Pig blood cake is a Taiwanese glutinous rice cake steamed with pig's blood, evolved after WWII from an earlier, scarcer duck-blood version born of wartime frugality. At a Miaokou stall, a dark brown cake on a bamboo skewer gets a brush of soy paste, a roll through a tray of peanut powder, and a few sprigs of cilantro — the whole process done in under twenty seconds.
Pig blood cake emerged in Taipei after WWII (from 1945), when scarcity led people to use pig's blood from slaughterhouses in place of the earlier, harder-to-source duck's blood that frugal farming families had used. The northern-style preparation steams the cake, then dips it in soy sauce, rolls it in peanut powder and cilantro, and serves it on a skewer. Keelung's Miaokou food stalls trace back to vendors gathering around Dianji Temple in the late Japanese colonial period, with over sixty stalls registered after the war; pig blood cake is one of its common peanut-powder-coated snacks.
What is pig blood cake?
Pig blood cake is made by mixing pig's blood with long glutinous rice in proportion, steaming the mixture until it sets, then cutting it into rectangular blocks and placing them on skewers. Before serving, the cook brushes on soy paste for saltiness and sheen, then rolls the cake generously in finely ground peanut powder — typically made from roasted, skin-off peanuts ground fine, with some stalls adding a small amount of sugar. Fresh cilantro is placed on top last. The texture is soft and glutinous with the mineral quality of pig's blood; the oily fragrance of peanut powder dissolves slowly in the mouth; the cilantro provides a cool herbal contrast. The overall seasoning is savory, with sweetness barely present.
Pig blood cake can be found at night markets across Taiwan, but Keelung Miaokou's version has its own local characteristics: the cake body is on the thicker side, the pig blood ratio gives it a deeper color, and the amount of soy paste applied is slightly more than the Taipei version. Miaokou stall operators mostly keep the cakes steamed and warm so they don't cool down and harden. As one of northern Taiwan's longest-running night markets, Keelung Miaokou has a long supply record for pig blood cake, which forms part of the market's identity alongside shrimp rolls, tempura, and other items.
How to eat it like a local
Local knowledge
Verified references
- Keelung City Government tourism information lists pig blood cake as a permanent Miaokou Night Market item, alongside shrimp rolls and tempura as representative Miaokou street foods.
- Pig blood cake stalls at Miaokou are mostly family-run or long-tenured fixed stalls with a stable supply — not a seasonal item.
Practical tips
- Pig blood cake stalls at Miaokou are distributed around Ren-San Road and Xiao-San Road; they start serving in the evening, and some set up before the night market officially opens.
- Miaokou crowds concentrate on weekend evenings. If you want to avoid queuing, a weekday evening is a relatively smooth time to visit.
- Pig blood cake is a made-to-order item and should not be taken away and left to sit. The peanut powder absorbs moisture quickly and the texture noticeably deteriorates.
Source: Keelung Miaokou Night Market tourism information; Keelung City tourism information. Photos to be replaced with channel-exclusive material after Dio's on-site shoot.
Frequently Asked Questions
How was pig blood cake invented?
It originated in postwar Taipei during a period of scarcity, evolving from an earlier duck-blood version that frugal farming families had made rather than waste the blood; pig's blood later replaced duck's blood as the more accessible option.
What's the traditional way to eat pig blood cake?
The northern-style version is steamed, then brushed with soy paste, rolled in peanut powder, and topped with cilantro, served on a skewer for eating on the go.
How does Keelung Miaokou's version differ from others?
The Miaokou version tends to have a thicker cake and a heavier coat of soy paste, kept warm by steaming at the stall — a long-running fixture of the night market.