SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
As we continue our tour of breakfast around the world, this week we're in Taiwan. And on today's menu - Dan Bing, a classic morning staple there. The dish may be easy to cook, but it has a more complicated Cold War history. Reporter Jan Camenzind Broomby has more from Taipei.
(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING)
JAN CAMENZIND BROOMBY, BYLINE: When I first moved to Taiwan, I was living in a room behind one of the universities, and on the first floor was a breakfast shop that I'd go to almost every day. Today, I'm going back just for old times' sake.
Hello.
ZHANG XUAN: Hi.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: (Non-English language spoken).
ZHANG: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: (Non-English language spoken).
ZHANG: (Non-English language spoken).
(SOUNDBITE OF DISHWASHING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: The dish I'm eating today is called Dan Bing. It's a sort of Taiwanese crepe. And as restaurant worker Zhang Xuan (ph) says, it's one of Taiwan's favorite breakfast foods.
(SOUNDBITE OF DISHES CLINKING)
ZHANG: (Through interpreter) A lot of customers order Dan Bing. Why don't I make you one?
(SOUNDBITE OF WHISKING AN EGG)
ZHANG: (Through interpreter) First, an egg, then wheat flour dough.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOD SIZZLING)
ZHANG: (Through interpreter) Wrap it around and then add whatever ingredients the customer wants.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOD SIZZLING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: Tuna, a hash brown, even sweetcorn - the fillings are endless. But today I'm keeping it simple.
(Non-English language spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Bacon and cheese.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: (Non-English language spoken).
Bacon and cheese with a bit of chili sauce.
(SOUNDBITE OF ITEM RATTLING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: There were restaurants like these all over Taiwan.
(SOUNDBITE OF EGG CRACKING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: They open at the crack of dawn and are the backbone of the morning commute.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOD SIZZLING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: But it wasn't always like this.
CHEN YU-JEN: (Non-English language spoken).
SIMON: This is Chen Yu-Jen, food historian at the National Taiwan Normal University. She says wheat-based dishes like Dan Bing weren't that common in Taiwan until after 1949, when the Chinese nationalists lost the Chinese Civil War to the communists and fled to Taiwan, bringing with them almost 2 million people from across the mainland, along with food traditions very different from Taiwan's.
CHEN YU-JEN: (Through interpreter) They were skilled at making wheat-based foods. It's these kinds of post-war immigrants that actually helped to popularize dishes like Dan Bing.
CHEN YI-HUNG: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: But Taiwan historically hadn't produced a lot of wheat, partly because of its climate.
CHEN YI-HUNG: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: This is Chen Yi-Hung, curator at the National Museum of Taiwan History. He's showing us around their permanent exhibition.
CHEN YI-HUNG: (Through interpreter) At the beginning, Taiwan first received USAID flour, and later wheat, which kick-started the domestic flour milling industry.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: So why was it the U.S. that provided Taiwan with wheat? Well, it was the Cold War that changed everything. With the communists now running mainland China and the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Washington suddenly saw Taiwan as a bulwark against the spread of communism. American troops arrived, and aid flooded in, including bags of wheat and flour.
CHEN YI-HUNG: (Through interpreter) Taiwan's position became more important. To maintain the so-called anti-communist system, Taiwan's politics, economy and military all needed to be stabilized, so aid was needed.
ZHANG: (Non-English language spoken).
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOD SIZZLING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: In the restaurant, it's time to eat. It's a simple dish but with a rich and storied background. So is it Taiwanese? Well, for the Museum of National History's Chen, it's as Taiwanese as it gets, and just as the island still is today, the dish has been shaped by history, immigration and great power politics all wrapped up in distinctive Taiwanese characteristics.
For NPR News, I'm Jan Camenzind Broomby in Taipei.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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