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The Immortals’ Abode
Shuangxi’s Chinese yam is said to be the food of the immortals. When the wild tuber is sliced, it oozes a thick, slimy juice rich in mucin and digestive enzymes that aid digestion, making it an excellent health food. “Keelung Yam” is the world’s second-ranked native cultivar; because the yield is small and the price high, it lacks market competitiveness. The Ruifang District Farmers’ Association helped growers develop yam snacks, and in 2002 founded “Tian Ma-Ma” to promote yam pastries to the public and improve farmers’ livelihoods. Yam Steamed Buns & Yam Toast Yam steamed buns, yam kuih, yam toast, yam dorayaki and more than ten other items have made the Ruifang Farmers’ Association’s yam snacks famous. The chubby, snow-white “milk-yam steamed buns” are especially popular. Another variety, the “golden steamed bun,” incorporates yam, pumpkin seeds and goji berries into the dough; it is springy, layered, and a new, healthy choice. Yam Dorayaki & Yam Kuih The “yam dorayaki” is another signature snack: golden, fluffy pancakes sandwich a smooth yam filling. For “yam kuih,” rice flour is mixed with yam, carrot, and Chinese bacon or vegetarian ham, then steamed the traditional way; visible chunks of white yam give it a soft, delicate savor—the flagship savory yam treat. Wild Ginger Lily Zongzi “Wild ginger lily zongzi” uses only natural spices; no artificial flavoring is added. The moment the steaming dumplings are unwrapped, the heady scent of wild ginger lily drifts out. More than a dozen seasonal yam pastries are produced year-round: Dragon-Boat Festival health zongzi, Mid-Autumn yam crisps, Lantern-Festival and winter-solstice yam tangyuan, Lunar-New-Year yam eight-treasure nian-gao and yam red-yeast fa-gao—all lovingly crafted by the Tian Ma-Ma ladies, truly earning the title “Yam Experts.”