Taiwan's best-known snacks are present in the night markets, where street vendors sell a variety of different foods, from finger foods, drinks, sweets, to sit-down dishes. In these markets, one can also find fried and steamed meat-filled buns, oyster-filled omelets, refreshing fruit ices, and much more. Aside from snacks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts, night markets also have vendors selling clothes, accessories, and offer all kinds of entertainment and products.
Bean Cakes - Batter is poured into hot-metallic molds and gets quickly cooked into small cakes of various shapes. Countless variations exist. Sometimes the cakes have fillings ranging from cream, red bean paste, to peanut butter.
Drinks - Various drinks are also often sold, ranging from bubble tea stands to various juice and tea stands.
Stinky tofu or Fermented Tofu (Chinese: 臭豆腐, chhàu tāu-hū, chòu dòufǔ) - The aroma of stinky tofu is intimidating at first but can be an acquired taste. The tofu is served as rectangular cubes. There are a variety of forms. The most popular version is the deep fried and served on a plate and served with pickled vegetables (the usually pickled cabbages, daikon and carrots). It comes with a sauce made with soy paste, spices and garlic (or sweet and sour sauce). The "wet" version consists of non-fried stinky tofu in a spicy Mala sauce soup base along with duck blood. Another popular variety is the grilled version. The stinky tofu gets brushed in a soy glaze and is then grilled.
Ba-wan (Chinese: 肉圓; pinyin: roù yuán; literally "meatballs") - A sticky gelatinous tapioca dough filled with pork, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and served with a savory sweet and spicy sauce.
Corn - Vendors may specialize in one type of corn or they could offer varieties between savory/salty and sweet corn. Sometimes the corn is steamed, grilled, boiled, and etc.
Taiwanese sausages - Fatty pork sausages with a sweet taste. There are several different kinds. Kaoliang is sometimes used in the sausage recipe. In night markets they are often served on a stick with many different condiments. Sometimes, they are wrapped in glutinous rice. In the very early 1980s, when resources were still relatively scarce, the standard serving is one sausage link on a toothpick garnished with a clove of garlic.
Scallion pancakes (蔥油餅) - Flour pancake with many thin layers, made with scallions (chopped green onions). A snack originating in the Chinese mainland.
Candied Crabapples - Red candy coated bite-sized fruits served on a stick. Sometimes the crabapples are stuffed with preserved plums, and then candied.
Squid or fish on a stick - Often marinated, then grilled.
Bao bing - (also known as tsua bing; 剉冰/刨冰) finely shaven ice with a variety of toppings (peanuts, fruit, azuki beans, sweetened corn, and so on). Sometimes served drizzled with condensed milk.
Tianbula - (甜不辣) a dish consisting of fish balls, meatballs, daikon, tofu, shiitake mushrooms and fish cakes served with a sweet sauce. Similar to oden.
Taiwanese Crepes (潤餅; jūn-piáⁿ), also known as popiah - semi-crispy super-thin flour crepe filled with a variety of filling, such as powdered sugar, peanut powder, egg, vegetables, pork and even seafood. Taiwanese crepes are the made from the same dough as spring rolls (春捲) in Taiwan .
Crepe - Adapted from the original French version, a very thin cooked pancake, it has a much crispier texture, rather like a cracker. Very popular in the early 2000s.
Fruit or bean smoothies - milk or ice is blended on the spot with fresh papaya, mango, watermelon, azuki bean, or mung bean.
Fried glutinous rice balls - slightly sweet in flavor.
Fried chicken pieces - thumb-size chunks of deep-fried chicken sprinkled with white pepper, chilli and fried basil.
Shawarma (Mandarin Chinese: 沙威馬 shāwēimǎ) - A sandwich usually made from spiced, grilled chicken and served on a leavened, white flour bun with julienned cabbage, a slice of tomato, sliced onions, ketchup, and mayonnaise. Brought over from Turkey decades ago, the seasoning is quite different from the seasoning used in making shawarma in Turkey.