Taitung Seafood Farm Tour—A Unique In-depth Tour of Chenggong Township

Chenggong Township is famous for growing gac fruit. The gac fruit gets its Chinese name from the shape of its seed which looks like a turtle. Those who are self-conscious must not miss out on this opportunity! The United States Department of Agriculture has discovered that gac fruit contains many nutrients and minerals that are helpful to the human body. These include fiber, carotene and vitamin E. Among these vitamins and minerals, the content of lycopene, which is beneficial to the cardiovascular system, is over 70 times the amount found in tomatoes. The high nutritional value of the gac fruit has won this superfood the name “fruit from heaven” in Europe and the United States. Taitung is one of the many origins of gac fruit, and it is a common ingredient in Amis cooking. The Chenggong Township farmers association has been actively trying to establish a home of the gac fruit on the east coast in recent years. Moreover, a foodie workshop has been started in Chenggong Township. Guests can sign up to learn how to make gac fruit nougat candy. Mix the gac fruit peel together with marshmallows, powdered milk, and melted butter, and fill the cracker sandwiches with your sweet gac fruit filling to create a sweet and yummy nougat sandwich. You’ll even get to bring home this unique snack as a gift to share with your friends and family! （Photo Credit：FB@Chenggong Township Farmer’s Association）

Chenggong Township has pure mountain streams, sufficient daylight, and a warm Pacific Breeze. These factors allow the coffee grown in this area to have the qualities of Tropical Island beans. The beans have a rich and thick flavor. More than a decade ago, Chenggong Township farmers began growing coffee in their spare fields. There are currently over 15 hectares of coffee which produces over 7000 kilograms of coffee each year, making it one of Taitung’s unique farm products. Coffee lovers must come and learn about the perfect temperature and grind for each type of coffee. Come to Chenggong Township and participate in the coffee activity where you can roast and grind your beans.

Under the guidance of the coffee master, you can try roasting coffee beans in the coffee bean roaster. It takes just ten minutes to transform raw coffee beans into fragrant and rich roasted beans. The room is filled with a coffee scent. While most coffee shops use grinders to grind the beans, you can learn how to use the tea-mashing technique to grind your beans. Mash your beans into a fine grind and experience the relaxing and satisfying process of making your coffee. As everyone has slightly different strengths, angles, and techniques, every grind will turn out uniquely. The final part of the activity is to brew your coffee. Guests can decorate their drip coffee packets and fill them with the coffee that they just ground to create a special handmade gift. This might be the perfect present for your coffee-loving friends. （Photo Credit：FB@Chenggong Township Farmer’s Association）

Located in a spot the Kuroshio and Oyashio Currents must pass through, Chenggong Harbor is blessed with an abundance of seafood and is also known as “home to the swordfish.” Seafood lovers must come to Wanchang Fishery to learn how to make hearty and chewy swordfish fish balls. Wanchang Fishy is a local seafood restaurant. They insist on making their fish balls from “sashimi grade swordfish” and lowering the sodium and sugar added for flavoring so that guests can taste the freshest and most naturally flavored fish balls. When learning how to make fish balls here, guests will grasp the secret to the delicious dish, and learn how to differentiate between handmade fish paste and factory fish paste with lots of additives so they can be more conscious about what goes into their food. After making the fish paste, follow the seasoned chefs to learn how to add sweet potato starch to the fresh swordfish paste, mixing and throwing the fish paste to add to the fish ball’s bite. Next, roll each fish ball and drop them into boiling water to create delicious fresh fish balls. （Photo Credit：FB@Wanchang Fishery）