A Hakka culinary contest with a total prize purse of NT$1 million (US$31,000) has been announced by the Council for Hakka Affairs (CHA) to promote Hakka food.
The competition, to be held next month, welcomes talented chefs, amateur and professional alike, to prepare 10 creative dishes they think best represent Hakka spirit and culture, Council for Hakka Affairs Minister Huang Yu-cheng (黃玉振) said.
SALT AND OIL
Hakka cuisine, known for its saltiness and oiliness, is a reflection of the Hakka community’s challenging living conditions and frugality, Huang said, adding that salt helped preserve foodstuffs longer, while oil provided energy for those working in the fields.
Despite describing Hakka cuisine as “the essence of Hakka people,” Huang said contestants were encouraged to keep up with the times and infuse traditional dishes with new ideas by reducing salt and oil in their creations.
The winners of last year’s contest, 88-year-old Liao Liu Tao-luan (廖劉桃鑾) and her Vietnamese daughter-in-law Nguyen Thi Thu, said the contest was very meaningful and had attracted more customers from home and abroad to their family restaurant in Tanzih Township (潭子), -Taichung County.
Nguyen, who has lived in Taiwan for 10 years, said she now prefers Hakka food to Vietnamese cuisine, because of the fragrance created by assorted herbs, pickled vegetables and condiments.
People interested in participating in the cook-off need to first submit a proposal and pass a preliminary assessment, while teams entering the final round are required to present 10 innovative dishes — including one appetizer, five main dishes, two soups, one dessert and one rice-noodle dish — within a three-hour period at an open venue on Dec. 18.
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