Return to main articleThe World's Strangest Street Food
STINKY TOFU
Taipei, Taiwan
The smell may prompt you to run in the other direction, but devotees of this fried-tofu dish mob the carts that sell it. The, ahem, aroma (which even enthusiasts compare to garbage or manure) comes from the brine the tofu is soaked in before frying—a rancid broth of fermented vegetables and shrimp that can be up to six months old. After the tofu is dunked into the brine for several hours, it's deep-fried into crunchy golden cubes, then topped with a spicy sauce made from vinegar, sesame oil, shredded cucumber, and pickled Chinese cabbage. The taste is, reportedly, much milder than the smell—something along the lines of bleu cheese. Where to find it: Night markets around the city, including the famous Shilin Night Market, in the Shilin district, and the Linjiang Night Market, in the Xinyi district. Follow your nose.
