Desserts

bubble tea, aka boba milk tea; also known as pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶) - chewy tapioca balls added to milk tea.

sian-chháu (仙草, xiāncǎo) - grass jelly (Mesona procumbens) Served hot or cold.

ò-giô-peng (ài yù bīng [愛玉冰]) - a gelatinous dessert, aiyu jelly, made from the seeds of a fig-like fruit, Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang. Served on ice.

ō͘-á-peng (芋仔冰, yù bīng [芋冰]) - a dessert made of frozen taro root paste.

chhú-khak-ké, chháu-á-ké (鼠麹粿, 草仔粿) - Cakes made with a dough from glutinous rice flour and combine with a ground cooked paste of Gnaphalium affine or Mugwort to give it a unique flavor and green color. The dough is commonly filled with ground meat or sweet bean pastes.

Many of the non-dessert dishes are usually considered snacks, not entrees; that is, they have a similar status to Cantonese dim sum or Spanish tapas. Such dishes are usually only slightly salted, with lots of vegetables along with the main meat (or seafood) item.

Vegetarian restaurants are commonplace with a wide variety of dishes, mainly due to the influence of Buddhism.

There is a type of outdoor barbecue called khòng-iô (焢窯). To barbecue in this manner, one first builds a hollow pyramid up with dirt clods. Next, charcoal or wood is burnt inside until the temperature inside the pyramid is very high (the dirt clods should be glowing red). The ingredients to be cooked, such as taro, yam, or chicken, are placed in cans, and the cans are placed inside the pyramid. Finally, the pyramid is toppled over the food until cooked.