Neiwan Old Street (內灣老街): Hakka Food Treasure Hunt

Explore the world of Hakka delicacies in Neiwan Old Street! Most old streets feature rebuilt red brick buildings (such as this) that imitate the architecture from the olden days, but Neiwan Old Street is mostly packed with street vendors, minus the shophouses. Upon arrival, you will be charmed by the  ageless, anachronistic quality, with history as a mining and lumbering town.

Neiwan Old Street sees a constant flow of tourists every weekend. On a particular summery weekend, I, too, became one in the crowd. Neiwan Old Street is relatively far from metropolitan Taipei, but distance becomes a small matter when you can expect good food that are uncommon in other old streets.

How to go?
Take TRA To Neiwan (內灣). TRA from Taipei takes 3-4 hours, depending on time of travel. Check out the TRA website for daily train schedule. Neiwan TRA is located directly in the middle of the bustling old street.

Neiwan Old Street, with mountainous backdrop

Fresh air, fresh sights, fresh food!

Glutinous Rice Sausage（糯米大肠）

This is the Taiwanese street food, 大肠包小肠 (small sausage wrapped in big sausage - see image below), minus the small sausage.

Source

Meat patty

Steamed brown sugar sponge cake

Rectangle - 100 NTD
Circle - 70 NTD

Yam cake

1 pound - 70 NTD
1 portion - 50 NTD

Glutinous rice cakes / Cao Zai Guo（草仔粿）

Soon kueh

The outer skin is made with glutinous rice flour, sugar, and mugwort (a type of Chinese herb), which gives the dough a greenish-brown colour. Vegetarian filling inside. Recommended to try only if you love starchy and glutinous food.

Mochi

Assorted mochi priced affordably

Kimchi

GUYS. If you have not tried, Taiwanese kimchi, you're seriously missing out. This is distinctly different from Korean's, with a slight creaminess and is scaled down in the sour department. (I prefer the Taiwanese version 😜) Wish I could bring a bottle back with me, but alas, kimchi can't survive a plane flight.

Lunch

Some typical Hakka dishes include: bamboo shoots (which was in abundance mid-year), pork belly with preserved mustard greens (梅菜扣肉), stir-fry tofu, stir-fry vegetables with minced meat 

Rice Dumpling 野薑花粽

Rice dumplings stores littered the streets, but this was the one I bought from, mainly because it had the longest queue.

Steaming hot dumplings wrapped in banana leaf.

Menu - vegetarian options available!

1. Signature dumpling: ginger lily-flavoured rice, sakura shrimp, pork, radish // 20 NTD

(野姜花招牌宗：樱花虾，野姜花，猪肉，萝卜干)

2. Emperor dumpling: Chinese sausage, mushroom, peanut, pork // 35 NTD

(帝王宗：香肠，香菇，花生，猪肉)

3. Hakka dumpling: sakura shrimp, squid, tofu, pork // 35 NTD

(客家小炒宗：樱花虾，鱿鱼，豆干，猪肉)

4. Ginger lily purple rice dumpling (Vegan): 10-grain rice, lotus seed, tofu skin // 20 NTD

(野姜花紫米宗：十谷米，莲子，豆皮)

5. Health-nourishing dumpling (Vegan): 10-grain rice, purple rice, lotus seed, red dates (jujube), vegan mock meat, vegan mock ham // 35 NTD

(养生宗：十谷米，紫米，莲子，红枣，素肉，素火腿)

I got number 5, because number 4 was sold out for the day. So dang yummy! But definitely too small (for me) to call it a meal.