The dish originates from Fujian, where it’s said that “the locals excel at preparing seafood, often turning it into delicious soups,” and was later introduced to Taiwan. The squid used in this dish is made by sun-drying or air-drying fresh squid to remove moisture. The broth is based on a smooth, savory soup stock, and the condiments include vinegar, mashed garlic, and chili sauce. It offers a delightful combination of salty, sweet, and fragrant flavors.…
A street food that has rapidly risen in popularity in Miaoli City in recent years. In this city where the Hakka people make up the majority, the fame of this northern-style Chinese flatbread dish is built on truly authentic craftsmanship. One-Bite Fragrant Pie offers only four flavors of pies—beef, pork, shredded radish, and red bean paste—as well as millet porridge. The pies are made fresh daily, with hand-rolled thin dough pan-fried to perfection. …
The owner, originally from the food and beverage industry, apprenticed at the renowned Zhongli Niu's Homestead. By insisting on using locally sourced fresh beef, the dishes at Niu's Homestead lack the tough texture of imported frozen meat. Through the owner’s meticulous research, almost every part of the cow can be turned into a dish—tender and juicy pan-fried beef short ribs, crispy stir-fried ox tripe, fragrant...
When it comes to goose meat, many people can't forget the affordable and generous portions at Aguo Goose Meat. On a cool, crisp evening, eating hearty helpings of meat, drinking lots of alcohol, and savoring the broth is truly an enjoyable experience. The person in charge of Aguo Goose Meat, Mr. Chen Zhengguo, originally studied mechanical engineering and twenty years ago worked at Keelung Fisheries School. But earning just one salary to support a…
Ding Bian Cuo is a rice-based snack popular in Fujian, Taiwan, and other regions. It contains a rich assortment of ingredients such as meatballs, shrimp balls, daylily buds, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear fungus, squid, dried small fish, bamboo shoots, and cabbage — a hearty soup loaded with goodness. But these are just the accompaniments; the main dish is a soft, tender white slice called “Ding Bian Cuo.” In Taiwan, it is especially famous in places like...
Pig intestines with oyster vermicelli soup is typically made using locally produced vermicelli and is one of the most common street snacks in Taiwan. It can be easily found on almost every street and alley. The quality of the dish depends on the size and freshness of the oysters, as well as whether the pig intestines have any fishy smell. Most versions use locally made vermicelli, which comes in two varieties—red vermicelli and yellow vermicelli—each offering a slightly different flavor. Whether…
Also known as run bing or tender pancake rolls, it is a food older than the spring roll and is categorized under the same type, but does not require frying. It is popular in China’s Fujian and Taiwan regions. With the increasing immigration from Fujian to Southeast Asia, spring roll wraps have become very common in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. The Vietnamese spring roll Gỏi cuốn is also quite similar to the run bing. In Danish, the word Forårsrulle (spring roll) has become a broad term for spring rolls.
Frozen chicken feet jelly as a braised delicacy has long held an important place in Tainan street food, leading to the emergence of various types of braised snacks. For instance, Xijing Village Honey Braised Snacks, which have gained considerable popularity in recent years, offer a uniquely sweet honey flavor, providing a new option for food enthusiasts who love braised dishes. This replaces the typically heavy and greasy sauces...
Located next to the supervision station, it has long been famous for its mullet sashimi. The mullets come from Mingde Reservoir, free from earthy taste, with sweet, tender flesh rich in protein that is remarkably effective for wound healing. Even when fully booked, they insist on preparing only five mullets per meal to ensure freshness and quality. The village’s hairy crabs are also widely renowned—whether steamed, stir-fried, or served as drunken crab, each preparation boasts unique flavors. Among these, the drunken crab is made by using rice wine to stun live hairy crabs, resulting in richly aromatic crab roe and butter, delicious crab broth, and tender meat that becomes more flavorful the more you chew. In addition, classic dishes such as preserved plum pork belly, Hakka stir-fry, perilla stir-fried duck tongue, and half-day bamboo shoot stir-fried preserved mustard greens are all signature offerings. Paired with traditional wooden bucket rice, the meal is truly exceptional. (Miaoli County)
Qiu Family Rice Noodles may not have an eye-catching signboard, but the shop is always bustling with customers, thanks to its unique craftsmanship and authentic ingredients. Established during Japan’s Showa era, Qiu Family Rice Noodles has stuck to its principle of not using cornstarch or borax for over 80 years. The noodles are meticulously handmade, and those sold in the shop are steamed fresh early every morning—fragrant, delicious, smooth, and pleasantly chewy, with the sweet taste of glutinous rice clearly coming through. Whether served in a soup or stir-fried, they are extremely tasty. End your meal with a specially made iced black tea to refresh and cut through the richness, leaving you savoring every bite. (Miaoli County)
Located at the southern tip of Miaoli County, Sanyi is renowned as the "Hometown of Woodcarving." Along Shuimei Road and in the Guangsheng New Village community, two to three hundred woodcarving shops stand in close proximity. The scent of wood mingles with the rhythmic tapping of chisels, reminding visitors that this century-old craft is still being diligently practiced. With few plains and mostly mountainous terrain, Sanyi lies at the boundary between northern and southern climates, featuring continuous mountain ranges, frequent fog, cool and damp conditions, and acidic soil—all ideal for the growth of camphor trees. The camphor tree roots are thick, broad, and often partially exposed. After years of sun, rain, and termite damage, they form uniquely shaped natural driftwood. Combined with their hardness, resistance to decay, and fragrant aroma that repels insects, these roots become natural artworks with just a bit of polishing and smoothing.
