As the title says, I’ll be visiting Taiwan for the month of September. I’d love to take this opportunity to try as many different fruits as I can while there.
It would be wonderful to find someone in Taiwan who is growing fruit and interested in teaching people about what they’re growing.
Any suggestions on farms to visit, places to forage, or markets to shop in would also be greatly appreciated!
Also would love to hear about anything else fruit or food related that y’all recommend in Taiwan or Taipei.
Not sure if you’re staying in Taipei or traveling around, but the best fruit I found was in Taitung, on the south east coast. The land is relatively unspoiled in that area because the typhoons keep the population and development at bay. I ate a lot of typical tropical fruit in Taitung like mango, papaya, and lychee but I also encountered a lot of fruits I had never seen before.
I suggest you try Ba-wan! It’s not a fruit, but a delicious dish that I believe is unique to Taiwan. Also, I agree with Zumo. Definitely check out the south and east sides of the island. They are beautiful. Post some pictures of the fruits you try.
I am in Taipei right now, but I don’t know anything about the farms here or anywhere outside of taipei. I think you can find very good fruits in any of the markets in the taipei. There are many markets (both indoor and outdoor) where local people shop for groceries, the fruits from those markets are very good by my standards.
Right now there are mangoes, lychee, passion fruit, dragon fruit, pineapple… also apples, pears, peaches.
I have been focusing on tropical fruits like mangoes, lychee, passion fruit, dragon fruit and pineapple. Although we have plenty of mangoes and pineapples in super market and Costco in US, but they taste so different here!
Don’t know what fruits will be in season in September.
From what I researched there will be a variety of fruits going out of season in September, but I’m hoping the persimmons will begin ripening during my stay!
Lots of farmers markets and wet markets in Taipei to visit. Definitely try to see other parts of the island if you can. September can be tough for traveling around the island though, as it’s in the middle of typhoon season. I would have a backup plan or two if you want to visit the mountains. The Kenting Botanical Garden on the southern tip of the island had a decent tropical fruit collection when I last went 10+ years ago.
I recommend going to the Jianguo Holiday Flower Market in Taipei. It’s open on weekends and national holidays and has dozens of vendors selling everything from carnivorous plants to fruit trees. Contrary to the name, there’s way more live plants being sold than cut flowers. There’s some vendors in the middle selling local fruit and veggies as well. You probably won’t be able to buy anything to bring home (it’s tough, especially seeing orchids that would cost hundreds of dollars here being sold for less than 50), but it’s fun to explore and see what people are selling. The jade market next door is also worth visiting.
If you like seafood, the weirdly named Addiction Aquatic Development is a fun, though not exactly cheap, place to go in Taipei.
I can already imagine the anguish I will feel over having to leave behind plants and seeds I find; Though I may do some research on viable ways to ship seeds…