Taiwanese Food: Danzai Noodles
[JP] Danzai Noodles
[TC] Danzai Noodles
[TW] Danzai Noodles
A noodle dish originating from Tainan, Taiwan, now widely eaten throughout Taiwan. Toppings include minced meat, shrimp, and more.
It is called Danzai noodles because the ingredients and cooking utensils were carried on a shoulder pole called a "danzi." It is different from the Sichuan dish Dandan noodles, but they were born around the same time.
Origin of Danzai Noodles
It is said that Danzai noodles were created by a Tainan fisherman named Hong Yutou during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1875–1908). In the coastal regions of Tainan, there was often heavy rain during the Qingming Festival, and typhoons frequently struck in the summer, making it impossible to go fishing due to the rough weather. These periods of financial hardship were called "xiaoyue" (off-season) in Taiwanese. During these "xiaoyue" periods when he could not go fishing, Hong Yutou would carry a shoulder pole in front of the Shuixian Temple in Tainan to sell noodles and make a living. In the 20th year of Guangxu (1895), it is said that Hong Yutou started a street stall and wrote "Du Xiaoyue Danzai Noodles" on his lantern. The character "Du" means "to spend" or "to pass through."