During the winter solstice, long lines are often seen outside of sweet shops around Taiwan. But one Taiwanese city bucks the trend when it comes to which traditional foods to eat.
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The winter solstice is here again, which in Taiwan means waiting in long lines to buy traditional holiday sweets. On the solstice, Taiwanese people typically eat glutinous rice balls known as tangyuan (湯圓), which are served hot in a sweet soup.
But in central Taiwan’s Changhua City, they have a slightly different tradition of eating mochi, or glutinous rice cakes. Mochi like tangyuan is made with sweet glutinous rice, but can be served at room temperature and is always stuffed with fillings like sweet red bean or pickled radish.
Residents of Changhua say mochi is more convenient and makes a better gift than tangyuan. Tangyuan must be cooked and eaten on the same day, whereas mochi keeps longer. On the solstice, traditional mochi shops in the city see their customer traffic increase exponentially, resulting in long lines. That means that no matter which of these winter treats you choose to eat, it's best if you’re not in a rush.