Anyone who’s been to Taipei knows it’s a foodie’s paradise; filled with cheap and delicious food at every turn. As you venture further away from Taipei’s city center, certain districts are known for different dishes. Wulai, like many other areas in Taipei, is filled with an abundance of food stalls, some of which you’ll only find here thanks to the area’s strong Aboriginal culture. If you’re wondering what to eat in Wulai, here are some of their most popular food items that you can try.

Wild Boar Sausage 

Wild Boar sausage is one of the most popular and well-known local foods in Wulai. There are tonnes of little stalls along Wulai Old Street selling these sausages for NT$35 each. The meat is juicy, fatty, and all-around delicious. I decided which stall to go to based on whether there was a queue or not, and since it wasn’t a very busy day, the fact that one stall had a queue of about 5 people and the other stalls had none, made the decision quite simple for me (look for the stall in the first photo above, closer to the end of Wulai Old Street.

Muah Chee (Grilled Glutinous Rice)

I was curious about what these tofu-looking sticks were and, unable to resist, decided to try one. I later found out that these were called muah chee; grilled glutinous rice, similar to mochi, with honey drizzled on top (you can choose from a few different toppings). They were incredibly chewy and dense, and were quite filling with a more subtle flavour. Given the cheap price (around NT$20), it’s certainly worth a try.

Honeyed Sweet Potato

The honeyed sweet potato was my favourite of the snacks we had in Wulai. Though a bit more expensive at NT$50, these were well worth it. The sweet potato is coated in a thick, incredibly sweet honey and is served lukewarm (as you can see in the first photo above in the far left, the sweet potato sits out of the big pan). The portion is quite large, filling, and sweet, so it’s best to share it.

Other Dishes to Try

Aside from the above three dishes I tried, if you’re wondering what to eat in Wulai, there are a few other food items that are worth trying. A popular local sweet, boozy drink is the millet wine, which you can buy in a bottle and either bring back to your guest house if you’re spending the night in Wulai or take back to Taipei with you. Another popular dish we heard about is rice stuffed and served inside a bamboo shoot, which is typically found at local restaurants and not at the food stalls you’ll find on Wulai Old Street (unless you buy it to takeaway). Aside from these, you’ll be able to find your other typical Taiwanese food items like a variety of boiled eggs (including hot spring eggs, infused tea eggs, etc.), meat skewers, and much more.

For more information on how to get to Wulai, read my last post here.