Unique Souvenirs You Can Only Buy in Taiwan

you must try!

Holiday shopping is often something you leave for the airport, but that’s not the case in Taiwan, where something shouts “Buy me!” at every turn. With markets, malls and museum gift shops, the country’s a giant opportunity to buy something unique. From ancient crafts and culinary delicacies to precious stones and beautiful materials, here are some souvenirs you can only find in Taiwan.

Pineapple cake 鳳梨酥

One of the most popular, widely available sweet treats you’ll find in Taiwan is the humble pineapple cake. The capital even launched the annual Taipei Pineapple Cake Cultural Festival in 2005 to showcase the diversity of fillings (not just pineapple, as it happens, but also strawberry, melon and cranberry, to name but a few). Lick your lips in anticipation of the buttery pastry, followed by deliciously sweet jam oozing from its centre as you take a bite. They’re usually sold in airtight packaging, so taking them home on the plane is, well, a piece of cake.

Mini sky lanterns

You may have heard of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, but you probably didn’t realise you can buy these beautiful objects in a diminutive form to take home. They come in a spectrum of colours, each one conveying a message the sender wishes to share with God – yellow for success, say, or blue for hope. These handcrafted pieces adorn mantelpieces to sensational effect. To browse for some of the best in Taipei, visit Ningxia Night Market on Ningxia Road in the Datong district – a truly illuminating experience.

The world’s best jade

For some of the finest jade in the world, visit the Jianguo Jade Market | © Phillip Bond / Alamy Stock Photo Of course, you can buy jade all around the world, but Taiwan is well known for having some of the finest quality on the planet. Lose yourself among the thousands of stalls at the Jianguo Jade Market (it lies beneath the Jianguo Elevated Highway). Here, you can splash out on pricey pieces that’ll turn your friends green with envy – or snap up a bunch of standard bangles and pendants for Christmas stocking fillers.

Plum wine

Alcohol is big business in Taiwan, but you probably won’t be able to squeeze too many of the latest trendy craft beers into your case. However, you can buy small bottles of plum wine or rice wine at liquor stores everywhere. Just make sure you check the alcohol content, as some of them are incredibly strong.

Taiwanese tea

Sweet, floral, smoky, nutty. White, green, black, pu’er. The deliciously refreshing teas of Taiwan’s mountain regions are among the most sought after in the world. If you have a connoisseur in the family, a box of the best leaves makes a great gift. You can opt to visit one of the great tea-producing areas, for instance, Sun Moon Lake. That way, as with champagne, in France, you can taste it before you purchase. Look out for oolong; it’s the most popular, and with good reason.

Taiwanese peanut nougat

Don’t expect the typical nougat you find in your local supermarket or newsagent. The Taiwanese take is routinely hard and chewy and packed with peanuts. Expect to find boxes of it everywhere – especially during festivals. Some varieties also have sesame in the mix; others may contain chunks of brown sugar. Whichever type you go for, you can’t go wrong – you’re buying the most traditional treat in Taiwan, after all.

Sun cakes

Originating in the lively central city of Taichung, taiyang bing (sun cakes) are utterly mouthwatering little moments. Encased in the flaky filo pastry of each one is a core of gooey paste that’s every bit as sweet as honey – actually sweeter. These days you can get many varieties, for instance, dried pork and green tea. But in all honesty, the originals are still the best. Bet you can’t eat just one.