TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – Taiwan’s classic beef noodle soup has had a bittersweet touch.
Taipei chef Hung Ching Lung created a pineapple beef noodle soup at his eponymous restaurant Chef Hung, in what he says is a modest attempt to support Thai pineapple farmers.
The prickly pear became a politically charged symbol after China banned the import of pineapples from Taiwan on March 1, citing pests. In response, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen launched a challenge on social media called “Eat Taiwan Pineapple Until It Bursts,” asking people to support the island’s farmers.
The campaign has sparked a media frenzy of pineapple as Taiwanese politicians tried to show their support for farmers and also Taiwanese agriculture. Politicians from the Progressive Democratic Party and the opposition Nationalist Party went to the farms to post pictures with pineapples.
Restaurants like Hung rushed to make pineapple dishes. Pineapple prawn balls, a pineapple pineapple salad and classics like fried pineapple rice are just some of the dishes that drive the island’s restaurants and hotels.
Hung said he and his team spent three days trying ways to incorporate the pineapple into beef noodles. It took about ten attempts.
“The first time we tried it when we cooked it in the soup, it was very sweet, not edible and had a full pineapple flavor,” he said. The successful attempt was based on separating the juice from the fruit during cooking, which eliminated the sweetness that would otherwise outweigh the flavor of the veal.
China denies that its decision to ban Taiwan pineapples was politically motivated, and a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the decision was a “normal, completely reasonable and necessary biosecurity measure.” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry has called the measure “flying in the face of rules-based, free and fair trade.”
China has recently taken advantage of its huge market in a trade war with Australia. It stopped or reduced imports of beef, coal, barley, seafood, sugar and timber from Australia after the country backed calls for an investigation into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, which is believed to be start in China in late 2019.
Despite the hustle and bustle, the ban on pineapple may not drastically affect Taiwanese farmers.
A day after the ban was enacted, Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang told local media that the amount bought by companies and nationals exceeded the amount that would have been sold in China. The government also promised subsidies worth one billion new Taiwan dollars ($ 35 million) to help farmers.
The government said it has also received orders from Japan, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and Middle East countries.
Annually, Taiwan produces about 420,000 metric tons of pineapples, 90% of which are sold on the same island, according to the Agriculture Council. About 10% of this annual production is sold abroad and China accounts for the vast majority of these purchases.
It is unclear whether the recent rise in domestic orders and orders from foreign countries will offset China’s ban in the long run.
But in the short term, it has drawn patriotic feelings from some local residents.
“We’re all trying to find a way to help farmers,” said Alice Tsai, who stopped by Hung’s restaurant on Wednesday to try noodles she said were surprisingly tasty.
“The other day I went to the supermarket and found that all the pineapples were exhausted and I was very moved,” he said. “Everyone has that feeling of solidarity.”
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Associated Press reporter Johnson Lai contributed to this report.