· Tastes of Taiwan: Local Products ·

Aside from enjoying snacks of all kinds in Taiwan, you should also not miss the special delicacies indigenous to each area. These products usually have gift packaging, which is convenient for travelers who want to take them home as gifts for friends and relatives.

Although Taiwan is small, there is an almost infinite variety of products it has made uniquely its own. These not only make fine gifts for friends and relatives, but they also allow you to take home a true piece of Taiwan.

Tea

With a reputation of being a tea empire, Taiwan's topography and climate are perfect for growing tea plants. There are many varieties of tea available in Taiwan; among these, Wenshan Baozhong Tea, Dongding Oolong Tea, Pekoe Oolong Tea, and Tie Guanyin are the four mainstream teas.

You can pick up virtually any type of teapot in department stores or tea stores. If you want to buy a piece of porcelain culture aside from having a teapot to boil tea in, go to Yingge, the ceramics capital of Taiwan. Yingge's Jianshanpu Rd. is a newly designed pedestrian area, and the whole shopping area emphasizes various types of porcelain products. This is the best place to buy your teapot and have a look around.
Major department stores and supermarkets have special stalls that sell tea, which makes this national beverage readily available. Beside, there is also the tea bag, a simple and convenient way to enjoy a cup of tea.


Peanut Brittle
Taiwan's most famous producer of peanut brittle is the small island of Kinmen. Because of Kinmen's fresh air, good water quality, rich soil, and windy weather conditions, the peanuts produced here are superior to those produced anywhere else. The peanuts are cooked in malt sugar and left to cool and harden. Then the result is cut into small bars, wrapped, and packaged in gift boxes or plastic bags.

Pineapple Cake
Pineapple is not only widely produced here in Taiwan, but the island is also known for producing canned pineapple, pineapple drinks, and pineapple jams. Pineapple is also made into pineapple cake, with the pineapple's sweet and sour taste mingling with the loose, soft outer skin that seems to melt in your mouth; definitely worth giving it a taste... and more!

Shaoxing and Gaoliang Wines
The water quality of the Ailan Plateau, located on western side of Nantou County's Puli Township, is pure and sweet. Because of the water's unique qualities, it is considered the primary "Shaoxing wine spring." Made by fermenting glutinous rice, Penglai rice, wheat, and other ingredients, the golden yellow Shaoxing wine has a dry, sweet taste.

Kinmen, with its hot, dry weather and unpolluted environment, is the best place to make Gaoliang wine. Thanks to excellent water quality, the wine produced here is superior in quality and fine in taste.

In Matsu, with the uniqueness of the local spring water, some state of the art brews such as Daqu, Gaoliang, and Matsu Old Wine are most popular. Clear ruby Matsu Old Wine is not just a favorable drink in Matsu, but also widely use in cuisine.

Candied Fruits
A variety of flavors are produced when plums, dates, mangoes, and other fresh fruits are rubbed with salt and fermented by adding sugar. Basically, the salty flavor of preserved fruits come from the salt rubbed on them, the sweet taste comes from the sugar, and the sourness is a result of fermentation. People in Taiwan call these preserved fruits "salty, sour, and sweet," which is an appropriate moniker for their unique taste.