''Ta-a mi'' (), also known as Ta-a noodles or danzai noodles, is a type of snack found in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Also known as "Slack Season Ta-a Noodles", they originated in Tainan (in southern Taiwan), about 130 years ago. While the general recipe is well known, some of the spices and the proportions of the various ingredients (shrimp flavored soup,

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

coriander Coriander (;

, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

) are well guarded secrets by the different restaurants/stands that serve it. While seemingly a simple snack, foodies from all over the world have given it substantial recognition. The normal serving size is usually small, being considered more of a snack than an entree. It is also on the pricier side (relatively) at around NT$50 (US$1.60) for a small bowl.

Origin

Ta-a noodles are said to originate in the late

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, around 1895. During the

Tomb Sweeping Festival The Qingming festival or Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English (sometimes also called Chinese Memorial Day or Ancestors' Day), is a traditional Chinese festival observed by the Han Chinese of mainland China, Hong Ko ...

and summer season (July to September) each year in Taiwan, there are frequent

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

s, rendering fishing too dangerous. These "slack seasons" were known to fishermen as "small months" () and the phrase "pass the small months" () refers to enduring the slack seasons. Hong Yutou (洪芋頭), a fisherman from

, and descending from fishermen in

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefec ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

, began to sell noodles when he was 20 years old. At first it was to earn money during the off-seasons but eventually became his primary occupation. In the beginning, he carried his noodles on

shoulder pole A carrying pole, also called a shoulder pole or a milkmaid's yoke, is a yoke of wood or bamboo, used by people to carry a load. This piece of equipment is used in one of two basic ways: *A single person balances the yoke over one shoulder, with ...

s () and sold them on the street before setting up a small stall in front of the Tainan Chuisian Temple (), with the Chinese characters () written on lanterns. Hence the name "Slack Season Ta-a Noodles".

Production methods

#Ingredients: "oil noodles", minced pork, prawn, bean sprouts, cilantro, black vinegar, garlic, soy sauce and egg. #Boil prawn heads to be used as the soup base #Boil noodles and bean sprouts in hot water, while shaking them up and down #Pick up noodles and bean sprouts, put bean sprouts on the bowl first and then put noodles on the bean sprouts in bowl. Topped with minced pork and prawn. #Add the prawn head soup, and then add some seasoning to your taste: typically black vinegar, garlic and cilantro. #Also can be topped with an egg or pork ball

Notes

References

*''The information in this article is based on that in its Japanese equivalent''. Taiwanese cuisine Chinese noodle dishes Taiwanese noodle dishes {{Taiwan-cuisine-stub

Origin

Production methods

See also

Notes

References