HUALIEN

Hualien is well known for their 扁食 (wontons), 麻糬 (mochi), 羊羹 (bean cake pastry), and 剝皮辣椒 (peeled green pepper). It's not a big town so all stores are pretty much with 5-10 min walk from each other.

Hualien specializes in 小米麻糬 (aboriginal style mochi, also called "杜倫" in aborigine language), which is made out of grain flour. It is different from the usual 客家 style 糯米麻糬 made out of rice but is every bit as tasty. Each mochi store makes a different variety of flavors -- some use traditional ingredients such as red bean, sesame, and peanut, while others make more experimental flavors like green tea, strawberry, and other fruits -- be sure to try them all. All are freshly made every morning, so you should eat them within a day or two, while the flavors are still fresh!

Article: A few Hualien stores and local foods.
Small listing of businesses in Hualien.

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花蓮麻糬 (Hualien mochi)

When in Hualien, you gotta eat mochi. 曾記 and 曾家 are the two well known brands, as is 惠比須. People debate over which one is better. We should debate over how many from each store we can fit in our stomaches. =)

Article: 來去花蓮／吃麻糬　該買「曾記」還是「曾家」

曾記
One of the well-known mochi stores in Hualien.

惠比須 (Ebisu)
Another famous mochi store specializing in 花蓮薯 (Hualien style mochi, made purely of yam). They have been open since 1899 and once made 花蓮薯 to be served to the Japanese emperor.
http://www.ebisu.com.tw/

阿美麻糬
[花蓮市中華路109號 3-8352033]
Another store well-known for its 小米麻糬.

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Cookies and Preserved Snacks

豐興餅舖
[花蓮市中華路296之2號 3-8323436]
This local bakery (since 1928) specializes in 唱片餅 ("record" cookies), 小月餅 (moon cakes), and 小米麻糬.

德利豆乾
[花蓮市大禹街6號 3-8339039]
Dried tofu and preserved fruits.

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扁食

扁食 is the Taiwanese version of wontons, which in my opinion are pretty much the best wontons in the world. The wonton skins are silky soft but don't break apart in your spoon. The meat is light and flavorful, not too chewy yet not too tender. When we visited 戴記扁食, the four of us ate three bowls each!

戴記扁食
[花蓮市中華路120號]
http://www.poja.com.tw/eat/dump1.htm

液香扁食
[花蓮市信義街42號]
Another very tasty 扁食 shop. Here is someone's comparison of this store and 戴記.