In traditional Chinese culture, joss paper serves purposes such as praying to heaven, harmonizing the five elements, and communicating with spirits. Scenes of joss paper flying through the air are common during ancestral worship or religious ceremonies. Taiwan’s sacrificial culture was inherited from the Fujian and Guangdong regions, and the tradition of using joss paper also crossed the sea along with it. To this day, it remains enduring and has long become an integral part of everyday life...
Among traditional Hakka pickled vegetables, fucai (pickled mustard greens) is the most representative, and Gongguan is the hub of its production. Fucai is made from large leaf mustard, which is harvested and then goes through processes such as sun-drying, kneading, and pickling. The pickled vegetables are then bottled and stored upside down on the ground for 2–3 months to prevent air exposure and mold. After this period, they can be directly used in cooking. …
Nestled amidst verdant peaks and rolling hills, the picturesque township of Tongluo boasts abundant local produce, including Hangzhou chrysanthemums, camphor oil, bamboo shoots, red soil peanuts, perilla, taro, and more. Among these, Hangzhou chrysanthemums and camphor are particularly renowned. Originally from Hangzhou on the Chinese mainland, they are thus named Hangzhou chrysanthemums; their delicate, fragrant aroma makes them a popular choice for making chrysanthemum tea, a highly favored beverage known for its cooling properties. These chrysanthemums can also be used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a flavorful ingredient in cooking. In the past, the camphor industry thrived in the Miaoli region, with numerous camphor oil factories, especially densely concentrated in Tongluo. The entire township was once filled with the refreshing scent of camphorwood. Today, only one or two camphor factories remain in Tongluo, among which the “Donghua Camphor Factory” located on Provincial Highway 13 in Camphor Tree Village has a history of over half a century. It still adheres to the traditional distillation method to produce pure camphor oil. The traditional camphor oil extraction process begins with slicing camphorwood, which is then subjected to high-pressure steam treatment to distill out refined camphor oil and crystallized camphor. The distinctive fragrance of camphor oil not only repels insects and mosquitoes but also has wound-healing and deodorizing properties, making it highly versatile. (Miaoli County)
Near Nanmiao Market in Miaoli City, there’s a place called “Tang Family Meatballs.” The humble, old storefront has no signboard, yet it’s well-known to locals of all ages. Their meatballs are made entirely by hand, with over 600 sold every day. On holidays, when customer traffic is high, they often sell out by 3 PM. The meatballs not only have a soft yet chewy outer skin, but also feature generous fillings of large slices of pork, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms that are so enticing you’ll be left licking your lips in satisfaction. Their red bean soup is also exceptional—made from a mix of large and small red beans simmered to a soft, smooth consistency, it’s sweet, refreshing, and never cloying, making it a dish you could enjoy again and again. (Miaoli County)
Hsinchu rice noodles are as famous as Hsinchu meatballs, and are a renowned specialty of Hsinchu City in Taiwan. The reason Hsinchu rice noodles have gained fame throughout Taiwan is largely due to the region’s unique climate. From the Mid-Autumn Festival each year until the following Qingming Festival, the northeast monsoon sweeps into Hsinchu. Influenced by the local terrain, the wind becomes stronger and drier, which contributes to making Hsinchu’s rice noodles the top local product...
Introduction to Oyster Buns: You’ve had meat buns, but have you tried oyster buns? For over a decade since its founding in Burat Fish Market, the original stop-to-see-and-eat Oyster Bun shop has balanced quality and food hygiene, using locally sourced fresh oysters paired with generous amounts of leeks, glass noodles, and eggs. Each bun is deep-fried to a crispy finish and is even bigger than a fist.
The “Navel Cake” is made from ingredients such as mung beans and sweet potatoes, and is baked into a shape resembling a nipple or the moon. Hence, it is also known as “Mung Bean Dome,” “Moonlight Cake,” or “Nipple Cake.” It is an authentic Hakka rice-based snack from Miaoli. With a fragrant, chewy texture that is sweet but not cloying, the cake features a thin, delicate crust, a rich filling, and a crispy, flaky texture. Made without oil and with minimal sugar, it is a healthy snack choice. …
In the past, the camphor industry was thriving in the Miaoli area, with numerous camphor oil factories, especially densely concentrated in Tongluo Township, where the entire town was filled with the fragrant aroma of camphor wood. Nowadays, only one or two camphor factories remain in the Tongluo area. Among them, the "Donghua Camphor Factory," located on Provincial Highway 13 in Camphor Tree Village, has a history of over half a century and still insists on using traditional...
The picturesque Tonglu Township is surrounded by verdant peaks and rolling hills, rich in local produce such as chrysanthemums, camphor oil, bamboo shoots, red clay peanuts, perilla, and taro. Among these, Tonglu chrysanthemums and camphor are especially renowned. Originally from Hangzhou on the mainland, they are thus called Hangzhou (or “Hángzhōu”) chrysanthemums; due to their delicate, fragrant aroma, they are often…