Note: This is a limited-time, seasonal offering.
If you weren’t convinced that tomatoes are also fruits, you will be after having one of these dried tomatoes by the Yanshuei Farmers’ Association 鹽水區農會. They’re a special treat from southern Taiwan, where the climate yields especially sweet tomatoes. This dried version has a snappy skin that gives way to a tender and sweet interior. It’s lightly salty, surprisingly sweet, and zingy. Texturally, think of a raisin meeting a medjool date.
Each bag contains individual sachets packed with three to four dried tomatoes. They’re great to snack on while traveling, working, or any other time you need a sweet and sour pick-me-up.
The process for making these begins with ripe cherry tomatoes of a variety called xiao ming tomato (小明番茄), also colloquially known as “handsome guy tomato” (帥哥番茄). It’s one of the most important crops in Tainan’s Yanshui District, a formerly bustling riverside trading hub near the coast of southwestern Taiwan. Decades of silt accumulating in the river turned the water into dry, salt-rich farmland. Handsome guy tomatoes are one of the few crops that can withstand the salinity of Yanshui’s earth. Their hardy nature and thick skin protect them from the elements. At the same time, the salt in the soil contributes to their unique sweet and salty flavor.
After picking the cherry tomatoes by hand, farmers wash them, then preserve them using minimal sugar and salt. The sugar is used primarily as a natural preservative, but it also helps to balance out the acidity of the fruit, resulting in a bite with complexity.
These dried cherry tomatoes are a high-demand seasonal product. When harvest season ends in March, the farmers’ association purchases surplus tomatoes for drying or candying, and usually sells out by November. We were lucky to get our hands on a limited batch. We hope to get more next year, but cannot guarantee it!
Tasting Notes and Usage
Moist, sweet, and bright, balanced with echoes of Yanshui’s marine environment. We keep accidentally calling them tomato candies in the office.
Ingredients and Instructions
Tomatoes, sugar, salt.
100% vegan, additive free, no preservatives.
Made in Taiwan.
Store in a cool, well-ventilated place. Avoid exposing to direct sunlight, high temperature, or humidity.
About Yanshuei Farmers’ Association
The Yanshuei Farmers’ Association is a farmers’ co-op based in the Yanshui District of Tainan in southern Taiwan. Its overarching goal is to promote Yanshui's agricultural products. With this in mind, they began producing dried cherry tomatoes and tomato candies to help local farmers use up surplus harvest, as well as to stabilize tomato prices. The association works with tomato farmers who provide production and sales traceability for their crops, including information on safe fertilization and pesticide use. Today, the Yanshuei Farmers' Association's dried tomatoes and tomato candies are among two of the most popular products they sell.
Specifications and Dimensions
Net Weight: 3.5 oz / 100 g
Gross Weight: 3.9 oz / 110 g
Package Dimensions: 8.3” L x 7” W x 2.5” D / 21 cm L x 17.8 cm W x 6.4 cm D
