The “taro and bamboo shoot” season kicks off, with the 11th Jiaxian Taro and Bamboo Shoot Festival launching on September 3.

Written/Compiled and Reported by Chi Bing-Hui

Taro from Jiaxian is known for its delicate texture, sweet flavor, and soft consistency, making it a premium taro variety renowned across Taiwan. Meanwhile, the area’s bamboo shoots are sweet, crisp, healthy, and high in fiber, with moso bamboo shoots being the most common. For these reasons, Jiaxian has long been honored as the “Hometown of Taro and Source of Bamboo Shoots.” This year’s Jiaxian Taro and Bamboo Shoot Festival will be grandly held on September 3 and 4 in the Jiaxian Image Business District, and the public is welcome to come and enjoy the delicious offerings.

Deputy Mayor Chen Chi-yu stated that Jiaxian boasts important local specialties such as taro, bamboo shoots, and plums. Among them, Jiaxian taro is famed across Taiwan for its quality, bamboo shoots are healthy and ideal for cooking, and plums aid digestion and help improve acidic body constitutions—making all three excellent choices for Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. Two years ago, Jiaxian was hit by the massive devastation of Typhoon Morakot, but today it has stood strong with resilient recovery. The Jiaxian Bridge reopened to traffic last year, restoring smooth external access. The public is welcome to visit in groups to shop and help revive the business opportunities in the rebuilding area.
 

The organizers noted that on September 3 and 4, they will prepare thousands of free taro ice and taro ball samples for visitors to try. There will also be fun competitions such as eating taro ice, weighing taro and bamboo shoots, and peeling bamboo shoots quickly. The event site will also feature song and dance performances, band concerts, Taiwanese opera, karaoke singing contests, and more. With a rich and entertaining program, the public is welcome to join in the fun.