Taiwan is well-known for its pearl milk tea, pineapple cakes, and fried chicken, among many other traditional foods and snacks. But did you know that Taiwan also makes award-winning chocolates? Continue reading to learn more about Taiwan’s one-of-a-kind tree-to-bar chocolates.
In Taiwan, the tree-to-bar idea in chocolate production is still relatively recent. Chiu, Taiwan’s first bean-to-bar chocolatier, planted his first trees in 2003. He successfully manufactured chocolates from scratch for the first time in 2010, kicking off the trend of cacao cultivation and chocolate production in Pingtung, Taiwan. Many people are unaware that Taiwan grows cacao and makes chocolate, considering the fact that it has only been around for about a decade!
Taiwan not only produces special tree-to-bar chocolates, but they have also won several awards! Taiwan received its first prize at the World Chocolate Awards in 2017. Fu Wan Chocolate’s Tie Guan Yin tea-flavored dark chocolate was a favorite of the judges. As a result, this distinct Oriental flavor was awarded a gold medal.
Red wine used to account for more than 80% of the market. Powerful wines such as Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz remain common, but with many younger wine drinkers choosing white wines, their appeal is dwindling. White wines account for 10% of the overall market share. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling are common white wine varieties. Taiwanese customers are increasingly interested in light and sparkling wines.
Sweet wines, such as the world-famous Tokaj wine, are popular in Taiwan. This is a common trait of a modern wine market. Rosé wines continue to be a very niche commodity. White and rosé wines are the most common for those under the age of 35.
Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor is one of Taiwan’s most popular kaoliang brands. It is made on the island of Kinmen, as the name suggests. The regular 58 percent and 38 percent alcohol bottlings are the range’s mainstays. Kinmen’s kaoliang production can be traced back to the Chinese Civil War, when Chinese nationalist general Hu Lien urged Kinmenese farmers to cultivate sorghum in order to manufacture hard liquor because importing alcohol from Taiwan was financially burdensome. Kaoliang liquor has become an essential part of Kinmen’s economy and plays an important role in Kinmen society.
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation manufactures Yusan Kaoliang Chiew (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yùshn Goliáng Ji). It is named after Yushan, Taiwan’s highest peak. One of the most notable brands in the line is a “X.O.” kaoliang that was aged in tanks for five years before bottling.
Matsu Tunnel 88 Kaoliang Liquor (Chinese: ; pinyin: B B Kngdào Goliáng Ji) is manufactured by Matsu Distillery in Nangan Township, Lienchiang County. The name is taken from Tunnel 88, an unfinished military tunnel that the distillery took over as a storage space for their kaoliang and aged rice wine.
According to the Kantar Brand Footprint 2020 survey, Taiwanese purchased 86 million items from I-Mei Foods Co. last year, making it the No. 1 organization for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).
This meant that an estimated 7.7 million Taiwanese households, or 88.9 percent of the total, had purchased an I-Mei product at least once.
The report examined 1.5 billion buying decisions made in the previous year and found that 7.7 million households consumed an I-Mei beverage per 10.1 days on average, with dairy and soy beverages leading the way. About the fact that the Taiwanese food industry was under intense scrutiny during food safety scandals in 2013 and 2014, the organization maintained a positive reputation for quality.
Other FMCG brands on the list included Kuang Chuan, which came in second with 61 million purchases by 6.65 million households, and FreshDelight, which came in third with 46 million purchases by 5.85 million households.
Taiwan is a bit different in handling the global COVID-19 pandemic, as its citizens have not experienced major lockdowns as a result of the disease, unlike other countries, the pandemic has however had a considerable impact on consumer’s ability and desire to socialize in bars, restaurants, and even at home.
RTDs alcohol or Ready-To-Drink alcohols has increased volume sales in 2019, appealing to demand among females and younger drinkers of legal age by offering various sweet flavors and innovative products. RTDs are usually associated with a lower percentage of alcohol which fits perfectly to consumers’ preference to avoid high levels of intoxication, along with the trend towards healthy living evident in the country at the end of the review period.
While companies have changed their product lines to produce medical alcohol to help combat the Covid-19. Low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beers have the potential for growth, driven by the health trend evident in Taiwan. This is likely to be boosted by increased awareness of the relationship between overall health and obesity on the severity of COVID-19.
