Douhua (Tofu Pudding)
豆花dòuhuā
- Vegan
- Sweet
- Light
- Nutty
- +1 more
South · Destination
Chiayi
嘉義
Home of turkey rice, from the tea country of Alishan to the oyster flats of Dongshi
Map of Chiayi
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Open in the mapIntroduction
The food of Chiayi
In Chiayi the signature is a bowl of turkey rice. Turkey meat is poached and steeped until just cooked, cut or torn into fine strands and piled over white rice, then spooned with a sauce built on turkey stock and scattered with shallots fried low and slow in lard. The Chiayi City tourism portal says that after World War II American servicemen brought turkeys in numbers to Chiayi City and Shuishang Township; chicken was costly and hard to get, the account goes, so the bigger, meatier turkey took over as the star of chicken rice. After dark, stalls on Wenhua Road Night Market selling soy-milk douhua, guǒzǎi soup (a rice-flour noodle soup) and claypot fish head line the street.
Chiayi County pulls the city in two directions. To the east is Alishan, where high-mountain tea and wasabi come from the uplands, and the Tsou people's bamboo-tube rice, millet mochi and millet wine belong to the mountain table; the Alishan Forest Railway leaves from Chiayi Station, and at Fenqihu, a midway stop where trains paused, residents began selling railway lunch boxes to passengers. To the west, the coast at Dongshi is oyster-farming country, and the city's tourism portal says Wenhua Road Night Market has Dongshi oyster omelets that only start selling after midnight.
- 3 dishes
- 1 market
- 3 neighborhoods
The short list
Known for
What Chiayi is famous for, most iconic first. Foods with their own guide are linked.
Chiayi turkey rice (huǒjī ròu fàn)火雞肉飯
Turkey meat is poached and steeped, cut or torn into strands over rice, then sauced with a turkey-stock base and scattered with shallots fried in lard at low heat. Recipes vary by shop, and some skip the shallots in favor of pickled yellow radish, pickled mustard greens, preserved radish or a fried egg.
Dongshi, on the Chiayi County coast, is one of the island's main oyster-growing areas, and the city tourism portal says Wenhua Road Night Market has Dongshi oyster omelets that only start selling in the middle of the night; ask on the spot which stall still does.
Dish guide
Soy-milk douhua豆漿豆花
A common Chiayi style pours sweet soy milk over the pudding instead of syrup, for a stronger soy flavor and a lighter bowl.
Dish guide
Fenqihu railway lunch box (tiělù biàndāng)奮起湖鐵路便當
At Fenqihu, a midway stop on the Alishan Forest Railway where trains once halted for water and coal, residents began selling lunch boxes to passengers, and the railway bento's reputation grew from there.
Alishan high-mountain tea (gāoshān chá)阿里山高山茶
One of Alishan Township's signature products; Chiayi's high-mountain tea is known well beyond the county under the Alishan name.
Wasabi (shānkuí)山葵
Alishan Township lists wasabi among its local products, grown in the uplands.
Square pastry (fāngkuài sū)方塊酥
A Chiayi gift pastry said to be adapted from Hebei flaky mooncakes and shaobing, reshaped from round to square and made with flour, butter and lard.
Tsou bamboo-tube rice (zhútǒng fàn)鄒族竹筒飯
The Tsou of Alishan make rice cooked in a bamboo tube, millet mochi and millet wine; the bamboo-tube rice that visitors eat today often has shiitake, dried shrimp or meat added and has become a tourist specialty.
Minxiong goose (éròu)民雄鵝肉
Goose meat, pineapple cakes and kumquat jam are listed among Minxiong Township's local products.
On the table
Signature dishes
Dishes with their own guide that are most tied to Chiayi.
Oyster Omelet
蚵仔煎é zǐ jiān
- Briny
- Savory
- Sweet
- +1 more
Milkfish
虱目魚shīmùyú
- Umami
- Light
- Savory
- +1 more
Day and night
Famous markets
Night markets, market halls and food streets in Chiayi.
Night market
Chiayi's long-running night-market street for turkey rice, soy-milk douhua and claypot fish head
Where to wander
Neighborhoods to know
Districts and towns to eat your way through.
City
Chiayi City center嘉義市區
Downtown Chiayi is where turkey rice and the night market live. The city government's tourism portal notes that from the Japanese era the distinct shops of Zhongshan, Zhongzheng and Wenhua roads made this the busiest commercial district on the Chianan Plain. Today Chiayi Station on Zhongshan Road is the gateway to the city and the starting point of the Alishan Forest Railway, and Wenhua Road Night Market lies east of the station, within walking distance.
Keep reading
A common plan is a bowl of turkey rice as the main meal, then a walk along Wenhua Road for soy-milk douhua, guǒzǎi soup or claypot fish head.
Known for
Township
Alishan Township阿里山鄉
Alishan is Chiayi County's only mountain township, about 428 square kilometers (roughly a fifth of the county), the traditional homeland of the Tsou, with a mainly Tsou population. Local products include Alishan high-mountain tea, wasabi and coffee; the Tsou make bamboo-tube rice, millet mochi and millet wine.
Keep reading
The Alishan Forest Railway was built from Chiayi City in the Japanese era to open the cypress forests for logging and later became a tourist line; on the way up from Chiayi City, Fenqihu is a natural place to stop for a lunch box.
Neighborhood
Fenqihu奮起湖
Fenqihu is a hillside railway town in Zhonghe Village, Zhuqi Township, at about 1,400 meters, and its station is the largest midway stop on the Alishan Forest Railway. Steam trains used to halt around midday to take on water and coal, passengers got off to rest, and residents began selling lunch boxes, which made the railway bento the town's calling card.
Keep reading
The old street is more than a century old and follows the slope of the hill. A retired steam locomotive is on display at the station.
Food history
A food history of Chiayi
The Chiayi City tourism portal says that after World War II American servicemen brought turkeys in numbers to Chiayi City and Shuishang Township, which is where turkey rice begins. How chicken rice itself appeared is an oral account from local elders: in 1949 (Republic year 38) Lin Tian-shou, a master at one of the long-established shops in the First Market, shredded chicken bought for a religious ceremony, laid it over rice with braising sauce, liked the result and began selling it on Zhongshan Road; the dish was refined into turkey rice afterward. This is oral local tradition, not documented history.
The mountain's food came with the railway. Construction of the Alishan Forest Railway began in 1906 and Fenqihu Station opened in October 1912; steam trains stopped there around midday to take on water and coal, passengers got off to rest, and residents began selling lunch boxes, which is how Fenqihu's railway bento got its name.
Plan your trip
Getting there
Open Chiayi in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Chiayi Station sits on Zhongshan Road, a first-class stop on the Taiwan Railway Western Trunk Line and the starting point of the Alishan Forest Railway. The high-speed rail station is in Taibao, Chiayi County, outside the city; take the Chiayi BRT or a taxi into town. The road to Alishan is Provincial Highway 18, and Fenqihu is a midway stop on the forest railway; trains and sections are often affected by weather, so check official notices.
In pictures
Chiayi in photographs
Photo credits
Black steam locomotive No. 25 releasing steam beside vintage red carriages under large trees at Chiayi's Alishan Forest Railway garage
Photo: jason199567 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
Guide in progress
The full Chiayi guide is still on its way
We are still researching Chiayi: its markets, restaurants and a food itinerary will come in a later update. In the meantime, these complete guides are close by.
Complete guides nearby
Nearby
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The three closest destinations on the map.
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ReviewedDrafted with AI and cross-checked against sources.Last reviewed Oct 11, 2026