Ground Tea in Hakka areas

In Hsinchu County, with its Hakka population, a common sight on dinner tables is a fragrant and nutritional “tea” made from ground nuts and seeds using a mortar and pestle. You can enjoy one of their longest standing specialties, called “ground tea,” and then take in an old street in Nanjhuang in the heart of Hakka country. Hsinchu and Miaoli counties in the northern half of Taiwan are home to many of the country’s Hakka people and their traditions.

You have to grind until the mixture is really moist. Then after boiling water is added, the “tea,” which actually is more like a soup, is ready to eat. Some people also combine the mixture with rice. So if you’re looking for a diversion and don’t mind that what you’re eating and drinking has been pounded into shape, then the Hakka areas in Hsinchu and Miaoli counties are just for you.