Tasting street food is the fastest way to experience a country’s culture.

As a culinary paradise, Taiwan is home to the world’s most-visited night markets that sell all sorts of delicacies, whether salty or sweet, cold or hot, exotic or not.

Shilin Night Market
Shilin Night Market, one of the largest night markets in Taipei, is a go-to place for backpackers and locals.

Stalls offer a variety of food, from Stinky Tofu, pan-fried buns, snowflake shaved ice, oyster omelet, jelly tapioca pearls, fried chicken fillet and pork ribs stewed in medicinal herbs. These are cheap and often served in large portions.

Shilin Night Market also has clothing boutiques, beauty salons, pet stores, tech shops and arcade games. It is at No. 101 Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei and open from 3:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Raohe Night Market
It is no wonder that people keep coming back to Raohe Night Market.

This not-so-quaint food hub stretches 600 meters. It was once a transport stop for goods from Keelung and Yilan. Due to silts forming along the port, ships frequenting the area began to decline. Businesses went slack when Bade Road expanded, leaving Raohe Street a little less significant.

To revive its once lively atmosphere, the government, in 1987, transformed the street into a night market that is now famous for the classic Stinky tofu, braised dishes, Oyster vermicelli, glutinous oil rice, meat stew, pork ribs, Clear stewed pork knuckles, baked pepper buns and flaky scallion pancakes.

Raohe Night Market is open from 3 p.m. to midnight on No. 9 Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei.

Fengjia Night Market
Fengjia Night Market features vendors of dried fruits and others such as Chinese sausage wrapped in sticky rice, Brown sugar bubble tea, Chowmien (fried noodles)-stuffed bread, Takoyaki, Stinky tofu and Huangjinzei (Aromatic rice stuffed in cuttlefish), braised intestines, pig blood cake, beef cubes and lazy people prawns.

Fengjia Night Market is near Fengchia University. It is along Wenhua Road, Xitun District, Taichung City that is open from 2 p.m. to midnight.