By the time Made in Taiwan came out in 2023, we’d been excitedly following along for a while and couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. This cookbook is a rare find, especially for the English-speaking world: not only does it feature over 100 Taiwanese recipes, it also celebrates Taiwanese history, culture, and identity front-and-center via in-depth stories and photos from all across the island. Many recipes even include romanized Taiwanese names for the dish alongside the English and Mandarin names – that was a particularly delightful discovery for me, as I grew up hearing my family speaking and referring to these dishes in the Taiwanese language at home.

As a US-born-and-raised child of Taiwanese immigrants, I am fully aware that my identity as a Taiwanese American makes me several degrees removed from today’s Taiwanese culture. I grew up on stories told by my parents and grandparents; meanwhile, they had left Taiwan decades ago to become American citizens themselves. Today’s Taiwan has continued evolving from each of our personal ideas of what it means to be Taiwanese. For me, Made in Taiwan provides a window linking the familiar culture of my family with parts of history I never learned, customs beyond what my family practices, and new developments I haven’t yet heard about.

Of course, this book isn’t just for those of us with Taiwanese heritage – I highly recommend this book to anyone as a great way to learn, cook, and eat your way to a greater appreciation of Taiwanese food and culture!