Penghu Cactus Ice

Cactus Ice is a purple-red frozen dessert made from wild cactus fruit around Tongliang in Penghu's Baisha Township, peeled, deseeded, and blended into sorbet or ice cream, with its color coming from natural anthocyanins; the Penghu National Scenic Area Administration recognizes Tongliang's Yi Jia Cactus Ice as the founding shop. At the foot of the Cross-Sea Bridge, the small shop beside Tongliang's ancient banyan tree always has motorcycles and tour buses parked out front — scoop one ball into a cone and the icy tartness melts in your mouth.

According to the Penghu National Scenic Area Administration's official site, "Yi Jia Cactus Ice" at No. 191-2, Tongliang Village, is officially recognized as the founding shop of Penghu cactus ice; multiple travel-media reports cite it as having operated since 1989 (this year is cited by multiple travel sites rather than the official government page itself, hence flagged separately), located next to the Penghu Cross-Sea Bridge and the ancient Tongliang banyan tree, made from locally grown wild cactus fruit with its color coming from natural anthocyanins.

What is Penghu Cactus Ice

Penghu Cactus Ice is made from the fruit of locally wild-growing cactus (commonly called "Penghu red dragon fruit"; belongs to the same Cactaceae family as pitaya). The fruit is peeled, deseeded, blended into juice, sweetened, and frozen into sorbet or ice cream. When ripe, the fruit turns purple-red to deep red, with a sweet-tart flavor and a distinctive herbal aroma. The vivid color comes entirely from natural anthocyanins — no artificial coloring is added. Locally, it is most often served as a cone ice cream, a shaved-ice topping, or a smoothie, sometimes paired with condensed milk or whipped cream.

Tongliang Village is recognized as the birthplace of Penghu Cactus Ice, as wild cactus grows densely on the rocky shores at both ends of the Cross-Sea Bridge, yielding a large summer harvest. The Penghu National Scenic Area Administration officially recognizes the Yi family cactus ice shop at No. 191-2, Tongliang Village, as the "founding shop of Penghu Cactus Ice," located right beside the Cross-Sea Bridge — the first stop for tourists after crossing the bridge. Beyond the Yi family shop, downtown Magong also has long-established shops such as Yiming and Jiafa; the Baisha Tongliang cluster is the widely recognized original production area.

How to eat it like a local

Local knowledge

Information compiled from the Penghu County Government Tourism Bureau, township farmers' and fishermen's associations, and large volumes 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.