It's been 4 years since we last came here. It has been 3 years living in the South, so I missed that autumn feeling, except for the cold weather, haha. In my memories, this place was really beautiful, with fruits drying around. This year, however, it's not that great. Due to unfavorable weather and lack of rainfall, there aren't many persimmons. In the past, there were at least four times more persimmons drying in front of houses. This year, many of them were fake, just for tourists to take pictures.
Weiweijia Persimmon Orchard (味衛佳柿餅工廠
The most famous place for drying persimmons is Weiweijia Persimmon Orchard in Xinpu, Hsinchu. It's a Hakka specialty and has a three-century-old tradition. Xinpu produces up to 80% of these fruits in Taiwan. The weather in Xinpu village is the best for making dried persimmons. The hilly terraces and dry wind in the autumn season create the perfect conditions. From September to December, the fruits are picked and dried. Depending on the month, different types of persimmons are grown.
Persimmons need to be picked from the trees when they are about 70% ripe, otherwise they will be too weak to be peeled. After picking, all the fruits are washed and peeled by hand or machine. The peeled fruits need to be charcoal grilled to be sterilized and prevent them from turning blue due to oxidation. After sterilization, the fruits are placed under the sunshine in windy and dry weather. Persimmons are dried for about 3-4 days, then workers press them to form the desired shape. After another 3-4 days, the fruits are put in a baking chamber for disinfection. The ready persimmons are packed for sale.
That's not the only thing that disappointed me. In the afternoon, we went to Hinchu city because there is only one food that I missed and couldn't find in Tainan - boiled mochi. We went around Chenghuang Temple where a street stall is selling them. At first, we felt fine, as the prices of food didn't change here. But after we made the purchase, we noticed that the size was just half of what it used to be. Haha, I can't blame them; everything is getting more expensive now.
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