Made with a broth simmered from shiitake mushrooms, dried bonito, and pork bones, then combined with bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, fish cakes, and thick rice noodles in a hearty pot of rich stew. The ingredients are generous and the broth is deeply flavorful—especially during early summer when bamboo shoots are in peak season, their crisp freshness adding extra taste to the stew. With over 40 years of reputation, many travelers who have been away for years return home…
Established for nearly 40 years and passed down through four generations, Du Xiaoyue is one of the oldest traditional-style restaurants in Yilan City. Originally starting as a catering service for external events — taking on large orders (“big months”) for banquets and preparing smaller ones (“small months”) in-house — the restaurant earned its name, which translates to “Crossing Small Moons.” Du Xiaoyue is one of the few eateries in the Lanyang region renowned exclusively for authentic local Lanyang cuisine. Many of its signature dishes are distinguished by their masterful and delicate handiwork…
Yilan snacks are as traditional and authentic as the people of Yilan. In addition to genuine Lanyang traditional dishes, old shops and street stalls serving Fujian-style flavors are equally delightful and leave a lingering taste. Due to geographical barriers, the Lanyang Plain had limited external transportation in the past, and with little contact with the outside world, many unique Yilan dishes were developed and preserved. The still-simple local sentiment also gives Yilan snacks a strong rustic charm. Lanyang cuisine originates from Fuzhou dishes that use simple ingredients but are meticulously prepared, among which “Gao Zha” (Crispy Pork Cake) is the most representative. Gao Zha is made by mincing chicken, pork, and shrimp into a paste, then mixing it with broth simmered for 5–6 hours to form a thick mixture. This is poured into a tray to cool and solidify, then cut into pieces, coated in batter, and deep-fried before serving. Though it looks lukewarm, it is actually very hot inside, which is often used to describe the “cool exterior, warm heart” personality of the people of Yilan. Besides Gao Zha, taro paste, Xilu Meat, liver flower, and date pastry are also unique traditional delicacies of Lanyang. Taro paste is made by mashing cooked taro with the handle of a knife until it becomes a paste, then steaming it over high heat until soft—smooth and delicious, with Eight-Treasure Taro Paste being the most famous. Xilu Meat is similar to cabbage stew, essentially a hodgepodge made with bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, and shredded bamboo shoots, served atop a “egg nest” made from fried egg batter. Though not visually appealing, it reflects the hard times of earlier years when meat was scarce. Compared to Xilu, Liver Flower was a delicacy only the wealthy could afford. It is made by mincing lean meat or offal, fish paste, water chestnuts, and seasonings like scallions and onions, then wrapping the mixture in bean curd skin and deep-frying it. It was named so because most people used pig liver as the main ingredient at the time. Date pastry, also known as Cha Pastry, is a traditional sweet made from kumquats, orange cakes, and winter melon candy. It is an essential refined dessert in Lanyang banquets. Authentic traditional Lanyang dishes, due to their labor-intensive preparation, are rarely found in ordinary restaurants, but Yilan still retains many beloved and delicious treats. Today, the area north of the train station, formerly known as Beimen, is a hub of markets and shops, offering many distinctive snacks well worth visiting. (Yilan County)
The belly of the sailfish, commonly known as dingwandu, makes an excellent drinking snack. Its main characteristic is its "crispness," and it can be stir-fried with basil and celery or smoked and sliced for drinking, offering a delightfully crunchy texture.…
Mackerel is a very common edible fish found near the coasts of the western Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, often living in schools. In the Chinese context, it should be distinguished from the black carp, one of China’s four major domesticated fish. Mackerel typically grows to an average length of 30 to 50 centimeters and can live up to 11 years. It feeds on plankton as well as the eggs of sturgeon, cod, and...
Traveling south along Provincial Highway 7 from Yilan City, you’ll spot signs for “Yuanshan Fish Balls” near Yuanshan. Though the roadside snack stalls are modest in size, many customers—some even traveling from afar—are often gathered around their steaming pots. The Yuanshan fish balls are a muted grayish color and may not look particularly striking, but they are made with quality ingredients...
