Invited by Hakka Affairs Council Minister Lee Yung-de, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and Chairperson of the Taiwan Visitors Association Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) attended the opening ceremony for the 2019 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition in Taipei on July 26. The four-day exhibition aims to raise the profile of Taiwan’s diversified cuisine, seasonal ingredients, exquisite tableware, and skilled culinary arts.

Vice President Chen, Minister Lee, and Chairperson Yeh stood together to promote festive foods and delicacies from Hakka villages across Taiwan. They also took part in the activity of making miqiba (粢粑) — or Hakka sticky rice cake — which is a kind of snack associated with celebratory occasions.

Hakka chef Kuo Min-chang (郭敏昌) first put steamed glutinous rice dough into a ceramic cylinder, and then asked the guests to stir the dough ten times with bamboo sticks as part of a blessing ritual. Next, they used chopsticks to divide the dough into pieces and covered them in peanut powder. Finally, the miqiba was shared by participants, and a prize draw for the 50 attendees rounded the ceremony off.

The theme of the Hakka food pavilion is “Authentic Taste of 369 Hakka Villages,” which is related to the council’s “369” flagship projects — Taiwan Romantic Route 3, Beautiful Liudui, and Lively Provincial Highway 9. Minister Lee stated that Hakka chefs from all over Taiwan will present various Hakka dishes to visitors, from the classic snack miqiba to signature pickled goods that characterize Hakka culture.