Dip into a mouthwatering smorgasbord of Taiwanese meat dishes and their histories.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/06/13
By: Steven Crook and Katy Hui-wen Hung

Photo Credit: 李育琴

Few societies are more vegetarian-friendly than Taiwan. Buddhism and [ I-Kuan Tao (一貫道) encourage meat-free eating habits, and not long ago PETA called Taipei “the new vegan Mecca of Asia.”

At the same time, at least four out of every five Taiwanese eat meat regularly. Per capita pork consumption doubled between the mid-1960s and the early 1990s – by which time the average Taiwanese person could afford to eat meat every day of the week – but has plateaued since then. The 2015 figure was 38.1 kg per year, more than double that in Canada.

Taiwanese eat almost as much poultry (32.2 kg per person per year) as Canadians, although not quite as much as Americans. In terms of per capita beef consumption, Taiwan is way behind North America, Europe, and even relatively poor countries in Latin America – but that is hardly surprising, as beef was anathema to the majority until a few generations ago.    [FULL  STORY]