Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Made in Taiwan.

Part cookbook, part memoir, part history of Taiwan, the author has crafted an incredible cookbook celebrating Taiwan's unique culinary identity—despite the Chinese government's refusal to recognize its sovereignty.

This well researched, well written, and thoughtful cookbook contains historical background, reflections from seasoned cooks and locals, and features more than 100 recipes inspired by the people who live in Taiwan today.

For generations, Taiwanese cuisine has been unfairly labeled under the broad umbrella term of Chinese food.

The author combines historical evidence and interviews to explain why Taiwanese food should get its own spotlight.

Besides incredible recipes like Braised Minced Pork Belly, and how to make authentic stinky tofu from scratch and broth tips from an award-winning beef noodle soup master.

The author includes a comprehensive lesson on rice. I knew there are many different kinds but the author takes it on a whole 'nother level!

The various kinds, how to cook it, and how, ideally, you would use different kinds of rice for specific recipes.

Many of the recipes are labor intensive but it's a labor of love. The finished product will be so worth it.

I enjoyed the comfortable style and tone of the writing, the step-by-step instructions, and of course, the photos.

Made in Taiwan is a great cookbook focused on the locals, the history, and how it influenced Taiwanese cuisine.

I hope Taiwanese cuisine finally gets the respect it deserves.

Who does not like browsing cookbooks? You can view all the possibilities and dream about what you can make and how things will taste. The best cookbooks provide photos and clear instructions for the reader so that the reader can enjoy all the labor the writers imbued in the title. And when you are reading a cookbook from a culture not your own, you need context for the recipes which Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen provide in Made in Taiwan!

Wei and Chen open the book with a history of Taiwan setting the stage for what makes Taiwan cuisine different from Chinese cuisine. Then Wei and Chen start with the basics - what is in the Taiwanese pantry so that the reader knows what they need to stock to make the recipes that follow while also providing substitutes. There are recipes for breakfast, for lunch, for small suppers, and elaborate dinners, not to mention special events. The authors also include deserts, and recipes from the indigenous cooks of the islands. The recipes are nicely illustrated and help provide direction for various complicated recipes. Scattered through out the recipes are stories that reflect the culture of Taiwan and its food history. One such story deals with hamburgers for breakfast (Little League baseball) while another talks about how turkey rice became a dish in Taiwan. The authors do note that the recipes do reflect more Central and Southern Taiwan rather than what is found in Taipei.

If you enjoy browsing recipes or learning about cultures via their food, pick up Made in Taiwan and dig in!

A cookbook full of beautiful photography interesting ethnic recipes and wonderful essays about Taiwan.I enjoyed reading about the culture the history of the traditional food .#netgalley #simonelement

What a great way to learn Thai cooking. The descriptions are very clear and the recipes are easy to follow.
The pictures are nice especially if you are new to Taiwan style cooking. This is a great reference cookbook.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful recipe book!

I have a very American perspective so I really enjoyed hearing about the history and culture of Taiwan and how it is distinct and shaped the food people eat. There's nice pictures of the recipes and lots of dishes I'd never heard of with clear instructions on how to make them. There's a good variety of recipes for different meals.

Having visited Taiwan several years ago, enjoying the wonderful food, I was excited to pick up a copy of Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation, by Clarissa Wei. It was nice to read about the culinary history of the Island, as well as the author’s stories; this book kept me busy reading in a corner for hours. The best part, however, was the diverse and appealing recipes in this excellent cookbook.

The chapter on ingredients is helpful; I used it to make a list of the ingredients to purchase at my favorite Asian grocery store. There are so many good recipes, I wanted to be ready to make any dish that struck my fancy without having to go to the store. The Taiwanese tend to use offal for some recipes, and I skipped those ingredients, but others may embrace it. There is also a chapter featuring dishes from Taiwan’s Night Market, which I visited, so it had special meaning for me.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by very detailed step-by-step instructions. There are also helpful comments and helpful hints at the beginning of the recipes. Both advanced and beginning cooks will find it easy to make picture-perfect and delicious dishes from this cookbook.

Made in Taiwan includes beautiful, professional photographs of not only the mouthwatering dishes, but also locals, the city, and the countryside. Some of the more involved dishes have step-by-step photographs with are very helpful.

The more I look at the book, the longer my queue of “must make this week” gets. Fans of Taiwanese food will want to pick up this book and it will keep al of us busy making new dishes for weeks.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I've never seen a purely Taiwanese cookbook so I was immediately interested in this. It's like a love letter to the country. The author was raised in America but the book includes recipes & stories from Taiwan natives. Taiwan is a sovereign country with it's own culture, including food. There's a bit of a history lesson in here as well. I love so much of the food in this book! The Special Occassions section is a nice addition too.

This book works on multiple levels - it's an excellent cookbook with recipes that build on each other, a manifesto of cultural independence, and a loving collection of Taiwanese culture. First, the food - delectable Taiwanese treasures, heavy on sweet braised meats and soft, crave-able desserts. Based on Taiwanese cuisine and adapted for American ingredients, the dishes will elevate your cooking without taking over your life (well, you may find yourself buying far too much pork floss, but that's no loss). While many require a lot of time investment, they are all well worth the effort. Pictures include cultural treasures like architecture and traditional pottery. The political element, though, is where this book shines. Taiwan emerged from military dictatorship less than 30 years ago, and pressure from China often keeps it from asserting its own culture. Made In Taiwan considers introducing this unique island nation to people who think they know it, and revealing something deeper and more complex than expected. This one is one of my favorite books of the year.

Beautiful book full of interesting recipes and Taiwanese History! The photos are beautiful and the book is well organized