On Assignment: Taiwan

In Search of Stink-free Stinky Tofu

Lighter fare with serious eating at a Taiwan night market

Though not the stink-free tofu written about herein, this version of the dish — skewered and stuffed with pickled cabbage — was definitely above average in taste and presentation . Photo by author

Luodong Night market may not be the biggest Night market in Taiwan, but it’s known as one of the best in the country for foodies. Especially when it comes to seafood, which makes sense considering the market’s location in the coastal city of of Yilan on Taiwan’s laid-back east coast.

High-end seafood on display at a Taiwanese night market. Photo by author

But the dish I’d come to in search of was neither fish nor fowl (both of which can be found in excellence and abundance throughout Taiwan) but something found only in Luodong.

It was a dish which should not, by definition, exist — Odorless Stinky Tofu.

I’d been tipped off to the existence of the paradoxical dish by a friend in Taipei who swore to me that one of her friends had heard about it through relatives who said they’d seen a segment on a Taiwan news program about a recently-opened stall in Luodong offering a dish called Bù chòu chòu dòufu — Scentless stinky tofu.

Anyone who’s spent time in Taiwan is familiar with this night-market staple. How they may feel about it is…