Apart from duck jerky and preserved fruits, the most iconic local specialty of Yilan is the crispy and delicious beef tongue pastry. Although there are no fewer than dozens of beef tongue pastry shops in the Yilan area, the most reputable remains the founding store with a 120-year history — Lao Yuanxiang Pastry Shop. Yilan’s beef tongue pastry is light, thin, and flaky, delicious whether served hot or cold, offering a significantly different texture compared to the thicker, softer, and typically hot-served Lukang-style beef tongue pastry. The reason Lao Yuanxiang has maintained its renowned reputation for a century lies in its unique, traditional handmade production process. The main ingredients of the beef tongue pastry include flour, sugar, honey, milk powder, and lard, but the dough must be repeatedly kneaded and rolled by hand before baking. As such, the control of dough texture and baking temperature becomes the key to success, and the traditionally baked beef tongue pastries of Lao Yuanxiang simply cannot be replicated by machines. In addition to the beef tongue pastry, Lao Yuanxiang’s scallion-flavored mung bean puff is also exceptional. This pastry is characterized by stir-frying white scallions until fragrant and slightly charred, then blending them into sweet mung bean paste, followed by a special baking technique that yields a uniquely flavorful treat well worth trying. Among them, Changfang Lao Yuanxiang on Shennong Road is the most famous. Due to the shop’s extremely brisk business and continuously operating oven, visitors often get to enjoy freshly baked, hot pastries with a truly distinctive texture. (Yilan County)
Located within Luodong Night Market, Zhang Xiu-xiong’s Savory Mi Tiao Mian actually sells a dish typically found at breakfast markets. The reason it has remained popular for over 40 years lies mainly in its carefully selected rice, which is made into mi tiao mian (rice noodles) that are elastic, flavorful, and hold up well even after prolonged cooking. Paired with a rich broth simmered purely with meat essence, the dish is truly satisfying. (Yilan County)…
Cake Crumbs are made by mincing chicken, pork, and shrimp into a paste, then cooking it into a slurry with stock that has been simmered for 5–6 hours. The mixture is poured into a tray to cool and solidify, cut into pieces, coated in batter, and deep-fried before serving. Though it may appear lukewarm on the outside, it is actually quite hot inside, which is why it is often used as a metaphor for the "cold outside, warm inside" personality of people from Yilan. …
Jujube Cake, also known as Cha Cake, is a traditional sweet made from kumquats, orange cakes, winter melon candy, and other ingredients. It is an essential refined dessert served during banquets in the Lanyang region.…
Mr. Wu’s fish soup is a well-known snack in the market. Fresh, large chunks of fish are coated in batter and deep-fried to order, resulting in a very satisfying texture. The soup itself is simmered with a blend of traditional Chinese medicinal spices and rock sugar, yielding a golden-yellow, slightly translucent broth. A small sip fills your mouth with its rich, aromatic flavor. (Penghu County)…
Description of the brown-feathered vegetable duck breed Origin and distribution: Originally from South China. Mainly produced in Yilan of Taipei, Dalin of Taichung, and Pingtung of Tainan. Due to the wide geographical separation of production areas, this duck breed is further divided into the Yilan type, Dalin type, and Pingtung type. Physical characteristics: The drake has dark green feathers on the head and neck, with a white ring around the middle of the head…
The taro produced in Yilan is of exceptionally high quality, ensuring that taro-based products made here are top-notch. Yilan is known as the hometown of ducks and is also famous for kumquats and kumquat cakes. Taro puree dishes incorporate three of Yilan’s specialties—taro, duck eggs, and kumquats—so you can imagine how delicious they are. When eaten, the mildly sweet taro...
Yilan’s rice noodle soup is first sautéed with garlic, then made with a rich broth simmered from pork bones. It’s loaded with ingredients such as rice noodles, bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, fish cakes, and shiitake mushrooms. The slippery texture of the thick rice noodles is truly irreplaceable. This flavorful medley of ingredients has long become a shared taste memory for the people of Yilan…
Made with whole strips of pork tenderloin, the meat is first beaten, marinated, and left to marinate overnight for flavor. It is then rolled with minced meat, pepper, onions, spices, and more into a thin wrapper before being deep-fried. The result is a crispy, golden crust. The onions bring out the natural sweetness of the pork tenderloin, and the generous filling is hearty and even more delicious when paired with the sauce. Don’t underestimate this…
Stuffed tapioca pearls are made by filling chewy and bouncy tapioca pearls with various fillings such as red beans, green beans, soybeans, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Among them, red bean filling is the most popular and best-loved by the general public. The origin of stuffed tapioca pearls traces back to the Luodong Night Market in Yilan, representing a creative twist on traditional tapioca pearls and ranking among Yilan’s most famous street snacks. Recommended: No. 1078, Park Road Night Market, Luodong Town, Yilan County, Taiwan (near Luodong Tourist Night Market)
A traditional Yilan-style thin biscuit baked with flour, sugar, and honey, named for its resemblance to an ox’s tongue. Today, some vendors offer variations in flavors such as matcha, coffee, and cheese. Local Specialty Culture: In the past, when a baby turned four months old, parents would follow an old tradition by piercing this biscuit and hanging it around the baby’s neck during a gathering of relatives and friends, hoping to bless the child with intelligence and cleverness...
Shengxing Pastry Factory was established in the 3rd year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1864). It is a renowned, fifth-generation family-run bakery and the founding shop of Penghu savory cakes. Thanks to its high-quality ingredients and a uniquely developed recipe, Shengxing savory cakes have become a famous specialty of Penghu. The savory cake is primarily baked with flour, pepper, salt, lard, sesame, and other ingredients…
Though it lacks an eye-catching signboard, the shop is always bustling with patrons. The deep-fried pork chops are simmered with winter melon, creating a rich and fragrant broth that’s truly unforgettable. Adding wontons makes the meal even more filling and satisfying, and many food lovers even travel from afar to take some back home with them!(Penghu County)…
Changjin Restaurant is well-known for its culinary skills in Magong City. Its signature dishes—seafood congee, raw oyster sashimi, and seaweed fish ball soup—are all exceptionally fresh and delicious. Aside from seafood specialties, the honey-glazed chicken leg is a must-try: a fresh chicken leg coated in orange-honey glaze and deep-fried to crispy, savory perfection. (Penghu County)…