The food and beverage industry is one of the most essential components of several economies across the world. The 2020 global food and beverage market size is estimated to be $7 trillion. Changing consumer lifestyles and consumer preferences, growing demand for organic food products, and evolving consumption and selling patterns are the key trends in the global market.
Taiwan’s food and beverage market size are poised to report a strong growth rate over the forecast period due to increasing population, rising disposable incomes, coupled with changing trends and product innovations. The increasing number of restaurants, fast-food chains, and food delivery apps such as grub hub, caviar, and others enhance the availability to consumers, resulting in strong growth in the food and beverage industry. Besides, the rising demand for organic, natural, and fresh foods among consumers due to rising health awareness is the major factor expected to enhance the demand for the food and beverage market.
Taiwan’s food and drink industry will still continue on a positive growth path in 2021, despite a slow down in food spending growth due to the high base effects in 2020 as consumers shifted their purchasing patterns amid high levels of unpredictability due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Market Research’s forecast in alcoholic drinks spending growth to return to growth this year while spending on non-alcoholic drinks will only see minimal growth in 2021. Over the medium term (2021-2024), they forecast food and drinks spending growth to remain positive, supported by positive economic growth and increasing disposable incomes.
Tseng Noodles or Zheng Noodles is one of the most famous brand noodles in Taiwan. The noodle is very famous and different from other noodles because of its handmade ribbon style ramen. Aside from its peculiar look, the noodle itself is made of quality products and has chewy texture. Tseng Noodles are simply amazing!
Their Tseng Noodles Scallion with Sichuan Pepper Flavor is equally impressive. It has a nice and tasty salty soy and oil with a fiery Sichuan pepper hit which has a nice heat level. The heat works well with the flavor, which makes everything balance.
Tseng Noodles has successfully distributed and exported its products internationally. It has found its way to Costco, Jason’s Market, and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, expanding its market to the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, and Malaysia.
Kuai Che was founded by the son of a young couple who were working hard from Chiayi to the north, they gathered in the Nanmen Market to sell dried meat. The son who was living with his grandparents was taken back to Taipei by his parents and was taught how to do business in the market together with his sister.
The family owned a small stall in the market, eventually grew into ten stalls and has adapted to online marketing techniques to inject vitality into their business born in traditional market. The packaged was changed and launched, invited people to join on Facebook with 48% discount as part of the strategy. In just 6 months, Kuai Che, was promoted to the top 100 popular online sellers.
Kuai Che is the producer of Pork Paper or Pork Jerky, one of the Taiwanese people’s favorite past time snacks. They prefer and insist on doing the traditional process in making the Pork Jerky which is hand-baking. All their pork jerky is made from fresh pork hind leg, marinated in ancient soy sauce that has been brewed for 180 days and baked at high temperature after vacuum massage. Thickness, maturity, and color must be taken into account at the same time. The heat is a unique technique.
The company’s signature can be described as think and thick. Their best-selling almond thin crispy paper takes an average of 1.5 hour to complete each piece. The thickness is only 0.01 cm, it is thin, transparent, and crispy. In order to prevent chipping, it is necessary to manually insert them one by one during packaging. They also have a 1 cm signature thick pork jerky, which is made in limited quantities every day to ensure freshness. It is rich and firm, and the gravy is sweet.
This year, they have re-developed a new product “Vitality Bar”, which has become the new favorite of group buying among office workers.
Taiwan is very famous in their Bubble Tea, Beef Noodles, Sticky Rice Dumplings, and many more, but what most tourists don’t know yet is that Taiwanese has snacks that you shouldn’t miss bringing back home, snacks that you should make space in your luggage.
Below are just a few famous Taiwanese brand snacks that surely you will enjoy:
Kuai Che Pork Paper
Kuai Che Pork Paper also known as Bak Kwa, a cripy paper-thin strips of pork jerky mixed with almonds for a nutty and crunchy twist. You will not be able to imagine its taste and texture until you eat it. These snacks have no MSG added.
It is abundantly available in Taiwan and you can find them at some night markets. Kuai Che is most famous for its quality and is the most convenient because of its packaging.
