Maqaw is the Atayal word for the mountain pepper native to Taiwan. It grows in broadleaf forests in the low mountains, mainly around Wulai, Nantou and Hualien. In the days when salt was hard to come by, the Atayal used its seeds as a seasoning, to add fragrance and take away unwanted smells. Most of it is still gathered in the wild. It flavors dishes such as maqaw chicken soup and maqaw sausage.
Sources: foodnext.net
This moment in the journey
Indigenous food at the night market
When it comes to the pleasures of Taiwan, nothing beats a night market. Hualien has a big one, Dongdamen Night Market, with more than 400 stalls. Through the gate of Indigenous Street (原住民一條街), stalls selling Taiwanese indigenous food lined the way.
Over a charcoal grill sizzled sausages seasoned with maqaw (馬告), a rare spice said to grow wild deep in the mountains where Taiwan's indigenous peoples live. It smells refreshingly of lemongrass. Then bamboo-tube rice (竹筒飯), cooked inside a length of bamboo: split it open, and out came a roll of chewy sticky rice.
The scent of bamboo in the rice and the fresh fragrance of maqaw livened up the hot night. In Taiwan, there is a festive atmosphere in everyday life.
Watch this scene on YouTube5:04
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