Crystal Plaza signs alliance with Kagoshima government to introduce specialties such as black pork, brown sugar, and black vinegar

▲ Crystal Plaza signs alliance with Kagoshima government to introduce local specialty black pork.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Taipei Crystal Plaza Hotel announced on the 19th a cross-industry collaboration with the Kagoshima Prefectural Government of Japan to introduce local specialties including Kagoshima black pork, fresh bonito, mackerel, sardines, horse mackerel, brown sugar, and black vinegar. It also teased a one-month-long Kagoshima Food Festival to be launched in November. The Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture, Yoshikazu Ito, and the Speaker of the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly, Kenichi Ikeuchi, attended the signing ceremony.

Sherry Hsueh, CEO of Silks Club Hotels & Resorts, stated that Taiwanese tourists already account for 40% of foreign visitors to Kagoshima. Many are not only impressed by the scenic beauty but also have lingering memories of the local cuisine. The collaboration aims to introduce Kagoshima specialties such as Kagoshima black pork, which will be prepared by Crystal Plaza’s culinary team, allowing consumers in Taiwan to experience authentic Kagoshima flavors.

Kagoshima’s most famous product, Kagoshima black pork (also known as Kagoshima Kurobuta), is locally referred to as the “black diamond.” It gets its name because the pig’s entire body is black except for white speckles on six parts (the four limbs, the bridge of the nose, and the tip of the tail). The meat is delicate and tender. To preserve the original deliciousness of this breed of black pork, the official Japanese certification requires that Kagoshima black pigs be raised for at least 230 days. The acceptable slaughter weight must be 65–80 kilograms, and the back fat thickness must reach at least 1.3 centimeters before the pigs can be slaughtered.

Kagoshima boasts many famous agricultural products, such as Kagoshima brown sugar, black vinegar with its unique fragrant aroma, Kagoshima shochu, Sakurajima radish, Yamakawa pickles, red sweet potatoes, tankan oranges, pomelos, and more.


▲ Kagoshima bonito.