Sugar and Spice Nougat
These snacks come in a variety of flavours including original French Nougat, Strawberry, and Toffee. It has no preservatives and uses top quality ingredients. Sugar and Spice only uses natural butter from the Normandy region of France and Californian Almonds. Because of it made up of natural ingredients, the milk fragrance from the butter will fade eventually and the firmness will change according to the temperature of its storage location. But whatever the texture, they will still taste wonderful!
Fruit Jellies
These snacks will remind you of your childhood. They are made of natural flavors of domestic fruits, such as litchi, plums, and mangoes among others. Each bite is a burst of flavour!
You can buy them in night markets and souvenir shops.
Zeng Noodles
Don’t forget to bring home a taste of Taiwan with their delicious and popular Zeng Noodles. The noodles looks peculiar because of it’s handmade ribbon style ramen and the quality and chewy texture which is different from the regular instant noodles.
Chia Te Pineapple Cake
Chia Te Bakery is famous for its pineapple cakes as a souvenir from Taiwan. Pineapple Cakes have a buttery pastry enclosing dollop of pineapple filling with a good balance of sweet and sour. Although there are many famous brands in Taiwan that makes pineapple cakse but Chia Te proves to have achieved the key ratio of pastry and filling that satisfy the taste buds of the consumers.
Sun Biscuits or Sun Cakes
Sun Biscuits or Sun Cakes is the popular pastry from the famous shop Tai Yang Tang which is adored by locals and the tourist. It is a round flaky pastry with maltose usually sold in gift boxes.
Grandma’s Iron Eggs
Iron Eggs are eggs which have been repeatedly stewed in a mix of spices and air dried which results to its dark brown color, chewy, and about half its initial size.
Good news is you no longer have to go to Taiwan to buy and taste these snacks, you can now order them via website.
What do a sexy Hong Kong icon, a bankrupted entrepreneur and a failed military defense campaign have in common?
They all contributed to the rise of bubble tea, the insanely popular Taiwanese drink that’s taken the world by storm in recent years.
Invented in the 1980s, bubble tea (also called “black pearl tea” or “boba tea”) is a beloved Taiwan classic. Though there are dozens of different variations, at its core it’s a combination of tea, milk and the ‘bubbles’ — which are essentially little balls made of anything from tapioca to fruit jelly.
A star item in Taiwan state banquets for three consecutive years, bubble tea is one of the new official emojis of 2020 and in recent months has taken on new forms, appearing on top of pizzas and inside cheesecakes.
In honor of National Bubble Tea Day (April 30), we take a walk back in time to explore how the humble drink rose from a local delicacy to become an international phenomenon.
A global addiction
According to a recent study, the bubble tea industry is expected to grow by almost $2 billion to a whopping $4.3 billion by 2027.
Bubble tea orders in Southeast Asia recorded a 3,000% increase in 2018 alone, while the drink has been popping up in menus outside of Asia for quite some time as well. Germany, for instance, added bubble tea to its McDonald’s menu back in 2012.
How devoted are fans of the drink? Recently in Singapore, when bubble tea shops were ordered to close temporarily to contain the spread of Covid-19, anxious crowds rushed to get their last sweet fix and bid their favorite beverage a temporary farewell.
The origins of bubble tea
So where did it all begin?
The roots of bubble tea can be traced back to the 1940s.
After working as a mixologist in an izakaya in Taiwan under Japanese rule during WWII, in 1949 Chang Fan Shu opened a tea shop selling unique shou yao (hand-shaken) tea made with cocktail shakers.
The result was a rich and silky iced tea with fine air bubbles on top — dubbed foam tea in Taiwan.
Today, shou yao is an essential bubble tea element. No shou yao, no bubble tea.
It was a revolutionary invention at that time — not only were cold drinks not common then, but the idea of consuming food and beverages for pleasure had only begun to grow in post-war Taiwan. In the coming years, the island’s passion for tasty cold beverages intensified.
“The trend of tea beverages prospered together with the rise of the leisure food trend in the 1980s as Taiwan was experiencing rapid economic growth,” says Tseng Pin Tsang, a Taiwanese food historian.”
In addition to the industrial pre-packaged tea products, there were more tea shops on the street and tea restaurants in the suburbs.”
