Hualien potatoes, Hualien taro, mochi and yokan are all famous snacks in Hualien. Hualien people use the vast river land to grow dry crops such as sweet potatoes, taro, peanuts, red beans or millet. Made by skilled hands. The raw material of Hualien potato is sweet potato, and Hualien taro is also called "guimantou". Another specialty is corn cakes modified from "Du Lun", or Ami mochi. Corn glutinous rice cakes have developed a variety of flavors such as red beans, mung beans, green tea, honey, etc. In addition to millet, they are also made from red glutinous rice. Yokan, derived from Japanese dessert, originated in China and has a salty taste. After being introduced to Japan, it was changed to a sweet dish. Its main ingredient is red beans. It is not difficult to make, but it is quite labor-intensive. Guangshengdang in Yuli is the most famous yokan.
Hualien Stone Sculpture, in addition to the majestic mountains and rivers, is also the home of many strange stones and jade. As the Hualien strata have experienced many orogenies and active crustal plates, a wide variety of stones have been produced. Various rocks are transported and polished by large and small streams, and accumulated on river beds and coasts, becoming beautiful stones of various sizes and colors. .
After the stones are mined and processed, the larger ones can be used as building materials and furniture to beautify the environment, while the smaller ones are suitable for holding in the hand and playing with. The rich stone materials have earned Hualien the reputation of "the hometown of stones". It also creates a different urban landscape for Hualien.
Du Lun is also called Ami Mochi, but the method and ingredients are not the same as Mochi. First, boil the millet into millet, then put it into a mortar and pound it continuously. Because it is rich in stickiness, the millet will quickly condense into lumps and become sticky and tough durum. In addition to millet, there are also durum made from red glutinous rice and white glutinous rice.
The Ami people call cured meat "Xilao". Regardless of fish, fish eggs, animal meat and animal offal, if they can't finish eating, they will be marinated and preserved. When making it, first apply salt on the meat and rub it. After a few days, put it in a clay pot, pour some millet wine into it, and seal it for a month before taking it out for consumption. It is said that those that rot and grow maggots are the best in Xilao.
Ali Pengpeng is a unique food of "Nanshi Ami". It is somewhat similar to rice dumplings and can also be called Ami rice dumplings. The Ami people use common forest plants on the beach. They first pluck the leaves and cut off the side thorns, then weave the 4 leaves into a bag shape and stuff them with raw glutinous rice, which is boiled or dry-steamed.
Puffer fish mostly live in reef areas and sometimes accumulate toxic substances in their intestines, so Taiwanese people rarely try it. However, the Ami people who live on the east coast have a tradition of eating pufferfish. They are experienced in catching short-spined, non-toxic pufferfish. They roast it over fire, then remove the shells, remove the intestines and cook the soup in a pot. Because the meat is tender, it has always been easy to eat. It is a delicacy for the elderly. Hualien City's famous "first puffer fish specialty store in the world" offers Japanese flavors such as raw and soju, as well as Chinese recipes such as three-cup, cold, steamed, sweet and sour, stir-fried liver, and deep-fried, with Amis dishes. A mixture of Daoxiang wine and Anomatis tea.
The Ami people have many traditional festivals, but the annual Harvest Festival is the largest. This is a ceremony held by the tribe to celebrate the harvest of millet and worship their gods and ancestors. It is also responsible for educating men to adulthood and inheriting. The solemn significance of passing the fire is; some tribes also use betel nut delivery, "hand-holding ceremony" and other activities to match suitable men and women. In the past, the staple food of the Ami people was millet, and the timing of the festival also coincided with the millet harvest; now, it is changed to the rice harvest season, which is around July in Taitung area and August in Hualien area. A complete harvest festival consists of three stages: "welcoming the spirits", "banqueting the spirits" and "sending off the spirits". Fishing ceremonies must be held before and after; however, under the impact of many factors such as the introduction of Christianity and social changes, the festival has been shortened. Dates and simplified religious ceremonies have become a common trend. Instead, they have incorporated competitions such as sumo wrestling and tug-of-war, and even combined wood carvings, craft displays and food tours to become a singing and dancing "carnival" for everyone to enjoy. A window to understand American culture.
The fishing festival is another important ceremony of the Ami people. It originated from the Ami ancestors who drifted from the sea to the east coast. It was held to thank the sea god for protecting them along the way and allowing them to reproduce their descendants. This grand ceremony is mostly held in June and July before the harvest season. It worships the sea god, ancestors and dead souls at sea, and prays for a good harvest. Harvest festival activities often start and end with fishing. Fishing is the responsibility of men. For the Ami people, fishing is not only an economic activity, but also an important ritual and cultural inheritance. The Ami people, who are divided into different classes based on age, establish the transmission of life experience from elder to younger through fishing, and teach the younger generation to understand and respect natural creatures. Men also strengthen their responsibilities to the family.