Chiayi turkey rice

Chiayi turkey rice (Chinese: 嘉義火雞肉飯) is a bowl of rice with shredded turkey layered on top, often accompanied by pickled radish. The rice is drizzled with a kind of gravy made from the turkey drippings and soy sauce.[1] It is an iconic specialty from Chiayi County in central Taiwan[2] and was featured on the Netflix TV series Street Food Season 1.[3]

Chiayi turkey rice
Alternative namesPenshuei turkey rice, Taiwanese turkey rice
Region or stateChiayi County, Taiwan
Associated cuisineTaiwan
Main ingredientsturkey, rice
Chiayi turkey rice
Traditional Chinese嘉義火雞肉飯

History

After World War II, many US troops (mainly the US Air Force) were stationed in Taiwan. After the US military brought turkeys in, they were bred by farmers in central Taiwan. Due to the hardship after the war, it was not easy for ordinary people to eat chicken. The turkey is larger, with a lower price than chicken, and its nutritional value is also high, thus it became a good alternative. Local food stalls thought of using turkey as a snack ingredient. Traditionally, in Taiwan, the turkey breast is steamed and shredded into turkey slices, which are spread on the rice, and the sauce is poured onto it, which is called turkey shredded rice.[4][5]

Culinary Method

The traditional cooking method is to put turkey on top of white rice, and then drizzle turkey juice and lard, but different restaurants have slightly different practices. With the spread of culture, restaurants selling turkey rice can now be seen all around Taiwan. The traditional Chiayi turkey rice is mainly made of turkey meat, and the turkey sauce is a sauce made by steaming the whole turkey, with lard fried with shallots, mixed with turkey meat and rice.[6] Traditional shops will sometimes sprinkle some crispy shallots on top of the turkey and served with a piece of pickled yellow dried radish.[7]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chiayi turkey rice.
  1. "Turkey and rice a hit at borough chief's eatery". Taiwan Today. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  2. Huang, Tzu-ti (25 December 2020). "Representative to US promotes Taiwanese cuisine in Christmas greetings". Taiwan News. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  3. Brown, Joshua (22 May 2019). "Taiwan Culture and Cuisine Shine on New Netflix Series "Street Food"". Commonwealth Magazine. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  4. "Turkey Rice". Chiayi City Government. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  5. Clarissa Wei. "Turn Turkey Leftovers Into Taiwanese-Style Turkey Rice". Epicurious. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  6. Matthew Amster-Burton. "The saucy comforts of Taiwanese turkey rice". The Takeout. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  7. Wei, Clarissa (11 December 2020). "From roadside eatery to big city darling: How one Taiwanese turkey rice vendor made it big". CNN Travel. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
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