Mountain Gourmet: Shei-Pa's Upgraded Atayal Cuisine

Text by MOOK Travel Life Network, interviewed and reported by Li Xinyi

 

Known for its communal system, Smangus has a tribal pact ensuring profits are shared among members for sustainable development and rejecting corporate intrusion. Electricity only reached the village in 1980 (the 69th year of the Republic of China), making Smangus one of Taiwan’s last villages to get power—and thus, it has preserved its most primitive form. With the push of the Citibank and Seven Star Ecological Conservation Foundation, this year the primitive village began upgrading its tourism offerings. Chef Chen Yaozhong, hailed as the “Amis culinary god” by Yen Ching-chang, was invited to create a set of meals that combine eco-friendliness, health, and hotel-level standards—available starting December 1.

Smangus’ tourism development has been ongoing for 17 years. Tribal chief Masay Sulong stated that the first seven years, with individual operations, were ineffective, but the following 10 years of collective management gradually showed results. Centralized management not only protected the land and ecology, but also attracted about 60,000 visitors last year. This collaboration with the Citibank and Seven Star Ecological Conservation Foundation saw chefs teaching women in the tribe cooking skills, significantly transforming Smangus’ original dishes and reintroducing indigenous cuisine. Chen Yaozhong, skilled in creative Amis cuisine, combined common Amis wild vegetables with Atayal meat dishes this time. “Smangus’ environment suits growing wild vegetables. By pairing them with meats, we balance nutrition and enrich the menu,” Chen said. He presents food in its natural flavor, using local bamboo, wood, and stones as containers, and arranging dishes with forest flowers for a perfect representation of tribal cuisine. The first set meals include Smangus home-style dishes such as wild vegetable towers, millet rice, Makau pork trotters, mountain pepper-leek-scented bamboo shoot chicken soup, and tree bean pork tripe soup. There are 11 dishes in total—from appetizers to soups, main courses, desserts, and millet wine. Each table (serves 10) costs NT$5,000. Made with fresh ingredients, those wishing to try this Smangus Atayal cuisine must book at least one week in advance. Tel: 03-584-7688.

The “Green Living Taiwan Ecotourism Promotion Plan,” jointly implemented by Citibank and the Seven Star Ecological Conservation Foundation, has entered its fourth year. This time, the project selected the idyllic Smangus for promotion, starting with an upgrade to its meals, and will continue developing Smangus throughout next year. Currently, Smangus has about 170 residents including those working outside. Seventy-five percent of the tribe members are involved in building the shared community, with profits covering all members’ living expenses, including children’s education from birth through schooling. For the launch of the new dishes, almost the entire tribe mobilized—not only for cooking, but even the containers were handmade by members. For instance, simple carvings on bamboo create unique soup cups. A set of meals that best reflects Atayal culture and offers a natural, guilt-free gourmet experience went on sale in December in the tribe of Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County, embodying the belief in sustainable sharing.