Stinky Tofu

No night market is complete without it and its presence is equivalent to that of small “purse-like” dogs in Taiwan (future post). I was exposed to such odors in the Shilin Night Market, one of the largest and most popular in Taipei City. We were in the process of walking past a foot massage parlor when my nose was invaded by the offensive vapors. The timing of walking past the foot massage parlor and smelling stinky tofu for the first time was purely coincidental, but unfortunately the foot massage parlor received the entirety of the blame as I directed my eyes at the people inside, gracing them with the disgusted look on my face. Convinced I would never get a foot massage in Taiwan, I realized about 20 minutes later that the scent was actually that of Stinky Tofu as my nose was violated again with no parlor in site.

The smell is unmistakable and initially I could only equate the smell to that of dog shit. But since I haven’t smelled dog shit in a while, the smell itself now retains the title of “Stinky Tofu.” The smell has a radius of approximately 10-15 feet. Depending on how sensitive your nose is it could be bigger, but you know when you’re approaching. Overpowering and unpleasant (to me anyway) I couldn’t imagine what it tasted like. One should know that there are different grades of Stinky Tofu and some are more potent smelling than others. For the month of August when I was living just SW of Taipei 101 I passed a restaurant that made Stinky Tofu daily. It was like a punch in the face as I walked past it everyday on my way to the metro station and I considered it to be one of the stronger brews.

It wasn’t long before I made a trip to Shengkeng, a town SE of Taipei, which is famous for its Stinky Tofu and the entire street dedicated to it. Mustering up the courage, I decided now was the time to try it. Granted, I opted for a milder version that was BBQ in a sad attempt to combine familiar and unfamiliar. I took a bite and it honestly wasn’t that bad. While the underlying taste is that of the smell, its about 1/10 as strong and maintains the taste of the toppings or glaze that coat it. Mine was BBQ and had kimchi (spicy cabbage) as a topping.While I do not seek out Stinky Tofu to ease any hunger pains, I could see myself trying it again in the future; possibly a stronger option next time.

Commonly how you see it walking down the street

BBQ Version