Viral among 45,000 netizens who follow it religiously — the ever-crowded “Nuofu” rice cake

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

In small steaming cups and bowls, crystal-clear sesame oil rice cakes are served. Gently pried apart with chopsticks, the aroma of wine wafts through the air. The owner learned the craft from their grandmother and was determined to pass on this“exclusive old-time flavor”and started peddling around the streets on an old bicycle. Everyone who tried it couldn’t stop praising it. Word-of-mouth spread quickly, making it wildly popular. To date, its Facebook page has amassed 45,000 fans and continues to grow.

▲ The super-popular Nuofu rice cake attracts fans from all over who make pilgrimages from afar. (Photo / Screenshot fromNuofuFan Page)

▲ The young owner, Liu Yuqiao, is always riding his bicycle, peddling in various spots around Tainan. (Photo / Screenshot fromNuofuFan Page)

Owner Liu Yuqiao is often seen wearing a straw hat and a towel, pedaling his old bicycle loaded with a large wooden barrel, heading to every corner of downtown Tainan to sell. He uses the fan page to announce operating hours and locations. Despite being exhausted, he keeps tirelessly working hard to ensure that his grandmother’s excellent craftsmanship is remembered and not lost to time.

▲ He spends a great deal of time daily, yet never complains, always committed to bringing the taste to more people. (Photo / Screenshot fromNuofuFan Page)


Every day as the sun just rises, Liu Yuqiao is already busy preparing ingredients, repeatedly stirring a large pot of glutinous rice to achieve a chewy, springy texture. After chopping an appropriate amount of pork cartilage, he simmers everything together in a sesame oil broth over low heat, allowing the rice wine to infuse into the rice and meat while locking in the savory-sweet broth to maintain a certain level of moisture—preventing that dry-mouth feeling. Finally, after a complex process of steaming and simmering, the Nuofu rice cake is officially born.