“Coffin” bread uses old ingredients, tourists are curious when traveling to Taiwan

Coffin bread appeared in Taiwan (China) around the 1940s, created by a chef and restaurant owner named Hsu Liu-Yi and quickly became one of the most popular street foods.

Originally, the dish was called "Shakaliba" (in Japanese, it means entertainment center) with two main ingredients: chicken liver soup and crispy bread.

However, because the shape of the dish resembles a coffin, over time, diners got used to calling it that and named it "Gua Cai Ban" (meaning coffin in Taiwanese).

The reason the dish has such a strange name is because the shape of the bread reminds people of a coffin, consisting of a square box-shaped shell with a lid (Photo: Internet).

It is because of this strange and curious word of mouth that this bread has become even more famous, attracting the attention of culinary enthusiasts around the world.

Accordingly, to create this unique dish, the chef will use a 3-5cm thick slice of bread, hollow it out, then bake or deep-fry it, forming a box-shaped block the size of a palm.

Inside the coffin-shaped bread shell, people will fill the filling with a stew made of chicken, seafood, beef tripe or mushrooms along with some other ingredients and a cream sauce.

Inside the crispy "coffin" bread crust is usually a creamy seafood filling, later modified with sweet fillings to satisfy the diverse tastes of diners (Photo: Sakaratrina).

Finally, the chef will cover it with another slice of bread as a lid.

However, later on, because the needs of diners became more and more diverse, and each person's taste was different, the filling inside the "coffin" bread was also transformed according to many new recipes, such as sweet fillings made from fruits such as bananas, peaches, mangoes, strawberries...

The name of the “coffin” bread makes diners scared, but once eaten, they will feel the crispy crust, combined with the rich creamy filling, blended with other ingredients in a fragrant, rich sauce (Photo: Lataco, bentonions).

Not only is the appearance of this dish impressive, but the special thing about it is the ingredients. Instead of using freshly baked bread, the chef will use old bread so that when cooked, the crust will be drier, crispier and more delicious.

In contrast, fresh bread often has a high moisture content, which affects the quality and flavor after frying.

If you have the opportunity to travel to Taiwan, you can find and enjoy “coffin” bread in many places, from luxury restaurants to popular eateries. However, gourmets commented that going to the night markets and trying this bread will bring a more interesting experience.

Phan Dau

Source