Delicious and Enlightening—Taiwanese Grains Take Center Stage in Creative Cuisine and Experiential Tours
According to the AFA, the 2023 Innovative Cuisine Competition for Taiwanese Grains drew participation from catering school students, college/university students, and non-students in three exciting categories: creative vegetarian cuisine, healthy low-fat lunch boxes, and creative afternoon tea sets. The competition was designed to inspire menu creations that seamlessly integrate Taiwanese grains into the daily lives of the Taiwanese people, rendering them more commercialized and intriguing. This year, a staggering 69 teams entered the competition. Expert panels, comprising food and catering professionals, meticulously judged each category, paving the way for the gold-award-winning proposals to be commercialized and grace the offerings at catering and hospitality providers: Creative vegetarian cuisine will be available at FruitfulFood; healthy low-fat meal boxes will be launched by Parkview Taipei; and British afternoon tea sets will be offered at both Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport and the VIP lounge of China Airlines. Also focusing on the expanded use and commercialization of Taiwanese grains, the Countryside Kitchen: Taiwanese Grain Creative Experience Competition shone a spotlight on food and farming education. Six Distinction Award Winners emerged from eleven candidate teams: Can Jiu Winery, Vanilla Ueno Park, Flying Cow Ranch, Music Rice Agri-marketing Studio, Dongshang Excellent Food Agri. Park, and Meihua Lake Leisure Farm. Their enticing tour packages are now available on Farmtour Market, inviting the public to embark on family outings during the upcoming long weekends of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.
Promoting Quality Taiwanse Grains through Diversified Channels Yields Fruitful Outcomes
The AFA's relentless pursuit of innovative distribution channels has borne fruit, aligning suppliers with distribution channels to enhance businesses’ use of Taiwanese grains. For instance, staunch agriculture supporter Hsin Tung Yang has introduced exclusive gift boxes filled with food made from locally-sourced ingredients. Embracing the concept of “Eat Local and Healthy,” this offering includes a selection of five grain-based delicacies in a box: brown rice biscuits from Yuan Shun, black soybean tea from Happy Food, sesame cake from Mr. Sesame, red quinoa cereal bars from Djulis, and soybean pulp biscuits from Hidekawa. Additionally, fried sweet potato balls from the popular breakfast bar chain, Q Burger, are available at its 375 sites across Taiwan and have gained popularity among consumers. Sun House, a supplier of paste made from domestically-sourced adzuki beans to chained bakeries, traditional pastry makers, and large distributors, has collaborated with the winner of Yunlin Goods’ excellence award, Sweet Way, to introduce a range of adzuki bean pastries and gift boxes to a broader consumer base. The renowned buffet restaurant Eatogether, celebrated for its extensive selection of meticulously chosen ingredients, has also unveiled a variety of adzuki bean dishes and desserts. Meanwhile, Flower Spring Farm has transformed high-quality adzuki beans from Jiusheng Farm into crystal rice dumplings with adzuki beans and white ginger lily, providing a sensory delight for consumers.
Taiwanese Grain Picnic Day: Let the Feasting Begin!
With autumn approaching, the AFA invites families to revel in the greenery with three Taiwanese grain-themed picnic days scheduled at Beida Park in Hsinchu, Huashan Prairie in Taipei, and Tiehua Music Village in Taitung on October 21, November 4, and November 18, respectively. The events promise on-site activities such as DIY sessions, interactive games, and the display and sale of grain-based products—an ideal outing for the entire family. To further champion Taiwanese grains, the organizer will offer a gift package containing tickets to food and farming DIY sessions, vouchers for grain-based delicacies, cooling towels, and grain-themed promotional merchandise. Stay updated on event information via the AFA Facebook fanpage and the Corporate Synergy Development Center’s Facebook fanpage.
As underscored by the AFA, promoting Taiwanese grains not only ensures shorter food mileage and higher freshness and nutrition levels but also contributes to reduced safety risks and carbon emissions—an embodiment of green consumption trends. Now readily available at chained restaurants and bakeries, these products aim to heighten public acceptance of Taiwanese grains, ultimately translating into increased profits for farmers. The AFA urges everyone not to miss out on these delectable offerings and to lend their support to local industries.
