Alishan herb infused rice cake granny 阿里山草粿阿媽

Things always taste better if there's a story behind it. This 草粿 (herb infused rice cake) is made by a 77 year old woman in Alishan. She is the grandmother of the owner of the B&B we stayed at. Every day, she makes these rice cakes, puts them in her Toyota SUV and drives to B&B's in the area to sell them. When we arrived at our B&B, we were treated some. They were freshly steamed and just delicious!

before steaming

the lady's great grandchildren

Q~

made from glutinous rice flour and Jersey Cudweed (鼠麴草/母子草)

stuffed with pickled turnips, mushroom, shallot, pork

after steaming

she's got to be the healthiest 77 year old I've ever seen

showing us the herb from her garden

she cuts bamboo every day

and if you want to order...