Taking the natural path
The traditional method of candying fruits was time-consuming, and cannot keep up with today’s high demand. This has prompted many makers of candied fruits to use additives like sweeteners, saccharin, and preservatives. However, there is one maker in Yilan, Agrioz, that insists on using nothing other than sugar and salt, and carefully controls the indoor environment where the processing takes place.
First-generation proprietress Hong Meifang, a former instructor in food processing at the Ilan Institute of Agriculture and Technology, states that when making honeyed kumquats, if sugar and salt are added in the proper quantities and the moisture content of the fruit is well controlled, the result will be a natural preservative effect.
To help consumers get more familiar with kumquats, which rank as one of “the three treasures of Yilan,” the Agrioz Museum + Cafe allows visitors to view part of the production process, displays lots of photos of kumquat farmers, and provides guides to describe what the visitors are seeing. Hong Meifang explains: “Harvesting kumquats is very tough work. Every kumquat on a tree is at a different degree of ripeness, so they cannot be mechanically picked all at once. Farmers absolutely must pick the fruit by hand, one at a time.” There is also an area in the museum where visitors can try their hand at making kumquat jam and steeping kumquat tea. President Tsai Ing-wen once visited the museum and took part in these hands-on activities, and the government of Haiti, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan’s, once dispatched people to come to the museum and learn how to process and market kumquats.
During the Qing Dynasty, people turned up their nose at the very mention of sour kumquats, but clever people a few generations back figured out a way to candy them, thus turning them into mouth-watering treats. There are also many other kinds of candied fruits—such as dried Chinese olives flavored with licorice, and dried plums—that are quintessentially Taiwanese treats. The next time you boil up some tea, it wouldn’t hurt to heed a suggestion put forward by the gourmet writer Huang Wan-ling, who said: “Take just a sip of tea and a bite of candied fruit, and you’ll understand the savory sweetness and tartness that we in Taiwan remember as the old-time flavor of traditional treats.” l
Agrioz Museum + Cafe insists on candying fruits with nothing but sugar and salt.
Kumquats are one of “the three treasures of Yilan,” and are a shared memory for local people.