Sail Rock, a weathered limestone sea stack crowned with green scrub, on Kenting's rocky shore under a blue sky

South · Destination

Pingtung

屏東

Donggang's bluefin tuna and sakura shrimp, Wanluan's pork knuckle, and orchard after orchard of wax apples

What to eat Getting there

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0

This guide is still growing, so the map shows only the places covered so far.

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Introduction

The food of Pingtung

Pingtung's best-known flavors mostly come from the sea. Donggang's fishing port is regarded as Taiwan's biggest bluefin tuna landing place, and in earlier years most of the catch went to Japan; the Bluefin Tuna Culture and Tourism Season (in its 26th year in 2026) opens with an auction of the season's first tuna, which has to be caught in season, weigh at least 175 kg and pass inspection; the 2026 auction was held at the Donggang fish market on 8 April, and recent prices have been above NT$1 million. The same harbor lands sakura shrimp, a small shrimp fished mainly in Japan's Suruga Bay and off Taiwan; in Taiwan it is mostly made into dried shrimp used in fried rice or to scent a hot wok.

Inland the flavors turn southern and rural. Wanluan's pork knuckle is braised slowly in soy sauce, sugar, garlic paste and herbs, and is said to use only front feet; the wax apple is one of the county's signature products, with the deep-red 'black pearl' variety the one most often mentioned; and Checheng, on the Hengchun Peninsula, is a well-known onion district: the peninsula is Taiwan's most important onion region, with roughly 400 to 600-plus hectares planted each year according to the Kaohsiung agricultural research station. For the islands, a boat from Donggang reaches Xiaoliuqiu in roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

3 neighborhoods

The short list

Known for

What Pingtung is famous for, most iconic first. Foods with their own guide are linked.

Donggang bluefin tuna (hēiwěiyú)東港黑鮪魚
Donggang's port is regarded as Taiwan's largest bluefin tuna landing place, and in earlier years the catch went mainly to Japan. The Bluefin Tuna Culture and Tourism Season opens with the auction of the season's first fish; in 2026 it was caught by the Liuqiu-registered boat Fuyuqing No. 2 and auctioned at the Donggang fish market on 8 April, with the tourism events following in spring and early summer according to the sources.
Sakura shrimp (yīnghuā xiā)櫻花蝦
A small Donggang shrimp, mostly made into dried shrimp for fried rice or to flavor a hot wok. Fishing is closed from June to October and the annual catch is capped.
Wanluan pork knuckle (zhūjiǎo)萬巒豬腳
Wanluan Township's signature, braised slowly in soy sauce, sugar, salt, garlic paste, spices and herbs and said to use only front feet. The township has a pork-knuckle street and holds a pork-knuckle festival every year.
Wax apple (liánwù)蓮霧
Pingtung and Chiayi are the main wax-apple growing areas, and Pingtung County lists the deep-red 'black pearl' variety among its signature products. A popular explanation credits salty coastal soil and sea winds from the south for the sweetness, though no solid research was found to back it.
Mango (mángguǒ)芒果
Mango is one of the fruits Pingtung County lists among its most representative local products.
Hengchun Peninsula onions (yángcōng)恆春半島洋蔥
The Hengchun Peninsula is Taiwan's most important onion region: the head of the Kaohsiung agricultural research station says about 400 to 600-plus hectares are planted each year, and the strong winter Luoshan wind plus sun-curing at harvest leave the bulbs with less water, firmer and better keeping, crisp and sweet with very little pungency (FoodNext report). Checheng Township is nicknamed the 'Onion Kingdom'. Chinese Wikipedia puts the township at roughly half of Taiwan's acreage and two-thirds of its output, but those figures carry no year and do not fit the research station's area figures, so they are not used. Onions are one of the 'three treasures of Hengchun', alongside sisal and Gangkou tea.
Donggang mullet roe (wūyúzi)東港烏魚子
Mullet roe appears on Donggang's list of local snacks: cured and sun-dried grey mullet roe, usually eaten in thin slices.

Where to wander

Neighborhoods to know

Districts and towns to eat your way through.

