Scallion Pancake
蔥油餅cōngyóu bǐng
- Savory
- Aromatic
- Salty
- +1 more
East · Destination
Yilan
宜蘭
Scallions, smoked duck and a bowl of mutton soup on the Lanyang Plain
Map of Yilan
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Open in the mapIntroduction
The food of Yilan
Yilan's Lanyang Plain is ringed by mountains on three sides and open to the Pacific on the fourth, with fertile soil and plenty of rain, hence the old saying 'wind in Hsinchu, rain in Yilan'. The scallions of Sanxing Township are among its best-known crops, and the table also holds smoked duck cured over a sugarcane fire, thin tongue-shaped cow-tongue biscuits, and fried gāozhā whose center is scalding when it comes out, to be eaten in small bites.
Jiaoxi is one of Taiwan's rare flatland hot-spring areas, and vegetables are grown there with hot-spring water: Yilan County said in July 2026 that summer is the time for hot-spring water spinach and loofah, and Chinese Wikipedia also lists hot-spring tomatoes. Luodong Night Market circles Zhongshan Park and runs from 3 p.m. to midnight every day, with mutton soup, scallion pancakes and filled tapioca balls all in one place. If you are heading north, Daxi Fishing Harbor (大溪漁港) in Toucheng, not the Daxi in Taoyuan, sees its boats come in during the afternoon and has a fish auction to watch; Chinese Wikipedia says it starts at 2:30 p.m. daily, while a 2018 Supertaste feature says boats begin returning a little after 1 p.m. The real timing varies by day, and there is a seafood food street beside the quay, so check before you go.
- 2 dishes
- 1 market
- 3 neighborhoods
The short list
Known for
What Yilan is famous for, most iconic first. Foods with their own guide are linked.
Sanxing scallions and scallion pancakes (sānxīng cōng)三星蔥與蔥油餅
Sanxing scallions are the township's best-known farm product, and the official Luodong tourism site lists scallion pancakes among the night market's popular snacks; Chinese Wikipedia's Luodong entry adds that Yilan's scallion cake (蔥餅) is not the same thing as a scallion pancake.
Dish guide
Smoked duck (yāshǎng)鴨賞
Chinese Wikipedia (whose entry cites no sources) puts yāshǎng first among Yilan's 'four treasures': duck hung in a special oven and smoke-roasted over a sugarcane fire, eaten as it is or used in dishes; Wikivoyage says most gift shops sell it.
Cow-tongue biscuit (niúshé bǐng)牛舌餅
A thin, sweet, tongue-shaped wafer baked from flour, sugar and honey; Chinese Wikipedia says both Yilan and Lukang in Changhua make it, but the two differ enough to count as separate snacks.
Gāozhā (fried set pork-and-shrimp stock)糕渣
Minced pork loin and shrimp cooked into a thick chicken stock, chilled until firm, cut, coated in starch and deep-fried; the inside is scalding when it comes out, so take small bites. Chinese Wikipedia says Yilan night markets such as Luodong sell it.
Fried battered pork loin卜肉
Pork loin cut into strips, seasoned, battered and deep-fried, often eaten with pepper salt or sesame; it is said to have started in Sanxing. Chinese Wikipedia lists it alongside Sanxing scallions, silver willow and Shangjiang pears as a township specialty.
Filled tapioca balls (bāoxīn fěnyuán)包心粉圓
'Filled' refers to the stuffing inside the tapioca ball; the official Luodong tourism site lists it as a popular snack, and Wikivoyage also suggests trying it at the night market.
Mutton soup羊肉湯
Listed by the official Luodong tourism site as a popular snack; Chinese Wikipedia's Luodong entry also lists mutton soup and satay mutton noodles, and Wikivoyage recommends it too.
Shāomǎ dàn (Yilan sweet potato balls)燒馬蛋
Sweet potato balls are called shāomǎ dàn in Yilan; Mirror Media reports that a stall at Dongmen Night Market does not press them repeatedly while frying, flattening each only after it leaves the oil, which gives a thick, chewy bite.
Dish guide
Jiaoxi hot-spring vegetables礁溪溫泉蔬菜
Hot-spring water spinach and loofah are Jiaoxi's summer signatures: in July 2026 Yilan County had the Jiaoxi Farmers' Association run a harvest and picking event and said the best season runs from early July to October. Chinese Wikipedia's Yilan County entry also lists hot-spring tomatoes as a specialty.
Kumquats and candied fruit金棗與蜜餞
Kumquats are made into candied fruit or steeped as tea, and Jiaoxi grows them; Chinese Wikipedia (in a section without sources) also lists candied plum, mango, peach and other fruit.
