The 2024 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition opened on August 2, gathering 600 booths eager to offer a wide gamut of tastes. President Lai Ching-te cut a white thread representing stretched noodle dough ready to be sun-dried, an apt symbol for the flavorful occasion. In this, he was accompanied by Minister Gu Show-faye of the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC), Minister of Transportation and Communications Li Meng-yen, President Chien Yu-yen of the Taiwan Visitors Association, Chairperson Yeh Chu-lan of the Taiwan Culinary Exhibition Preparation Committee, and representatives from other institutions, cordially welcoming everyone to visit and support Taiwan’s culinary industry so it reaches new heights.
President Lai said that in order for Taiwan to establish itself as a tourism destination: firstly, it needs to build global visibility by marketing Taiwan through influential media; secondly, it is necessary to highlight local delicacies and tourism hotspots in each county and city to drive global tourism via bustling local travel; and thirdly, different domains and various cities and counties must engage in collaboration to promote local delicacies and sceneries, as to achieve greater publicity.
Minister Gu also expressed gratitude to all booths in the Hakka Pavilion for their commendable efforts to innovate traditional dishes, such as turning kumquat sauce (gidˋjiong) into sweet and savory goodies and adding ground tea (luiˇcaˇ) to French pastries.
The Hakka Pavilion also invited chef Thomas Chien, awardee of the Michelin Green Star, and YouTuber Amy Rattigan, head chef of Britshake, who showcased the novel attempts made at Hakka cuisine. The vibrant aromas and mouth-watering dishes didn’t fail to attract large crowds.On the second day, chef Chen Tsung-yu of restaurant Yuzhuan Zhenpin, winner of the National Hakka Stir-Fry Culinary Competition, and celebrity Antony Kuo introduced the Hakka fish fillet with pickled greens, the perfect combination of tangy and spicy. On the third day, head chef William Lo of the Grand Hyatt Taipei demonstrated the preparation of vegetarian Hakka dish “truffle mushroom cold cappelli d’angeli rolls”, sharing the stage with vegetarian male idol Yankee Yang.For the grand finale, chef Liu Hsueh-ling of A-Vu’s Restaurant, grand winner of the National Hakka Stir-Fry Culinary Competition, brought her incomparable chicken soup and had a candid conversation with host Chiao Chi-fang.
The 2024 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition’s Hakka Pavilion presented many faces of Hakka cuisine, from traditional to pioneering, focusing on four themes: Branding, Handmade, Trendy, and Global. Comprised of 18 booths, visitors were able to savor Hakka dishes at the best prices, with incredible deals.