Township
Donggang東港鎮
Donggang's port is regarded as Taiwan's biggest bluefin tuna landing place, and in earlier years most of the catch went to Japan; sakura shrimp is one of the town's 'three treasures,' and mullet roe and sashimi are on its list of local snacks. The Bluefin Tuna Culture and Tourism Season (in its 26th year in 2026, opening with the auction of the first tuna in early spring) was created after the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit the Japanese economy and sharply cut tuna exports, to help fishers through the downturn and to draw visitors.
Keep reading
The Yíngwáng Píng'ān ceremony (迎王平安祭典) is held every third year around Donglong Temple and is said to be known for the burning of a lord's boat. From the harbor's Dong-Liu Line pier, boats reach Xiaoliuqiu in roughly 20 to 30 minutes; the island is known for its green sea turtles.
Township
Wanluan萬巒鄉
Wanluan is famous for pork knuckle: the township has a pork-knuckle street and holds a pork-knuckle festival each year. Hoklo and Hakka residents live side by side, with Hakka making up roughly 40 to 50 percent of the population, and Wugoushui is a traditional Hakka settlement.
Keep reading
Local tradition traces the snack to a noodle-stall owner surnamed Lin who sold red-braised pork knuckle in the Japanese era. The knuckles are said to be front feet only, braised pot by pot in soy sauce, sugar, garlic paste and herbs, and after 1970 the shops gathered into a street. These are local accounts, so treat details as lore.
Township
Hengchun恆春鎮
Hengchun is the center of the Hengchun Peninsula, and its late-Qing walled old town still stands, described as the only walled city in Taiwan built for military defense. Locals speak of the 'three treasures of Hengchun': sisal, Gangkou tea and onions. Traditional snacks include salty rice cake, mung-bean garlic, red turtle cake, scallion pancake and sweet-potato congee.
Keep reading
Neighboring Checheng Township is a major onion district. The Kenting Express from Zuoying HSR Station passes Linbian, Fangliao, Checheng and Hengchun on the way to Kenting.

Food history

A food history of Pingtung

Sakura shrimp began in the 1950s as bycatch from fishing for bottom-dwelling fish. Dedicated fishing in Donggang started after Japanese buyers began paying high prices for dried shrimp in 1982, and a producers' group was formed in 1993. Fishing is now closed from June to October, the annual catch is capped at about 900 metric tons, and around 90 percent is exported to Japan.

The tuna festival began after the 1997 Asian financial crisis hit the Japanese economy and sharply cut tuna exports; it has been held every year since 2001 (Public Television called 2026 its 26th year) to help fishers through the downturn and to draw visitors. As for Wanluan's pork knuckle, local tradition traces it to a noodle-stall owner surnamed Lin selling red-braised pork knuckle in the Japanese era, with shops gathering into a pork-knuckle street after 1970; that is local lore, and no solid documentation turned up.

Through the year

Seasonal specialties

Months are a rough window, and the weather moves them from year to year.

Season: May–Jun
Donggang bluefin tuna season東港黑鮪魚季
The Bluefin Tuna Culture and Tourism Season has run since 2001 and is generally listed for May and June, though some sources stretch it into July. The season opens with the auction of the first tuna landed, which mostly sells for more than NT$1 million. Dates shift from year to year, so check Pingtung County Government announcements before you go.
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Plan your trip

Getting there

Open Pingtung in Google Maps

Pingtung County has no high-speed rail station; the nearest is Zuoying in Kaohsiung. Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area runs Taiwan Tourist Shuttle buses linking Zuoying with the ferry terminals at Donggang, and the Kenting Express runs from Zuoying to Hengchun and Kenting via Linbian, Fangliao and Checheng. Pingtung City has its own Taiwan Railway station. The boat from Donggang to Xiaoliuqiu takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes. Check current timetables.

In pictures

Pingtung in photographs

Donggang seafood bowl heaped with raw tuna, salmon and scallop, topped with salmon roe and halved limes

Photo credits

Donggang seafood bowl heaped with raw tuna, salmon and scallop, topped with salmon roe and halved limes
Photo: midnightbreakfastcafe from Taipei, Taiwan · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab)

Guide in progress

The full Pingtung guide is still on its way

We are still researching Pingtung: 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

Close to Pingtung

The three closest destinations on the map.

South
Kaohsiung
高雄
3 dishes2 markets
A harbor city whose table is set by the port, the navy villages and the farm country
Known forBraised pork rice (ròuzào fàn) · Cijin seafood · Gangshan goat (羊肉)
South
Tainan
台南
9 dishes1 market
Taiwan's old capital and one of its great food cities
Known forBeef soup · Danzai noodles · Milkfish
East
Taitung
台東
0 dishes0 markets
Rice paddies, sugar apples and Indigenous flavors, eaten slowly between the mountains and the sea
Known forChishang rice box (fànbāo) · Sugar apple (shìjiā) · Amis wild-vegetable cooking (yěcài)