Wang's Champion Rice Cakes

Located opposite Brian’s Black Tea on Zhengxing Street, Wang’s Champion Rice Cakes attracts those waiting for black tea from the teahouse opposite by its showy traditional production technique of rice cakes. This small vendor is already is being run by the fourth generation of the original family who set it up in Tainan. The care of the owners has meant that the traditional skills needed for making rice cakes have not been lost from generation to generation. Every “hat-shaped” rice cake is made entirely by hand on-site, and can be bought either in sesame or peanut flavor. The soft texture and not overly-sweet taste keeps customers coming back for more.

The story behind why each rice cake is "hat-shaped" is actually very interesting. During the Tang dynasty, there was a scholar who wanted to take the Beijing exam to become a government official. But when he found all his money had been used up during his travels, he ground rice in a powder before placing it inside bamboo and cooking it. As a representation of his wish for good luck, he created what would come to be known as rice cakes into a hat shape. When the scholar successfully passed the exam, he took his rice cake creation to the Emperor for him to taste. When the Emperor found it to be tasty, the rice cake came to be known as “Champion Cake” (狀元粿). Although, at TWD100 each set, these rice cakes are more expensive than the average price you might find in Taiwan, if they hold the possibility of turning you into a champion, it is a small price to pay!