Skip the line to enjoy Taiwan’s No. 1 Fushan Bowl Festival – Affordable gourmet available at convenience stores

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family / Compiled Report

In 2018, the COA held the “Taiwan’s No. 1 Bowl – Ultimate Bowl Festival Battle,” which attracted 57 domestic snack and food vendors to enter the competition. The national-level winners saw their sales increase by at least 20%. Among them, the national champion, the No. 1 Strongest Bowl – Fushan Bowl Festival, impressed with its unique garlic-infused aroma and tender, chewy texture. After winning, it drew non-stop crowds and long lines every day, successfully sparking a nationwide bowl fever.

Taiwan has a large population of people who eat out, and convenience stores are a retail channel many rely on. According to a Fair Trade Commission survey, the average person visits convenience stores about 122 times per year. To offer more diverse rice-based meal options for those eating out, the COA’s Agriculture and Food Agency partnered with FamilyMart to mass-produce and market the delicious Fushan Bowl Festival. After extensive production testing, the product is made primarily from domestically sourced Taichung Indica No. 17 rice to create a tender, chewy texture. It is paired with specially fragrant crispy fried shallots, salted egg yolk, lean meat, and other ingredients to faithfully recreate the champion’s original flavor and authentic taste.

Bowl Festival is a classic traditional Taiwanese snack and an unforgettable taste of olden days. Many commercial versions are not primarily made with rice but with starch, resulting in a slightly translucent appearance that is harder to digest. This newly launched “Fushan Champion Bowl Festival” uses Taichung Indica No. 17 rice as its main ingredient. Indica rice contains more amylose, giving it a lower glycemic index compared to other refined breads and pastries, making it less likely to cause a sudden spike in blood sugar after consumption.

Fushan Bowl Festival owner Lee Fu-shan founded the brand to have more time to care for his sick mother and child. He decided to leave his hotel job and co-founded Fushan Bowl Festival with his wife—a business that allows them to balance family life. The rice paste used in the bowls is freshly ground daily from domestic non-glutinous rice, combined with hand-fried shallot crisps, mushrooms, and salted duck egg yolks, then steamed to create a richly filled, delicious champion bowl. However, because it is entirely handmade and labor-intensive, only 150 bowls can be produced each day.