An exhibition of organic local food products has opened in Taipei. The initiative from the Agriculture and Food Agency wants to convince foodies to prioritize the environment when they look at the menu. Multiple celebrity chefs have lent their names and their recipes to the project.
Break open a piece of this toast and its delicious aroma fills the room.
Thomas Chien has the nickname “the evil landlord of French cuisine” – an ironic name for one whose cooking gives diners such pleasure. His “jade purse honey toast” uses local organic ingredients and jade purse lychee from Kaohsiung’s Dashu District, along with lychees and honey from Neimen District.
Chien Tien-tsai
French cuisine chef
It’s not that organic ingredients taste no good. It depends on how you handle them. If more restaurants promoted organic ingredients, the price wouldn’t be as high.
In 2017, star baker Chen Yao-hsun triumphed at the Mondiale du Pain with this strawberry bread. He’s also a fan of local produce.
The dried strawberries in the loaf come from Miaoli’s Dahu Township, mixed with raspberries and rose petals to create an unforgettable bite. Since then, Chen made a trip to Wulaishan to find ingredients for his new showstopper, the maqaw pineapple cake. The two unlikely flavors marry perfectly in this deeply Taiwanese treat.
Chen Yao-hsun
Baker
I wanted to compete in a contest, so we went to see what kinds of foods could represent Taiwan or make the foreign judges think, “Wow, this is Taiwanese food,” as they’re eating it. That’s the reason why I made those trips out from my kitchen.
The Agriculture and Food Agency invited celebrity chefs to the event to promote green food culture, organic produce and eco-friendly dining. This market of eco-friendly lifestyle products features food as well as lots of useful items, all produced in less environmentally destructive ways.
Huang Shu-hui
Jam maker
For example, this red heart guava jam. We also have these Taiwanese rose flowers – organic and all grown in Taiwan.
Hu Chung-i
Agriculture and Food Agency head
We have secured a mutual certification system with five other countries, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada, so that our organic produce can be certified and then sold directly to these partner countries.
For foodies, finding ways to reduce the harm done to the earth is becoming more and more of a talking point. With delicacies as tempting as this, it’s hardly a struggle.