Made in Taiwan - by Clarissa Wei (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

IACP/JULIA CHILD FOUNDATION AWARD WINNER * NAMED A BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, WIRED, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, LOS ANGELES TIMES, DELISH, EPICURIOUS, and SERIOUS EATS

Explore the taste and culture of Taiwan in this James Beard Award Finalist featuring never-before-seen exclusive recipes. "A vibrant, strikingly-photographed guide to the soul of Taiwan, told through food" (Serious Eats).

Taipei-based food journalist Clarissa Wei presents Made in Taiwan, a cookbook that celebrates the island nation's unique culinary identity--despite a refusal by the Chinese government to recognize its sovereignty. The expansive book contains deeply researched essays and more than 100 recipes inspired by the people who live in Taiwan today.

For generations, Taiwanese cuisine has been miscategorized under the broad umbrella term of Chinese food. Backed with historical evidence and interviews, Wei makes a case for why Taiwanese food should get its own spotlight. Made in Taiwan includes classics like Peddler Noodles, Braised Minced Pork Belly, and Three-Cup Chicken, and features authentic, never-before-seen recipes and techniques like how to make stinky tofu from scratch and broth tips from an award-winning beef noodle soup master.

Made in Taiwan is an earnest reflection of what the food is like in modern-day Taiwan from the perspective of the people who have lived there for generations. It is the story of a proud nation--a self-sufficient collective of people who continue to forge on despite unprecedented ambiguity.

Review Quotes

"...the recipes are brought to life by photography from an all-Taiwanese team that deftly captures context, atmosphere and spirit. Evocative, observant, poetic and passionate, Ms. Wei's writing celebrates and asserts Taiwanese identity through its cuisine."--New York Times

NAMED A BEST COOKBOOK OF FALL 2023 BY BON APPETIT, FORBES, FOOD & WINE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, EATER, and TASTING TABLE

"As a food and travel writer and photographer, I appreciate a cookbook that makes me want to get on a plane... a stellar book that feels like it's written for Taiwan's inhabitants, and we North American readers have somehow just lucked upon an English-language version."--Wired

"Made in Taiwan is an excellent portrait of the island's cuisine--and a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about Taiwan."--Bon Appetit

"Made in Taiwan is a tour de force. Clarissa Wei's storytelling and photography are dazzling, her recipes irresistible. This magnificent, heartfelt book is essential to any Asian culinary library." --Grace Young, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge and The Breath of a Wok

"Clarissa has artfully woven food reporting with heartfelt storytelling, creating a truly special book on an important topic. In Made in Taiwan, she has given us the Taiwanese story to ponder, savor, and, ultimately, experience through cooking." --Betty Liu, author of My Shanghai

"This book is a timely, joyful rewriting of the Taiwanese story, at a time when this island's very identity hangs in the balance. Clarissa's fascinating journalistic insights are matched by her great efforts to deconstruct recipes passed down through generations. It's a book that I'll keep on my kitchen shelf and look forward to referring to many, many times over the years." --Isobel Yeung, VICE News correspondent

"This is the story of a culture, a people, a community, a destiny, and an identity, told through recipes . . . alongside some of the best writing on the subject of all things Taiwanese. With Made in Taiwan, Clarissa Wei has created a true rarity: a deep dive that serves us on so many levels. Take a long swim in the superb food, clarity of exposition, exemplary storytelling, and inspiring insight. This book is a must-have for any home cook, food lover, culture geek, or curious reader." --Andrew Zimmern, TV host

"To read Clarissa's work is to feel her passion, her deeply rooted identity as a Taiwanese and Asian American, and her commitment to honoring the labor and culture of the people who feed us." --Jenny Yang, stand-up comedian and actor

"With the same curiosity and rigor that has permeated her work as a food writer and journalist, Clarissa Wei's Made in Taiwan is a timely and deeply engrossing account of Taiwanese culinary and cultural history. As gorgeous as it is thorough, it's the most affordable trip to Taiwan you can buy!" --Stephen Satterfield, founder of Whetstone Media, host of Netflix's High on the Hog

About the Author

Clarissa Wei is a freelance journalist based in Taipei. Born in Los Angeles but raised on the food of Taiwan, she has been writing about the cuisines and cultures of Taiwan and China for over a decade. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, Serious Eats, and Bon Appétit. She has produced videos on cross-strait tensions for VICE News Tonight, 60 Minutes, and SBS Dateline. Previously, Clarissa was a senior reporter at Goldthread, a video-centric imprint of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she made over 100 videos on the foods and cultures of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the span of two years. In her spare time, she tends to a subtropical food forest on the outskirts of Taipei.