THERE are some Taiwanese dishes we are a mite wary of – fried stinky tofu and pig’s blood rice pudding – but we’ve developed a craving for scallion pancakes. Hopefully these crispy croissant like bites stuffed with green onions will be on the menu at this weekend’s Passport to Taiwan Festival (Sat and Sun, Sept 8-9). We’re sure this nation’s take on Chinese sausages (pictured) will be.
It’s all going on in Albert Square between 12pm and 6pm each day, celebrating the food, music and culture of the East Asian island state, heavily influenced by neighbours China and Japan, particularly in it cuisine.
And, of course, there’ll be gallons of Bubble Tea, which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and has never looked back, apart from in ToM Towers. It’s those soaked tapioca balls called boba we just can’t handle.
So we’ll fall back on Taiwanese beer as we work our way through their street food and enjoy displays of dance, puppetry, music, ceramics and other crafts – all celebrating this year’s theme of ‘Heart of Asia – Diversity of Culture’.
Geek note: Pig’s Blood Rice Pudding is served on a popsicle stick. It’s a semi-gelatinous rice cake drenched in pork blood, steamed, and then doused in a sweet sauce. It’s then coated with a dusting of peanut flour and topped off with cilantro.
Sat Sept 8-Sun Sept 9, Albert Square, Manchester, M2 5DB, 12pm-6pm.