Origins
Taiwan’s economy used to be predominantly agricultural. Rice was a cash crop, so people had to economize on its consumption. Congee was common fare in rural Taiwan precisely because, mixed with sweet potatoes or with other grains, it required less rice. Chen Yu-jen, a professor in the Department of Taiwan Culture, Languages, and Literature at National Taiwan Normal University, is versed in the cultural history of Taiwanese food. She tells us that a family’s financial situation would determine the ratio of rice to sweet potato in the congee on their dining table. “Rice was a staple food for all, but how thick your congee was and when you ate it had to do with your social class, economic status, and occupation.”
The side dishes accompanying plain congee were often made with local ingredients, including homegrown vegetables, either fresh or pickled. In coastal areas, people would also pickle fish, prawns, and shellfish with salt to make a condiment known in Taiwanese as kiam-ke, or they would make dried fish. These dainties could either be eaten directly or be further processed and cooked with other ingredients to make classic home-style dishes such as minced pork with pickles, and oysters with fermented black beans.
This dietary habit entered restaurants in the 1960s and eventually evolved into the special type of cuisine we all recognize today. In the 1960s, nightclubs became fashionable venues for business networking in Taiwan. After heavy dining and drinking there, customers would want to head over to another place for a more relaxed atmosphere, where they could enjoy less greasy snacks that were kinder to their stomachs. It was in this context that restaurants serving congee and savory side dishes started to make a name for themselves.
As the nightclubs gained even more popularity in the 1970s, so the market for congee grew. The evening economy flourished, and the increase in networking and socializing continued to drive up demand for after-party venues. Even hotels and Western-style restaurants jumped on the bandwagon. There were places that served steak or Italian cuisine by day, but offered only congee at night. Chen Yu-jen compares their nocturnal transformations to the story of Cinderella.
Chen tells us that as families started to dine out more often, restaurants specializing in home-style foods such as congee began to appeal to a wider customer base. With the growth of the economy, customers had more money at their disposal for gastronomic indulgence, and this encouraged restaurants to expand their menus by adding unique artisan delicacies and using various kinds of seafood and other high-quality ingredients. Offering ever more refined choices, these places gradually developed into the kind of Taiwanese-style restaurant that we see today.
At 5 a.m. in Donggang, Pingtung County, people start their day with a meal of simple downhome cooking from a snack stall near the ferry terminal.
Congee restaurants bring together a rich variety of Taiwanese flavors and are on many international tourists’ must-visit lists.
The foods displayed on the buffet bar look and smell scrumptious, titillating customers’ taste buds.