Miaoli Shitan Grass Jelly

Shitan grass jelly is a Hakka herbal soup and dessert tradition from Shitan Township, Miaoli, made by simmering dried grass jelly (Mesona chinensis, a mint-family herb) into a dark brown liquid that sets into jelly when mixed with starch and cooled, or is served hot and sweetened as "shao xiancao." Xianshan Xiancao, the landmark shop on Shitan's Xindian Old Street, has a history of nearly 60 years, selling grass jelly chicken hot pot in winter and hot grass jelly in summer; according to Ministry of Agriculture data, Hsinchu County has Taiwan's largest grass jelly growing area, followed by Miaoli County, where Tongluo Township's Xinsheng community serves as an important upstream supplier of the raw herb for Shitan's shops.

Grass jelly (Mesona chinensis) is a mint-family herb with mint-like leaves, harvested mainly in September and October; once dried, it is simmered into grass jelly tea or set into cooling grass jelly cubes. According to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture production map (FY2025 ROC data), Hsinchu County has the largest grass jelly growing area nationwide at about 56.87 hectares, followed by Miaoli County at about 41.83 hectares, concentrated in the townships of Dahu, Shitan, and Nanzhuang; separate news reporting notes that in recent years, Tongluo Township's Xinsheng community has also developed over ten hectares of cultivation, becoming an important upstream supplier for Shitan's grass jelly shops. Xianshan Xiancao, the landmark shop on Shitan's Xindian Old Street, has a history of nearly 60 years, selling grass jelly chicken hot pot in winter and hot grass jelly in summer.

What is Shitan Grass Jelly

Grass jelly is an annual herb of the mint family, scientific name Mesona chinensis. It flowers in summer and is harvested in autumn; once dried, it is simmered to produce a dark brown-black grass jelly liquid. Mixed with tapioca starch or sweet potato starch and cooled, it sets into "grass jelly" (xiancao dong); sweetened, diluted, and served hot, it becomes "hot grass jelly" (shao xiancao). The Shitan and Tongluo area has a mild climate and well-drained mountain terrain — ideal for growing grass jelly — and the Hakka village tradition of cultivating grass jelly for cooling herbal tea gradually developed into a representative local industry. Grass jelly has cooling properties; Hakka people regard it as a health ingredient for relieving heat in summer and nourishing warmth in winter.

"Xianshan Xiancao," the landmark of Shitan Township's Xinzhen Old Street, has been going for about 60 years, running two main lines from the same pot of freshly simmered grass jelly liquid: the grass jelly chicken hot pot in winter (free-range chicken braised with grass jelly liquid) and the hot grass jelly and grass jelly cold desserts as the summer focus. Beyond Xianshan Xiancao, both Shitan and Tongluo townships have dedicated grass jelly growing areas and long-established local shops; the Tongluo Township Farmers' Association even hosts an annual Grass Jelly Festival to promote the crop. Shitan grass jelly, anchored by its old street landmark and years of word-of-mouth reputation, has become a frequent stop on Miaoli mountain-road tourism itineraries.

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Local knowledge

Information compiled from the Miaoli County Government Tourism Bureau, township and district farmers' associations, and large-scale public reviews; sponsored listings have been excluded. Photos to be replaced with channel-exclusive footage after Dio's on-site shoot.