The unique souvenirs you can buy in Taiwan

Anyone that travels understands the joy of taking something home to share with friends and family. Whether it’s a local delicacy or piece of finely crafted jewelry, these slivers of local culture allow you to share your experiences with others. So what does Taiwan have to offer as a souvenir that you won’t find anywhere else? Here are some of the favorites.

Pineapple cake

One of the most popular sweets available throughout the island is the humble pineapple cake. It’s a buttery pastry with a deliciously sweet pineapple paste at its center. These usually come in airtight packaging so taking them home on the plane is no trouble at all.

Mini Sky Lanterns

You may have heard of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, but you probably didn’t realize that you can buy these wonderful little miniature sky lanterns as souvenirs. Handcrafted and set within see-through containers, they make a nice little ornamental gift for someone’s mantelpiece.

Read more: Best autumn festivals to celebrate in Taiwan

The world’s best jade

Of course, you can buy jade all around the world, but Taiwan is well-known as a place to find some the finest jade on the planet. The jade market in Taipei offers an incredible range of pieces in all shapes and sizes but expect to pay premium prices for high-quality pieces.

Taiwanese tea

The teas of Taiwan’s mountain regions are among the most sought after in the world so if you have a tea connoisseur in the family then you surely have to take home a box of leaves. Look out for Oolong; it’s the most popular, and with good reason.

Taiwanese peanut nougat

They do things differently here in Taiwan so don’t expect the typical nougat you find in candy bars in the west. Taiwanese nougat is often quite hard and chewy and full of peanuts. Some will also have sesame too while others may have pieces of brown sugar. Nougat is the most traditional of treats in Taiwan and expect to find boxes of it everywhere especially during festivals.

Sun cakes

The sun cake is a flaky pastry that traditionally has a sweet and sticky filling. These days though you can get many different flavors such as dried pork and even green tea. In truth though, the originals are still the best.

Source The Culture Trip