What to eat in Hsinchu: rice noodles, meatballs and Hakka food

Ask anyone in Taiwan what Hsinchu is known for, and after the Science Park they will say rice noodles and meatballs. The city’s food is simple, cheap and very good, and the Hakka towns in the hills add a whole second cuisine. Here is what to try, and where.

Hsinchu rice noodles

Hsinchu’s rice noodles, mifen, are thin and dried in the strong sea wind, which gives them their springy texture. They are sold in packets all over Taiwan with the city’s name on them. Eat them fried, with minced pork, shallots and cabbage, or in a clear soup. They are best at the stalls around the City God Temple.

Gongwan meatballs

Gongwan are pork meatballs, pounded until they are smooth and bouncy, then simmered. They are served in a clear broth, often with rice noodles in the same bowl. You can also buy them frozen or vacuum-packed to take home, and many shops near the temple sell them.

The City God Temple snacks

The covered stalls in front of the City God Temple are the best place to eat your way through the city in one go. Look out for:

• Runbing: a soft spring roll wrapped around vegetables, egg, pork and peanut powder.
• Duck: slices of duck with ginger and soy, or duck noodles.
• Bawan: a translucent dumpling of sweet potato starch stuffed with pork.
• Shaved ice and sweet soups: for afters, especially in summer.

Hakka food

Much of Hsinchu County is Hakka, and its food is hearty, salty and full of preserved vegetables, designed for hard-working farmers. The best place to try it is in Neiwan, Beipu or the restaurants of Zhubei.

• Hakka stir-fry: squid, pork belly, dried tofu and celery, fried together. The classic Hakka dish.
• Salted pork with garlic: boiled pork belly dipped in a garlic and soy sauce.
• Preserved mustard greens: braised with pork belly until soft and rich.
• Hakka mochi: warm sticky rice cake rolled in sugary peanut powder.
• Wild ginger flower zongzi: a Neiwan speciality, with a gentle floral scent.

Lei cha

Lei cha, or pounded tea, is the Hakka drink to try. In a ridged clay bowl, you grind sesame, peanuts, tea leaves and grains with a wooden stick until they turn to paste, then pour on hot water. It is thick, nutty and filling, and teahouses in Beipu let you make your own.

Oriental Beauty tea

The hills of Beipu and Emei grow Oriental Beauty, an oolong made from leaves bitten by small insects called leafhoppers. The bites change the leaf, giving the tea a sweet, honey and fruit flavour. It is one of Taiwan’s most prized teas, and the shops of Beipu will let you taste before you buy.

Dried persimmons

In autumn, the farms of Xinpu and Beipu dry thousands of persimmons in the wind and sun. The finished fruit is chewy and very sweet. See our guide to persimmon season.

Tips

• Bring cash. Temple stalls and night markets rarely take cards.
• Point and smile if you do not speak Mandarin. Many stalls have picture menus.
• Order small portions and share, so you can try more.