Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern provinces of China, most notably from the province of Fujian (Hokkien) especially in 1949 when New China was established, many cooks from different provinces in China came to Taiwan. That is why a lot of influences from all of China can easily be found. A notable Japanese influence existed when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Today, Taiwan food in principle is a combination of the Chinese, Japanese and its local cuisine.

In Taiwan, where its people seem to live to eat, it is said that there is a snack shop every three steps away and a restaurant every five. As the island's economy developed rapidly in recent years, its culinary culture has expanded beyond the traditional Taiwan foods to Taiwan-style fast-food chains, thus bringing greater complexity than ever before to the art of Taiwanese dining.