Taiwan Food Atlas

Matsu Fish Noodles

Handmade dried noodles crafted entirely from fish paste — a rare artisan tradition found only on this remote island
📍 Matsu · Beigan Tangqi🏆 Featured · Noodles🐟 60% Fish Meat, Hand-Crafted

In Beigan's Tangqi Village, a veteran maker's hands are dusted white as he kneads block after block of fish-paste dough, then rolls it into thin sheets with a rolling pin, cuts it into fine strips, and lays them out on bamboo trays to dry. A catty of fish noodles takes half a day to make. Bite in and you taste fresh sea flavor; even after long cooking they hold their shape. This is Matsu Fish Noodles — an artisan skill passed down through generations in nearly every Beigan household.

What Are Matsu Fish Noodles

Matsu Fish Noodles are dried noodles made from approximately 60% fresh fish meat (mainly eel, mackerel, or shark) combined with approximately 40% tapioca starch. The process involves skinning and deboning the fish, grinding the flesh into a paste, kneading it with the starch to form dough, rolling it into thin sheets, cutting it into strips, and then air-drying or sun-drying. The finished product is white with a fish fragrance and can be served in soup or stir-fried. Its defining trait is that it holds up to cooking without going mushy and carries its own seafood flavor, requiring little seasoning.

Fish noodles originated from a processing technique developed in Matsu's early years to preserve surplus fish catch — a concrete example of island-life ingenuity. The Lienchiang County government lists it as a representative Matsu specialty; all four townships and five islands promote it, with Beigan's Tangqi Village as the main production center. Long-established shops such as Yuzhixiang Fish Noodle Shop and Apo Fish Noodles maintain handmade methods. In the inaugural "500 Bowls" evaluation of 2023, Matsu Fish Noodles were selected as the representative Matsu noodle dish — one of the few Matsu items well known to diners on the main island of Taiwan.

How to Eat It Like a Local

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Best in SoupSimmer the fish noodles in pork-bone broth or seaweed broth for 3–5 minutes. The natural seafood flavor is released into the soup without the need for much extra seasoning.
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Keep the Toppings SimpleThe traditional accompaniments — dried seaweed, tiny dried shrimp, and minced scallion — are all you need. Let the fish noodles' natural sea flavor take center stage; avoid heavy sauces that would overwhelm it.
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Stir-Fry Works TooSoak the fish noodles until soft, then stir-fry with cabbage and egg. This is the home-lunch version Matsu locals favor.
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Top Souvenir PickThe dried form is easy to pack and carry, making it the number-one souvenir from the islands. Cook a bowl at home and you can recreate the Matsu flavor on the spot.

Local Know-How

Verified Third-Party Endorsements (Sponsorship Filtered)

  • The Lienchiang County Tourism Bureau lists Matsu Fish Noodles as a regional specialty, specifying an approximately 60% fish meat + 40% tapioca starch ratio.
  • All four townships and five islands record fish noodles as a local specialty food.
  • Selected in the inaugural 2023 "500 Bowls" evaluation as the representative Matsu noodle dish.

Visiting Tips

  • Handmade fish noodles are produced in limited quantities and frequently sell out in peak season — phone ahead or arrive early in the day.
  • The price gap between fully handmade and machine-made fish noodles is significant; ask the shop about its production process before purchasing.
  • Shelf life for the dried product is approximately 3–6 months; after opening, refrigerate and consume promptly.

Data compiled from the Lienchiang County Tourism Bureau, Matsu Distillery, and a large volume of public reviews; sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos will be replaced with the channel's exclusive footage after Dio's on-site shoot.

🗺️ View on the map ← All Lienchiang dishes