On the table
Signature dishes
Dishes with their own guide that are most tied to Yilan.
Sweet Potato Balls
地瓜球dìguā qiú
- Vegan
- Sweet
- Caramelized
- Aromatic
Day and night
Famous markets
Night markets, market halls and food streets in Yilan.
Night market
A night market around Zhongshan Park, with mutton soup, scallion pancakes and filled tapioca balls
Where to wander
Neighborhoods to know
Districts and towns to eat your way through.
Township
Luodong羅東
Luodong sits in the middle of the Lanyang Plain; at about 11 square kilometers it is the smallest township in Yilan County, home to roughly 68,000 people (July 2026). Under Japanese rule it became a timber hub because of the Taiping Mountain forestry trade, and the Zhulin station opened in 1924 as the start of the Taiping Mountain forest railway; the Luodong Forestry Cultural Park today preserves that history.
Keep reading
Most visitors come for the night market, which rings Zhongshan Park and runs from 3 p.m. to midnight every day, with mutton soup, scallion pancakes, gāozhā, filled tapioca balls and the 'dragon-and-phoenix leg' all popular. From Luodong Station it is a straight walk along Gongzheng Road, turning left on Xingdong Road for about 200 meters.
Known for
Township
Jiaoxi礁溪
Jiaoxi is one of Taiwan's few flatland hot-spring areas, with sodium bicarbonate water that reaches the surface at about 58°C; Chinese Wikipedia says the spring industry only began developing in 1961. The Yilan Line's Jiaoxi Station is in the township.
Keep reading
The local food has a hot-spring link too: Yilan County said in July 2026 that hot-spring water spinach and loofah are at their best from early July to October, and Chinese Wikipedia's Yilan County entry lists Jiaoxi's hot-spring tomatoes and water spinach as local specialties, and its Jiaoxi entry adds kumquats and garlic among the local crops.
Township
Sanxing三星
Sanxing lies on the western side of the Lanyang Plain, next to Luodong; its fertile soil and easy irrigation make it one of Yilan's key farming areas. Chinese Wikipedia says it is known for Sanxing scallions, silver willow, fried battered pork loin and Shangjiang pears, with the scallion listed first among its specialties.
Keep reading
The township has a Green Onion Culture Museum and a scallion experience farm. Sanxing borders Luodong, so if you simply want to eat scallions on the way, the scallion pancakes at Luodong Night Market are the easiest option; the battered pork loin is a Sanxing specialty too and is said to have started here.
Food history
A food history of Yilan
The Lanyang Plain was the homeland of the Kavalan people, and Han settlers arrived in the late 1700s: Wu Sha led settlers in through Wushi Harbor in 1796, starting large-scale development, the Kavalan sub-prefecture was set up in 1812, and, according to Chinese Wikipedia, it became Yilan County in 1875. Under Japanese rule Luodong became a timber hub because of the Taiping Mountain forestry trade, and the Zhulin station opened in 1924 as the start of the Taiping Mountain forest railway.
We found no reliable documentation of where gāozhā comes from. Chinese Wikipedia links it to a similar Fuzhou dish, but flags that claim as lacking a source and a separate search found nothing to back it, so it is not used here. That it was served to foreign guests at a state banquet comes from Chinese Wikipedia and is repeated in the headline of a 2026 HK01 roundup of Yilan snacks, neither giving details. Night-market snacks seldom have reliable dates, so read the stories here as local description.
Through the year
Seasonal specialties
Months are a rough window, and the weather moves them from year to year.
Season: Oct
Nanfang'ao mackerel festival南方澳鯖魚節
Chinese Wikipedia records an annual mackerel festival at Nanfang'ao in Su'ao in mid-October; exact dates and activities vary from year to year, so check official notices before you go.
Plan your trip
Getting there
Open Yilan in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)Taiwan Railway's Yilan Line stops at Toucheng, Jiaoxi, Yilan and Luodong, and cars and coaches use Freeway 5 and the Hsuehshan Tunnel; Chinese Wikipedia says Taipei to Yilan County takes under an hour in light traffic, and holiday weekends are often much slower. Luodong Night Market is a walk from Luodong Station. Check current timetables and traffic.
In pictures
Yilan in photographs
Photo credits
Fishing boats moored along the Nanfang'ao harbor quay in Su'ao under a clear blue sky, a green hill beyond
Photo: Taiwankengo · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
Guide in progress
The full Yilan guide is still on its way
We are still researching Yilan: its markets, restaurants and a food itinerary will come in a later update. In the meantime, these complete guides are close by.
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ReviewedDrafted with AI and cross-checked against sources.Last reviewed Oct 11, 2026