Last week, I was invited by Sample Store to The Taste of Joy from Taiwan event organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). During the event, I learned of many Taiwan fresh produce, processed food and fresh fruits that are available or will be available in Singapore soon.
These products from Taiwan are good and comparable in terms of quality, freshness and health benefits. I just want to highlight a number of these Taiwanese products that interested me and share more about them with you guys.
Madou – Pomelo
In the early days, Madou was one of the four major clubs of the Syrah Yaping Puppet. At the time, there was a lagoon in the north of Madou that was shaped like an eye. It was originally known as Mattau, also pronounced like Madou in the Pingpu language, so the people called it that.
The main ingredient used to make Madou products by the Tainan Madou Farmers’ Association is the Pomelo. Pomelo flowers are harvested when they bloom in the spring.
The Wendan fruit is rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, C, mainly pomelo, dietary fiber, pectin, organic acids and minerals. The Wendan pectin is extracted and used to make the Madou Honey Pomelo Tea, a citron tea with no added fructose, high fructose, corn syrup and preservatives. It also has the Taiwan’s local Madou Wendan production group trademark certification with the Jiyuan 圃 safe fruits & vegetables label and have passed the field sweetness test through strict selection procedures.
The Madou Dry Pomelo with Plum is made with the pomelo’s green & middle white skin that is rich in vitamin C, polyphenols, rutin and hesperidin to help fight oxidation. Experiments have shown that naringin can improve long-term memory. Also containing pomelo extract which can significantly inhibit the formation of glycation end products, reducing the content of fructosamine in the body and improve the stability of blood sugar.
The Madou Youzisen is made of the Madou Dabai Pomelo that is rich in vitamin C, pomelo peel with essential oils and flavonoids. The pomelo 蔘 uses pure white pomelo, with alloy jujube, dried tangerine peel, citron, Chuanbei and bergamot. Madou has followed the ancient method of refining, where the process time is long and cumbersome. The bigger the white pomelo, the thicker the skin and the longer the refining time will be.
Other Madou pomelo food products include the Madou Pomelo Ice Cream & Smoothie.
Beauty: Madou Pomelo Whitening & Moisturizing Shower & Body Lotion | Madou Pomelo Volume & Strength Shampoo & Hair Conditioner | Madou Pomelo Whitening Mask & Soap
The ancients used the steamed pomelo sesame oil as facial fat and applied it to the face to make skin fair and smooth. It is said that the pomelo is cooling, non-toxic and provides moisture. According to legend in the Qing Dynasty, the court royal doctor will sent people to collect pomelo flowers and refine the essence to make beauty oil for use in makeup.
That’s why Madou has used pomelo to make so many of its lifestyle & beauty products as I’ve seen at The Taste of Joy from Taiwan event.
SinShih – Green SoyBean (Edamame)
Edamame is called Taiwan’s green gold because it creates nearly USD $76 million in one year for the export market of Taiwan. It is mainly exported to Japan and also 24 other countries such as the United States and Canada. Actually 50% of the edamame found in Japan comes from Taiwan.
Edamame is a type of soybean, the Green SoyBean to be exact. It contains twice the amount of protein found in meat, four times that of eggs and 12 times that of milk, making it popular for people who are into fitness and frequent the gym. Edamame is also rich in minerals, vitamins and dietary fibres. Its nutrition can be easily absorbed by the human body.
In order to help the farmers and to promote edamame’s nutritious value, the SinShih District Farmers’ Association has created a variety of edamame related products by combining it with other ingredients. These products have won the Top 100 Premium Agricultural Products of Farmers’ & Fishermen’s Association in Taiwan continuously. The most classic product, the frozen edamame pods has won the honor for 8 years already. It shows that high-quality edamame comes from Taiwan and from SinShih.
The SinShih Edamame Pastry is made of tea bean which is a breed of edamame that is full of taro flavor. The ingredients of the SinShih Edamame Pastry are rich, varied and balanced, with good taste. It is the perfect biscuit to go with coffee or tea, a healthy snack especially for those on diet and would like to lose weight. Each box of SinShih Edamame Pastry has 16 small packets, making it convenient to carry two or three packets in your bag.
The SinShih Edamame Furikake or floss is a vegan, non-fried, preservative and monosodium glutamate free product. It can be directly eaten with bibimbap, rice balls or sushi, and is also suitable for adding to hot vegetables to increase the taste.
Other than the SinShih Edamame Pastry & Furikake, there is also noodles made of edamame and the SinShih Green SoyBean Ice Cream at The Taste of Joy from Taiwan event.
Hido Agri Innovation – Purple Waxy Corn
Hido Agri Innovation is by a young farmer, Henry Hu from Taichung, Taiwan who specializes in producing crops that are purple in color. It’s now mainly fresh corn but he is also researching and exploring to grow potatoes or rice that are purple in color.
Henry shared at The Taste of Joy from Taiwan event that though he graduated with a Masters in Architecture, he then decided to become a farmer instead to find enthusiasm and happiness for the land at work, hoping to inject the kind of heart and the spirit of farming for the family into agriculture, using friendly farming methods without applying drugs.
The Purple Waxy Corn contains anthocyanins, which is very thin, sticky to eat, taste good and sweet, low in calories and is a very healthy food. Though they do not guarantee that their Purple Waxy Corns are big and beautiful, but they will absolutely be healthy and delicious.
These Taiwan products that I’ve highlighted from The Taste of Joy from Taiwan event are already available locally, if not, they will be available in time to come at supermarkets like PRIME, Sheng Siong and FairPrice. Do look out for them during your next visit to the nearest supermarket.
