burning holes in our pockets! Taiwan's EasyCard is available at MRT stations, and can also be used for small purchases from hundreds of stores including 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.

Luckily by the time it was lunchtime we had discovered a massive food hall, deep under the city. There was every sort of food: Japanese, like the beef noodle dish (above)....

...French breads, cheeses, vegetarian, and much more.

Then, just as we were almost ready to leave Taiwan, we discovered a Mr Brown cafe, and had to complete the circle by enjoying another of this brand's coffees. 

We had discovered Mr Brown on Day One of our trip, ten days before, and the other side of the country.

I always find the last meal in a country is rather sad. I think of all the wonderful foods we have tried, and know that some we will never taste again.

At Sian Ding Wei, appropriately a seafood restaurant, we sit in a back room on small stools, supping on pippies and clams in a vegetable broth.

This dish of sardines on lettuce, with just salt and a wedge of lemon, perhaps shows what is best about the food of Taiwan. There is flavour and fire - heaps of it when needed – but restraint too, allowing simple flavours and fine produce to speak loudly.

About to board our China Airlines flight at Taipei airport, we see a final sign of Taipei's cultural strength. Not just food for the body is available here, but food for the mind!

Perhaps this picture sums up our time in Taipei better than anything else. Of course those love-locks have been placed there by lovers, eager to show their affection.

Yet, as I looked at it, I couldn't help but wonder what it might be like if all the people who visit this city (those who had loved discovering Taipei and indeed Taiwan itself) were each to add a padlock as an expression of how they feel about this country and its people?

If that happened, I am sure the city would need to invest in a much larger LOVE sign!

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Sally & Gordon Hammond visited Taiwan at the invitation of Taiwan Tourism Bureau but their opinions remain their own.

Words and images: ©Sally Hammond

Video: ©Gordon Hammond