Hakka cuisine a golden drawcard in Beipu

Visitors to Beipu should sample the pengfong and the “lei” teas, both of which are special in their own way. Pengfong (to boast or brag) is a type of oolong that can be served hot or cold. It is also known as “Formosa Tea” — a name given by Queen Victoria — or “Oriental Beauty Tea.” What makes it special is its sweet, honey-like aftertaste.

One could be easily misled into thinking that sugar, honey or other sweeteners have been added to the brew, but that would not be the case.

The tea is prepared in a special way. It must go through a fermentation process using the saliva of a certain type of locust as the ferment. Legend has it that one of the first Pengfong tea growers took his wares to Taipei and sold them to a Japanese distributor, who paid 20 times the price what the grower and his competitors usually charged in their hometown. When he went back to tell his tale, his competitors and neighbors all felt he was just bragging — and hence the name “pengfong.” The tea has since become so famous that it has been distributed around the world.

“Lei” in Hakka means to grind, and indeed drinkers of the lei tea need to do some work. They must first grind the ingredients of the tea, namely green tea, white sesame, black sesame and peanuts, in a wooden mortar using a pestle until all of the ingredients become powder.

Then they pour hot water over the ingredients to finish the tea-making process. The mortar and the pestle are what the Hakka refer to as a “portable grinder” — in the past the tea was made using a large stone grinder, and the Hakka found it to be more convenient to make the grinder portable so that they could make their lei tea anywhere, anytime.

Speaking of Hakka food, two of the most renowned dishes are the Hakka stir-fry and pig intestine with shredded ginger. Hakka stir-fry is a dish that has all of its ingredients — pork, squid, dried tofu, green onions and celery — stir-fried together to create one of the most famous Taiwan dishes.

Pig intestine with shredded ginger is another favorite stir-fried dish, one that is especially tasty with lots of vinegar added to it and served with white rice. Other famous Hakka dishes are stir-fried potato leaves, sauteed white chicken and scrambled eggs with radish.

The dishes are served at most Hakka restaurants in Beipu, in the homes of the locals, the restaurants and teahouses are places “where everybody knows your name.”

“The Hakka are known for their hospitality,” said Peng Meng-huei, owner of Fanpokeng Restaurant. “A cup of tea only costs NT$40, but sometimes we end up paying NT$400 to treat our friends.”

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