Taiwan, Island of Rice
稻之島: 臺灣米
A set of three rices that have defined Taiwan's agricultural landscape: penglai short grain rice, zailai long grain rice, and purple glutinous rice.
THREE KINDS OF TAIWANESE RICE
PENGLAI SHORT-GRAIN RICE
Taiwan’s quintessential everyday rice: plump, moist, and Q (al dente) grains with taro-like notes.
ZAILAI LONG-GRAIN RICE
The go-to for rice-based foods like rice cakes and luo bo gao: firm and loose grains with a delicate aroma.
PURPLE GLUTINOUS RICE
A whole grain sticky rice: soft, tacky grains with a deep purple hue and fragrant, nutty flavor.
Cultivating Dao
From Taoyuan to Chiayi to Yilan
Dao is the rice plant, signifying more than just its grains. In Taiwan, rice has long nourished communities and shaped terrain. The farmers in this collection—Chen Shih-Hsien, Chuang Yu-Chih, and Lai Chin-Sung—root their connection to the land through the cultivation of dao.
ENJOY THE FLAVORS OF TAIWAN’S TERROIR
PENGLAI RICE PANCAKES 米鬆餅
Pancakes made of short grain penglai rice have a soft, chewy texture and taro-like aroma that complement maple syrup.
MI TAi MU NOODLEs 炒米篩目
Thicker than typical rice noodles, bouncy stir-fried silver needle noodles are made from a slurry of long grain zailai rice.
PURPLE RICE FAN TAUN (RICE ROLL) 紫糯米飯糰
Purple glutinous rice is a traditional wrapper for fan tuan stuffed with old-school Taiwanese flavors.
Siang kháu Lū
Meet the Vendors
Based in Taoyuan, Siang kháu Lū 雙口呂 is a family-run cultural kitchen and educational center that explores Taiwan’s foodways and promotes understanding of Taiwan’s rice-based culinary heritage through kueh 粿 (rice cake) workshops.
Yun Hai Taiwan Stories
Our Monthly Newsletter
In the latest newsletter from Yun Hai founder Lisa Cheng Smith, she introduces readers to the importance of the rice plant to Taiwan's culinary heritage. Plus, get a botanical primer on rice and learn how starch content contributes to rice texture.
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